God Bless the Indian Summer...

I'm so happy September is here. This weekend was a very good "see ya later Summer!" kinda weekend. Saturday was ridiculously hot, as usual. But Sunday and Monday were at that perfect temperature where you walk outside and think, "jacket, or no jacket?" It was a sweet glimpse into the wonderful things to come. We turned off the AC for two days and slept with the windows open...ahhh....such bliss. And one night, I even had a shiver. Yes, it was cold enough for a shiver! This is my favorite time of year, no doubt. I look forward to putting my big fan away, sleeping under my down comforter in a nice, chilly room. Taking walks in the brisk fall air with leaves crunching beneath my feet, watching the trees turn their lovely shades of red and orange and yellow. I look forward to baking pumpkin bread, apple crisp, soups of all varieties, chicken divine and apple cider. I'm especially looking forward to the first rain of the fall. That day never disappoints. 

I feel like the last few weeks of summer were spent well. Shelby, Jeff and I went up to her grandparents cabin in Shingletown for their annual "Folk Dance Festival and Picnic." You know that song, "Over the Hill and Through the Woods to Grandmothers House We Go!"? 

Someone wrote that with Shelby's grandparents cabin in mind. It's amazing and has become one of my favorite "get away" places. Tons of people come from all over to this event. Great food, great people, and folk dancing. Her grandparents have been doing this for about 50 years. It's fun to see people gather and celebrate something they love so much. It was such a fun day.

 

This last Friday I had a whim to get out of town, so I just got in my car and drove down to Chico. I love the drive down. Tons and tons of fruit trees everywhere. Makes me imagine the kind of life where you spend your days walking your orchards and picking lots of fruit. I think I would enjoy that. I spent the afternoon reading on the corner at Peet's coffee and exploring the shops. I loved the feeling of no agenda, no place to be, and no one to run into. I love running into people in Redding, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's nice to just be invisible in a city and observe life happening. Chico life is interesting. In Chico, cars are so 2002. It's all about bikes. If you don't have a pimped out cruiser, you're not cool. I think my cruiser would enjoy herself in Chico. 

Saturday a bunch of us rented a raft and floated down the Sacramento River. It was the perfect way to spend the last Saturday of summer. Floating down the river is like being on your own private freeway. We explored down different side streams and envied all the millionaires that had beautiful homes on the river. There was talk about taking a few days to float all the way down to Sacramento, like Huckleberry Finn. I'd dig that. I'm so grateful to live in a place as beautiful as Redding. 

So, farewell dear summer. Hello glorious fall!