Autumn!

Growing up in a small, picturesque town in Wisconsin, there are many things that I have come to associate with Autumn.  The changing leave colors, the brisk chill in the air, and the nights of football games.  Returning home this past weekend to relax with my family brought me back to those memories from my childhood.

 

I was lucky enough to venture home for a weekend where my two favorite seasons collided: summer and fall.  It was a weekend full of comfort foods and entertainment characteristic of fall, with the lingering presence of a long, peaceful summer coming to an end.  As I layed out on my pier for one last time this year, I was perfectly content, lounging in my swim suit (in October!), observing the warm fall colors that had transformed the landscape since I had last been home. My dogs, Darby and Abby, also seemed to be well aware that their days of swimming were coming to a close, and spent the afternoon fishing, in Darby's case, and diving for rocks, in Abby's (strange I know).

 

 

That evening, the all-mighty Arrowhead Warhawks had a "hugeee" football game that the whole town was gearing up for.  My sister Bridget got all dressed up for the "red-out" that would be taking place in the student section and left for home hours before in order to tailgate for the game.  I pictured in my head a tailgate full of kids getting wayyy to hyped up on redbull and 5 hour energies and told Bridget that she had to come to Madison to take part in some real tailgate festivities, but I remembered those fall days during highschool where the whole school seemed to look forward to those brisk, friday night football games. 

 

The next day I went for a walk in Monches park with my parents and the dogs and was once again grateful for another day suitable for shorts and hopefully a bit of a tan. The foliage was speckled with the burnt orange, amber, and beige colors of fall. The leaves of autumn always remind me of my childhood home.  Spence Road was lined with great big trees that the neighbors and I would play pom pom pola-way between and build tree forts in for the "beaver club" (beaver because we lived on beaver lake).  There was a go-cart track behind my house where we would cruise along the corn fields and towards the path we called "the secret garden".

 

More then anything fall reminds me of family.  Days spent lounging by the fireplace and watching the packers.  Nights spent cheering on my highschool team and then retreating to a friends house.  I was happy to reminense on some of my memories of autumn while I was home this weekend.  I returned Monday morning with a little pack full of fall comforts courtesy of mom: pumpkin bread, zukkini muffins, apples, and of course, chilli. I'm planning on taking advantage of every second of this beautiful fall weather while I can, and am praying that the blistering winter takes a lot longer to encroach upon us.