Fall has always been my favorite season. Of course it helps that my birthday is in the fall! But I love the cooler temperatures, snuggling under cozy blankets at night while keeping the window open, and the crisp smell of the air. I love warm fall afternoons, especially when they are filled with cross country meets followed by apple cider and watching the turning leaves fall off the trees in my parents’ back yard. I love the colors – the leaves, the apples, the pumpkins, the decorations that begin to adorn neighbors’ front doors. And the smells – the cider, the cinnamon, the leaves, the air.
Of course, it’s still hitting 90° here and even if it were cooler, I don’t think the trees that grow in the desert turn colors quite like the maples do. We’ve been faking it with apples and cider and pumpkin spice lattes and fall candles. We open all the windows at night to capture some of the cool night air, then shut the house up in the morning to hold it in for as long as we can.
Our monthly trip back to Ohio (although this was the last one until the holidays) fell at the end of September. Friends were getting married in North Eastern Ohio and we traveled for the festivities. We caught the very beginnings of Ohio Autumn – trees starting to turn, temperatures starting to drop. It was a beautiful warm bright Saturday for the wedding; a perfect fall day. And we from Arizona got a little taste of fall to take back with us. I just hope it was enough to last until it cools down here.
Fall leaves along the highway
View over town
We had an extra day that we weren’t quite sure what to do with. We planned all our Ohio trips so that we flew out of Tucson early Friday morning and flew back Monday night, so that we would have time to visit everyone. This trip was far enough from our family and friends that our typical visiting loop wasn’t as convenient. We stayed with a friend in Columbus on Sunday night, and spent Monday driving around Columbus and eventually hanging out in downtown Gahanna (which is both cute and right by the airport).
Awesome IKEA pillow at friend’s apartment
We had lunch at this adorable French bistro. It was so cozy and the food was good. We had this little back room almost all to ourselves.
La Chatelaine Bakery and Bistro
Walking around in Gahanna
Walking around was dark and dreary and blustery – all the things that Tucson is not right now. We wished we brought jackets, and pulled our light sweaters tighter around us. We walked in and out of little shops – a toy store, a book store, a coffee shop. It can be fun to peruse when you know you won’t buy anything! We had no more room in our luggage, so we just looked and gathered ideas for Christmas gifts.
The trees weren’t fully turned, but they were getting started. Eventually it started to rain. But we headed back to the airport glad to have had a little bit of fall.
When Opposites Attract 