Thursday, October 04, 2007

Signs Of Early Fall In Pure Florida



It's not the farmer's hay that is a sign of fall,

it's the golden quality of afternoon light this time of year.



The hot, white light of summer's sun is fading,

not gone yet, but a definitely a short timer.





Fall gives us our second strong flush of wildflower blooms,

with pink and yellow roadsides along country roads that

don't get mowed ...

much.


Fall begins the annual hunt, an old contest between the deer

and deer eaters. The nerdier deer soon learn where quiet

sanctuary awaits ...

like under the kids old jungle gym.

Fall signals itself with ripe bananas at my parent's house, hanging from the banana trees that I brought home over 4 decades ago in my little red wagon.
Fifi, the lady down the street who babysat me sometimes, gave them to me to take home and plant.
Each year they send up new shoots and try their best at making bananas along the northern edge of their comfort zone.
I can't look at 'nanner trees without thinking of the sweet old lady who watched over me and taught me to love green tea at the age of 5.
So fall brings memories too.


Fall makes Floridians wait until winter (almost) for peak tree leaf color changes, so we look for other more subtle signs of this fine season.

Sometimes ...
we actually find them.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite season in our upside down climate. Fall is Florida's spring. Fall to me also means acorns crunching beneath my feet, smoked mullet, a blue sky unlike any other time of year, orange harvest moons and sneezing fits from ragweed. This time of year, I know it is time to weed the flower beds of their summer growth and we get a rest between having to mow the yard. It is almost time for fresh orange juice and vegetable planting. I love fall!

Deb said...

I love that golden light...that's probably about all our falls have in common. And the palm trees in hayfields...replace them with willow or aspen, and it would sorta look like here.

robin andrea said...

Yes, it's the light of fall that's so beautiful, that angle of the sun through the trees. The air is clear and bright. Nice nanners you've got there. Do you still drink green tea?

Unknown said...

Man that first pic sure makes me miss home! It's hot hot hot and muggy here but at least the rains let up some! I love you!

Sharon said...

I love that light, makes for great pictures.

kathy a. said...

wonderful photos! i especially like the deer taking over the play structure. and the hay drying in its rolls, even as the new crop bursts forth.

SophieMae said...

Hay! 8-] GMTA! Once again, you're posting exactly what I've been thinking about the past few days. (Wanted to get some more pics first.) Fall finally falls in Flarda. All the pink and yellow roadsides with little bits of purple hanging on here and there.

Nanner bunches always remind me of my baby-sitter, as well. She grew 'lady fingers' at her back door.

AbFab herd shot!

Anonymous said...

It's nice to know you have some approximation of seasons down there in the (sub)tropics.

I must ask, did Fifi teach you drink unsweetened green tea?

Thunder said...

Hey man I was finally able to get back on and read the past couple of days. I was struck with a virus on my computer. If you or anyone else uses MS Outlook Communicator instant messaging look out for a Portuguese virus. It was actually designed as a bank scam to catch account numbers and passwords but was somehow loaded onto MSOCIM, and is it a doozy!

OK sorry for the public safety announcement!

I like your fall much better than ours, bananas and all! ;-)

Those Cranes were awesome looking too!

I also wanted to mention that I've put out a few new posts of my own, and this weekend is the Donauschwaben Oktoberfest! The Lederhosen will definitely be out on Saturday!

Meems said...

oh how i love the way the shadows fall this time of year. it is just enough change to relieve the intense, direct sunlight. last week i got so excited at the slight change of temps and this week we are back in the 90's and very humid... and so it goes for Floridians in October. very nice snaps of the hay and the other critter photos are great too.

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

I always laugh when northerners complain that Florida does not have seasons. Florida sure has seasons, but they just can't recognize them! I am actually going to post about this soon.
Ahh it's a refreshing time of year.
BTW, my house has had 27 inches of rain in the past two weeks 8-0

R.Powers said...

Cathy S,
My favorite too. I like your list. Especially chunky pulpy fresh OJ.

Deb,
I could not resist this field on the way home from the grocery store last week. Had to stop and stand on the JEEP bumpers to see over the horsemint and bidens along the roadside.

Robin,
Definitely the light and for us, a drop in our humidity.
Yes, I still love green tea. I usually smugly announce that I drank it long before it was cool to do so ... 5 is pretty early.

ELP,
Your Tampa winter will be neat, far enough south to be different from here.
Love you.


Sharon,
I loved your recent shots of the sky, I just couldn't get Blogger to let me comment and tell you so.



Kathy A,
That group of deer are fixtures here now. The two fawns are lots of fun to watch.


Sophie,
I await your fall.
These nanners are fat and starchy, probably a cooking variety, but they are pretty cold hardy.


Pablo,
Well, you know we don't like to show off down here unlike Maine and those other fall leaflookin' states.
It's not considered proper decorum to call so much attention to yourself.
Fifi hooked me with sweet hot green tea, but these days I like it hot and unsweetened just like my coffee.


Dave,
You and your hose.
I don't do IM so I guess I'm out of the loop on that virus.

Meems,
At last we can see colors again, free of glaring white light. Fall teases us for a while before settling in.


HTeen,
That's amazing rain totals even for FL.
I don't suppose the NEaster washed away all those homes on Porpoise Point?

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

I sure hope they wash away all the homes on Porpoise Point. Newcomers here need to learn a lesson: Don't build your house on a sandbar!!