Summer sun and Autumn colors

Pumpkins, gourds, vibrantly colorful mums and dried corn stalks, combined with the unseasonably cool crisp and dry weather, release a flurry of long buried memories.  The southern sunshine still warm, but its angle as it treks across the expanse of this never ending sky, is much lower, the arc smaller, the Autumn season is taking hold.


Before all creatures awaken and as they settle back down burrowing in for the cool nights, familiar scents float across the cool damp evenings, creating an eerie landscape.  Daylight hours warm the rapidly cooling soils and numerous lakes, but once sunshine falls below the horizon, heavy fog forms quickly, racing across the lowlands, creating eery shapes and capturing some of the most pleasing scents that bring back great childhood memories. The pungent smells of the wood burning stoves and campfires used to chase away the evening chill while family and friends gather round the smoking barbecue.  Southern tradition at its best.


Mother Nature's creatures and their human counterparts, hibernate for the summer months, the changing seasons find them emerging from their deep cool burrows and air conditioned homes, to reconnect with her.  As the summer monsoons wane, the cooler sun brings life to the parched grounds.  The multitude of green tropical plants are now being overtaken by the vibrant colors of the fall flowers.  Mums are everywhere with the colors of autumn, yet the delicate pinks, purples and reds of the petunias and other tender annuals are appearing.  They are in stark contrast to the warm and hearty colors of autumn, yet their displays are dazzling. They beckon the return of other creatures, the northern snow bird has begun its annual migration.

A non-hibernating species, they flock to warmth of the south.  Their return is time to reconnect with friends that have survived the exhausting and non-stop battering of sun, heat, rain, more sun and more heat. A confusing time, "how did they manage and not show signs of being battle weary?"  The hearty souls snicker, "we miss you old friends, perhaps as the months pass quickly you will reconsider staying, fighting this battle of tropical sun, moonlit nights, awesome warmth of a star-lit sky and long walks nightly through the warm sands of our miles of beaches.  If the flicker of the tiki lights in the wee hours of the morning bother you, maybe you shouldn't stay, but the haunting calls of the owls and  soothing coo of the doves might persuade you." 

Tonight's gorgeous sunset mimicked the lavenders and pinks of the now flowering petunias.  Yet the deep orange glow and redness of the fiery sunset was such a contrast.  The red sky at night, is a sailor's delight but the colors of the fall season create an artist's palette that stimulate the senses of the battle weary creatures that have "survived"! These southern lands continue to amaze, they are a true picture of just how resilient we all are. We dread the thought of daily never ending sun, yet as clouds move in, we gaze upwards asking for its return.  We seek relief in the coolness of our homes yet take advantage of everything outside.  We golf, swim, walk, spend  lazy afternoons under the canopy of spanish moss laden cypress trees, drinking cool sweet tea.  During the warm and humid evenings we sit outside, light the torches and re-hash daily events. We even wonder if and when the migration of the snow bird will begin. 

 I have learned; those living in the land of the southern sun are a forgiving and God-loving people who enjoy their privacy, yet are willing to share, taking advantage of the solitude provided by the spring migration of the snow bird, yet welcome their return.  As Mother Nature renews her lands, its people renew and rekindle old friendships, beckoning all to return, welcoming them into their hearts and homes.  A hearty people we are!  Bed & breakfast season is upon us!