Thursday, October 11, 2007

Autumn already


O.K. So it’s not like I didn’t know it’s Fall. The equinox came and went. Then there was an amazing full Harvest moon rise over the hills of southern California (immediately after witnessing my first green flash on a Pacific sunset.) Part of a trip to the West Coast for a wonderful family wedding on the Queen Mary. And fun touristy things such as going to the amazing Getty Center, and exploring the L.A. basin’s beach towns.
I’ve been away from my blog for a while. And away from my art. And it wasn’t just the travel. There was a long period of unusually warm weather (including several record breaking days of August-like heat. Maybe I just convinced myself that it was still summer.
But a couple of days ago I was walking through the woods, listening to the distant rumble of thunder. Suddenly a strong wind came up and the sky turned a dark black-purple. As the treetops thrashed back and forth I decided to scamper back up the hill. I thought I was going to get soaked, but what sounded like rain turned out to be millions of small yellow leaves falling. The air was instantly filled with swirling color that was dazzling and disorienting at the same time. But no time to linger. Bright flashes and the loud crack-boom of nearby lightning spurred me on. I barely reached the shelter of my porch as the first drops began to hit.
I spent quite a while sitting on my porch watching the heavy rains falling and illuminated by frequent lightning. Thunderstorm watching is one of my favorite pastimes (as long as it’s from a dry, cozy vantage). The sticky afternoon heat was quickly swept away by the cool air. The quality and texture of the rain was not the heavy drops of a summer storm, but the dense fine drops of a fall rain that seemed to saturate the air. I knew that it was finally autumn with the arrival of this cold front.
Sure enough, this week will average 30-40 degrees cooler than last. Flocks of geese have been heading south. The woods are filled with russets, crimsons and gold. A time of change, and I need to do so myself, seeking my muse.