Tag: autumn

Posted in seasons

Fall in Florida

Posted on by William Douthwaite

There’s no panorama of yellow, orange, red leaves. There is no chill in the air. Beaches don’t close. Trees don’t drop their leaves. It’s still too humid to leave the windows open.

It’s fall in Florida.

I’ve gotten used to it these last thirty years. People put pumpkins imported from northern places by the front door. Scarecrows stand watch over manicured lawns rather than fields ready for harvest. Pumpkin spice candles fill the house with autumnal smells. Pumpkin spice beverages keep baristas busy.

But it’s all manufactured to make it feel like fall. The pumpkins will quickly melt into a pool of orange goo. Air conditioners still run, keeping the outside humidity at bay. Palm trees will look as they did last month, last year. Pine needles will blow across the lawn, but there’s plenty more where they came from.

A few things have changed in Florida as we approach the end of October.

  • I don’t have to cut the lawn every five or six days. It’s as if someone flipped the switch and the grass growth slowed.
  • The days are shorter. Sunrise comes later, sunset earlier.
  • It’s election season, so campaign signs pop up at intersections like fast-growing weeds. I don’t recognize the names. But I’ll need to choose some in a week or two.
  • Families who live up north in the spring and summer begin showing up in Florida as northern temperatures drop. There more traffic and longer lines.
  • The annual property tax bill arrives by mail. It’s not due until the end of March, but I can save money if I pay it earlier.
  • I don’t have to apply as much sunblock as I did in the summer.

I’m sure there’s more signs of fall in Florida. I’ll add more as I think of them. Much different than up north, but a nice season nonetheless.

Posted in tourism, Travel

Fall? Yes. Festival? Not so much.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
How to Visit Brown County State Park, Indiana's 'Little Smokies'

A fall festival in Brown County State Park? Yes! Images of vendor booths, local music, apple cider, and pumpkin-flavored donuts filled my mind. After hiking a trail or two to enjoy the near-peak yellow and orange foliage, we’d stop by to enjoy the tastes, smells, and sights of southern Indiana in the fall.

Upon entering the park, we saw no signs directing us to the festival. Uh-oh. Was this the wrong weekend? I double-checked. This was the right day. Where were the lines of people waiting to get in? Where was the parking lot teeming with cars?

I had to ask Google. It was centered at the Nature Center, in the heart of the park. I headed down the road, certain I’d hear and smell it long before I arrived.

The park features a wonderful nature center, featuring displays about county history, what plants and animals to see, and geological formations. A few turtles posed for pictures.

Where were the booths? Where was the food? I didn’t hear any music.

Everything must be around back. I wandered around the path only to encounter a wedding on a back deck. A chilly wedding party was posing for pictures above a scenic overlook.

But no festival.

I headed the other way and discovered a marker board listing fall festival activities. They included a birds of prey presentation at the pavilion, pumpkin carving judging, and an evening flashlight hike and campfire. Twelve pumpkins sat on a table competing for the prize.

That was it.

No food trucks. No music. No vendors. No crafts. No photo spots. No people. Nothing. Just a sign proclaiming “Fall Festival.”

In Florida, we import all the makings of a fall festival. From pumpkins to leaves to apples to cider, it’s all from out of state. I expected to find all that and more in a place where fall happens full force with the onset of shorter days and cooler weather.

I have to admit the park was beautiful and the weather autumnal. Just no hot cider. Or apples. Or hay rides. Boo.