Tag: fall

Posted in Halloween

St. George Street Halloween

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We heard on the radio that families could trick or treat on St. George Street in St. Augustine on Halloween afternoon. We didn’t have any plans to dress up, but we thought it would be fun to go and see the costumes. It was a beautiful October afternoon, so we also took our Great Dane, Willow, along with us. I said, “We can tell people she’s a chihuahua in a Great Dane costume!”

Even though the parking garage was almost full, the city didn’t seem too crowded. Costumed adults and children were everywhere. Witches, princesses, superheroes, dinosaurs, bloody ghouls, bananas, aliens, the Sanderson sisters, and creepy clowns were outside and inside every store. I saw a dog in a Nemo costume, another in a banana costume, a third in a tutu, and a white dog someone had sloppily spray-painted with blue paint.

We visited the dog store and got a few free biscuits. Surprisingly, we found some all natural peanut butter at a jerky store. We’re fans and picked up two big jars. While we were there, we bought a big four-inch dark chocolate peanut butter cup. Yum!

It’s been a while since we wandered around St. Augustine, and we came upon a cider place, Cidersmith. Can we bring a dog in? Not inside, but she’d be fine at an outdoor table. Sign us up. We took a table, ordered a flight of four different ciders (pineapple, pumpkin spice, peach, and dry apple), along with a flat bread, some garlic Parmesian wings, and a bowl of water for the big dog.

As we wandered the street, virtually everyone who passed either said, “Marmaduke!” or “Scooby Doo!” And an occasional, “Whoa!” Our Great Dane is on the small size, but still an attention-grabber. All I had to do was sit down with her on a bench, and a parade of people came over asking, “Can I pet your dog?” Some of the kids were shorter than her. One was holding a white cane, so I described every detail. Several people took pictures. Instant celebrity status!

On the way out of St. Augustine, I washed all that down with a pumpkin cheesecake popsicle from The Hyppo.

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.

Posted in Moments of grace, Travel

A great day at the pumpkin farm

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today I took a trip to the Shadow Creek Pumpkin Farm in Midlothien, Texas. Every weekend in October (and a few Mondays and Fridays) they hold their annual pumpkin festival. It’s pricey but worth it. It’s the real deal.

The festival is a whole lot more than pumpkins. As soon as we arrived, the grandkids jumped on the seesaws, large wooden swings hanging from the trees, and a whole bunch of little bouncy pigs, horses, and cows. Everyone took a turn riding down a huge hillside slide. It was pretty chilly so we stopped at a huge fire pit to warm up.

The petting zoo was next. We held chicks and ducklings, petted the alpaca, watched the pigs gorging on pumpkins, fed calves with huge bottles of milk and goats with ice cream cones full of feed. We spent nearly an hour there.

From there we took a tractor ride through the fields, navigated a corn maze, and bounced on flat orange bounce pads. Once we burnt off some energy, it was time for lunch.

A row of food trucks offered barbecue, Mac and cheese, street tacos, nachos, hot dogs, kettle corn, cider, and pumpkin pie. The brisket was delicious on a roll, in a tortilla, or on mac and cheese.

We weren’t done yet. Each of the kids picked out a pumpkin to take home, perched on old tractors for pictures, and took a ride in little pumpkin cars pulled by another tractor. After one last ride on swings, we headed home.

It was a great morning and part of the afternoon. Since pumpkin farms make all their money in the fall, I’m not surprised that these festivals aren’t cheap. $17 admission, $8 cider, $12 kettle corn, $5 pickle, $12 brisket sandwich, $37 pumpkin pie! Only the Texas state fair costs more.

I had a great time and got great pictures. I’ll bet we’ll be back next year.

Posted in Life, Travel

A beautiful moment

Posted on by William Douthwaite

By Gods grace we are spending a long weekend near Harrisonburg, VA at the time of peak fall color. It’s hard to predict, so I don’t take credit, but just thank God for the beauty of autumn all around me for these next few days. 

As I sit and enjoy the reds, yellows and oranges, and watch as gentle breezes suddenly shake free leaves that lazily fall like huge snowflakes, I realize how fleeting this moment is. In a week, these leaves will be gone. Okay, they won’t be gone. They will cover the ground, but without their brilliant color. The trees will be bare, mere sticks coming up from the ground. The view will be hues of gray, brown, and black.

Isn’t that the way of so much beauty? Beautiful people surrender to aging, beautiful night skies disappear at dawn, a beautiful sunrise gives way to the day and the colorful fall leaves too soon fall. 

So we savor the moment. We do not despair it’s passing, for we know it was never meant to last. We await beauty’s next appearance, for we know she’s on her way.