Octoberfest

It's a warm 70-degree day. The sun is shining.

And yet, it's fall.

So? say the Californians. My apologies, but growing up somewhere where there could just as easily be snow on the ground in late October, I'm still impressed. (In fact, on the left you can see just how balmy it is there right now.) As I was biking back from Gates, a gentle breeze was blowing the few leaves that had started to fall alongside me almost cinematographically, as if straight out of a movie scene.

Up until now I hadn't really noticed that fall had actually begun. After all, here in NorCal we still have green throughout the winter. So what changes in the fall, you ask? My parents lamented that you don't get the leaves changing in the fall here, but they're just in a Midwest winter-induced denial. In all fairness they have high standards: New England and Michigan falls where the leaves explode in a vibrant cornucopia of orange and red. It is truly breathtaking--for about a week. Because that's all it lasts; within days, leaves go from green to red to on the ground, as if they all conspired to jump off the trees on the same day. I distinctly remember the days when it was just raining leaves in our backyard, much to our dismay as we had to collect them all before they got buried under a foot of snow.

But here fall is much slower, and for a good month or two you can watch individual leaves slowly turn colors. I'd never seen this before, and it really is beautiful--the streets are lined with green, yellow, orange, and red. And if you don't believe me, come check out GovCo--where we actually have trees of the non-palm persuasion--or go up to Hoover Tower.

Now if only I didn't have a paper due tomorrow so I could go enjoy this...