Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Beginning Of The End

Summer is winding down. There will still be nice days over the next couple of months, don't get me wrong. Monday night found us sitting out on the deck in shorts and t-shirts until after dark. It's still summer, after all. But the signs are out there.

Some of the grape leaves in the vineyard are turning already.

First of all, there's the dwindling light. I'm waking up before sunrise now. And darkness is coming earlier and earlier. The ads on television and in the mail are all about la rentrée (back-to-school and back-to-work). Summer vacations officially end next week. The US Open tennis tournament begins in less than a week. American football pre-season is in full swing.

And then there are the leaves. The early changers have started doing their thing. I see more and more yellow leaves in the birch trees, and a carpet of yellow is forming on the ground beneath them. The grape vines have begun their transformation, too. Here and there I see a beautiful red leaf, or tinges of yellow among all the green.

Gotta enjoy the nice days while they last!

8 comments:

  1. I'm loving that I am no longer waking in the dark at this end of the world.

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  2. I think it's time to just say "Yes, we will".

    We did win the election, after all.

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  3. Walt,

    Just to let you know that Sen Teddy Kennedy passed away early this morning. It is the end of a remarkable generation of an American family.

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  4. I'm loving the longer shadows, the change in the blue color of the sky....and that grape leaf is marvelous!

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  5. We've barely had a winter down here, it's felt like Spring for the most part, which is disappointing because I want snow!

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  6. victor, I like that feeling, too. Unfortunately for us, we're going in the opposite direction right now!

    bill, right on!

    beaver, thank you. The French news did a nice job with their coverage.

    alewis, fall has always been my favorite time of the year.

    starman, merci!

    evol, you're not likely to get much more from now on, are you? When does the ski season actually end?

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  7. It usually ends late September. They had a reasonable dump the night before we left, which should see them through till then, it hasn't been a very good season though :( Do you ski?

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  8. Say it isn't so! Summer is my favorite season & there is only a month left. We do have lovely Septembers in Oregon.

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Tell me what you think!