Our Hunt for Red October

The first thing I really noticed was the sun, and how delightfully lazy it seemed now that fall was well underway. And as the day began to slip away, so did the sun, in small unmeasured increments, so cautiously that one could hardly notice. Mid-October can be chilly here, but on this day, it was perfect. Occasionally there were breezes, listless at first, then increasing just enough to cause a ripple or two in my thin rayon shirt. In the air was that smell; the maples had nearly completely turned.

Deep in hidden sector of foliage ran a quiet creek almost like a pulse to the heart of the afternoon. As the day waned, the colors became even more vibrant as they drew fading sunlight from it's eventual western demise. Many of the sights, and feelings that overwhelmed me in particular, were felt more than seen, akin more to a deja vu experience of having visited this place when I know I never had before. It was a backroad, a singular backroad not yet traveled, yet waiting to be experienced.

And so opens another saga of yet another venture into our favorite territory: The Fruit Loop. We began with a late start, hitting the highway amidst a flood of last-minute travellers. Like ourselves, they were all desperate for a final weekend of sun. As for myself, I could have used a good weekend of rain. I can't help it, I'm a rain lover. And so began yet another adventure into the magnificent beyond of highway 35 south, and the great "Fruit Loop".

It was a gorgeous Saturday, cool and in the low 60's with nothing but sun and blue sky. Our first stop was at Smiley's Barn to pick up some of the best pears I've ever tasted. The name escapes me now, but I think they're called "Steckler Pears". Anyway, they were super delicious.

I stopped to take a picture of some wild weeds amid a family of cat tails. The sun was hitting them just right, and the light of October was absolutely brilliant.

There exists in the fall, an undeniable light, an autumn shade, that provides a homespun ambience unlike any other season. The mood feels young and vibrant, and affects me in the positive manner. The days are crisp, and afternoon blues, reds, and yellows are bathed in that delicious ambient haze. So naturally, this was a perfect day for visiting the orchards. We stopped at the Draper Girl's farm and loaded up on red pears before moving on to Cody Farms.

After visiting Cody Farms, we traveled around the backroads, always finding a place we haven't been before. On those snaking rural roads we always find something new, something we missed, or maybe something we just plain forgot about.

That was the case here as we finally happened upon Mt. View Orchards. It was here that I found this incredible feeling of having been there before. Notably, everything had a strange feeling of familiarity, and though we hadn't been there before, I could see unfinished paintings in my head of a place exactly like this one.