condensation

For the record, I heart autumn. I heart it lots. The way the dew, and later, frost, awakens the senses upon stepping outside in the morning. The way the trees suddenly begin to burn with colour, from the inside out. The leaves, coating the lawns, sidewalks, streets, and every other surface, make for a supremely satisfying crunch when dry underfoot, or a soft, organic carpet after days of rain. And don't even get me started on the sky. My good friends know deep down, I'm really a cloudusexual.

I will spend hours a week cloudwatching. Every time I enter a room, no matter where I am, if I've been there before, or if it's the first time, I head to the nearest window to catch the sky. Think about it. Who would ever have thought tiny bits of water vapour make for such an amazing sight? Especially in the autumn, when the chilling winds carry these forms from one end of the sky to the other, like it's some sort of atmospheric freeway. Sometimes they can be so high and such a bleached white you'd think God himself could be found riding atop, where other times they can be low and so dark it's as if the sky had caved in.

Then there's the rain. If you've spent any time in Vancouver, or Seattle for that matter, you know the rain of which I speak. For some, it takes a while to get used to it, while others never quite manage. Me? I love it. We had rain every day for the month of January last year, and into February. Most of the autumn and winter season is made up of long periods of rain, but that one was extra fun.

As I boy my mom would reprimand me for not using my umbrella when I walked home from school. I would carry it by the string, gently swinging back and forth, so I could enjoy the cool wetness in my hair. You knew it was a good rain when you got into the house and your hair had become so saturated and full of minerals that it dried exactly as it looked when it was wet. And when your sweater had grown a size too big, and your jeans had wicked up so much water from the ground that the dry line was just below your knees. What really made it great was knowing that after I got home, wet and moist, I could hop into the bath and mix it all together; hot and cold, stored and fresh; change into a clean pair of jogging pants and a good tshirt, and I was set for the rest of the day.

Did I mention the scarves? If there's no other reason to love autumn, at least love it for the chance to start wearing scarves again. Well not just scarves, but sweaters too, and button-up coats. And mittens. The small knit ones that develop holes in the fingertips, that are soon stretched to make for full-blown finger holes.

The foggy windows in the busses and trains, making it a game to know where you are based on the stops and turns the ride follows.

The early sunsets, leaving more time to grab a hot apple cider and return to a good book on the sofa.

The relieved faces of fellow element-goers as they come indoors.

I heart autumn.