Snapshots of autumn

A few memories almost forgotten from October and early November: 

-Princeton really showed up for fall this year. 

-There is, surprisingly, a Naim June Paik art piece on display in Trenton. 

-Sam and I went to Utah for Fall Break and it was very much needed, from seeing family, to friends, to talking with old professors at BYU, to hiking in real mountains. 

[hiking in rock canyon]

[sam in his element]

[you just don't get views like this in jersey.]

[somehow i neglected to take photos of every other friend and family interaction while we were out there, so this picture with rebecca will have to serve as a stand-in for all wonderful interactions we had with family and friends.]

-We also saw the Spiral Jetty and Promontory Point while we were there (shout out to Dani for coming with us), and they were both worth the half-day trip. 

[sooooo cool.]

[at the place where the golden spike was driven. the golden spike is now at stanford.]

-Utah always gets cold at the the end of October before warming up again . . . and then diving back into freezing temperatures. Princeton is doing the same thing. 

[case in point. the fountain froze over the other week.]

Since we spent Fall Break in Utah, we missed the final glory days of Princeton fall. But what the trees lack in color now is made up for by some beautiful late-autumn sunsets. And for those I am grateful. 

some early october observations

-this month is going too fast for its (or my) own good.

[we are now smack-dab in the middle of decorative gourd season.]

-we have a beautiful tea box given to us by a friend for our wedding, in which we store all of our packets of herbal tea. there are many different kinds: chamomile, licorice, peppermint . . . but the one i always go for is the "throat coat" kind. it just tastes the best. i wonder if we should just have a tea box full of throat coat tea.

-last week the temperature dropped forty degrees. we are now happily into autumn and autumn is good for my soul.

-i've discovered that crunching and kicking acorns is just about as delightful as crunching crisp, autumn leaves. i'm also glad that no acorns have fallen on my head yet, because that wouldn't feel very nice.

-i'm convinced that princeton just digs up trees and replants them in opportune places to try to amplify their overall arbor-y experience (which, they don't really need to do, but whatever).

[can you see that little tree just beyond the barriers? yeah. that one was just barely re-planted.]

-i had the realization the other day at a gathering of young adults that all of the buzzfeed "what jane austen character are you?" quizzes i religiously took when i was in my early twenties were all wrong. i'm not jane bennet, elinor dashwood, or even caroline bingley. i'm actually mr. darcy.

And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden

One of my favorite places in the Princeton area is Terhune Orchards. They have delicious produce year round, but fall is my favorite time because you can go apple picking.

We always end up picking more apples than we need--there's just something really fun about picking apples. Then you end up getting a bushel, and you just don't know what you're going to do with them all. (Although apple pies are always a good option.)

There's something about apple picking that makes me feel like Snow White and Eve. I guess the comparison's not completely off-base. There's always more about Eve, though. And recently, I've been thinking more about her story. Something to do with the way fall feels like a new beginning. Something about the way fall intertwines death and life. Something to do with possibilities and fullness and harvest.

October Montage

Autumn came late this year, so I've been trying to soak it all in now that it's come in all of its chilly, golden glory. This includes running along the toe path, wearing woolen sweaters, praising pumpkins, and trying new soup recipes (tonight we made French Onion Soup and I'm really pleased with how it turned out), and baking pies.

[Fall comes to Princeton]

I'm always impressed with how Princeton just seems made for fall. And the afternoons where I can steal away from the library and read outside? Those are practically perfect in every way.

[Study break]

Also, last week, there was a FALL FEST that I didn't even know was happening until my friend saw me studying in the carrel room and said, "Did you know that there is a FALL FEST going on?" I did not, but I was ready to go find it. FALL FEST ended up being the highlight of my week. Because 1) fall, 2) good friends, and 3) free apple cider donuts.

[FALL FEST with friends]

[Best. Donuts. Ever.]

[A very happy Megan.]

I'd be happy if these days lasted forever, but since I know they won't, I'll try to enjoy them amidst coursework et. al. 

The Hunt for Red October

A couple of weeks ago, Sam and I went up to Vermont for a quick weekend getaway and to see the leaves and welcome autumn in a bit earlier. (Autumn has come slowly to New Jersey this year, so the trip made it feel like we had a bit more autumnal time.)

Although there wasn't a lot of red, there was gold. Golden leaves and golden maple syrup. And perhaps that's just what we needed after all.

[Cemetery where Sam's great-grandparents are buried]

[Campsite. Yes, it was cold.]

[Golden leaves in the Green Mountain State.]

[Who can make fire out of damp logs? This man here.]

[My first-ever covered bridge! They are everywhere in Vermont and they are cool.]

[We also stopped by Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon, Vermont.]

[False advertising at a Farmers' Market.]

[Bluegrass singers. It was so idyllic. Also, it was so Vermont.]

[Chicken-on-a-stick. Sam's favorite meal when he was 6.]

[Old bookstore, because Vermont is full of them.]