The leaves are turning here in Northern Virginia, and what better way to see them than by driving down George Washington Memorial Parkway? We spent this Halloween afternoon driving down the parkway and ended up in Vienna for some frozen custard. The sun sifting through the partly-cloudy sky made the yellow leaves crisper, the orange leaves brighter and the red leaves … redder? Yes, redder. Everything was in “saturated” mode. Even the deer were out, and we were lucky enough to see one skittering across a front yard in one Great Falls neighborhood.
On days like today, it’s hard to believe that we both grew up in a state that is all but devoid of seasons. In Florida, the entire “season” of winter is the equivalent of a brisk September day in Arlington. It wasn’t so bad when we lived there because we didn’t really understand what we were missing. But now that we’re here, I can’t imagine giving this up … even though the beaches here can’t hold a candle to Pensacola and the sunsets don’t compare to those in Key Largo.
The cool air rolled in again this week and everyone pulled out their riding boots and scarves. I love the fall, but I definitely “run hot,” so this brisk air isn’t enough to cool me off from the summer. Maybe the Florida sunshine seeped into my very genes, but I was still sweating when I walked home from work in the 60-degree weather yesterday. Here’s looking at you winter — can’t wait to see you.
A Vagare 