Last week was silver, this week, gold. (Might be time to stop with the treasure titles…) Anyway, for this week, a few fall thoughts and pictures, and not much structure.
I’ve never really had the time before to wander around Sunnyside during the week, when most are at work or school. It feels slightly illicit. I strolled around the neighbourhood the other day on a beautiful autumnal morning. Ah, what an excellent day it was for displacement activity! I like to have a short list of tasks to do each day, so that at the end of the day I can beat myself up about not achieving them. (I don’t actually feel bad about it – I use unfinished or untackled tasks to make the list for the next day – now isn’t that productive?)
Fall has arrived, and in the foothills and the city, temperatures have been anywhere between early summer and early winter. As I sit and write this, (ooh, check that off the list for today) cold rain is falling and we’ll be in single digits with a slight chance of snow the next couple of days. Then warm sunshine once more. I love weather forecasts and the fall seesaw.
I was breaking in a new pair of boots (check), readying them for a hike we’ve got planned for the coming weekend. The new boots were long overdue. It is time for new ones when the old ones are held together with mud, and they walk by themselves to the nearest garbage can, begging to be put out of their misery. The aroma was distinct, but surely not unpleasant? I thought they had a few more miles left in them, but the refusal of friends and family to walk with me said otherwise.
Sunnyside and the Bow river looked splendid in the bright sunshine. Determined joggers, vigorous dog walkers, wagging dogs, slightly frazzled parents with babies and toddlers, speedy cyclists, and a late middle-aged time-waster were using the pathways along the river, enjoying themselves and the day.
Autumn is one time of year when I think about our old life back in Europe. I think it is the colours and the smells of fallen leaves, the faint scent of decay. It seems to prompt nostalgia and reflection. Calgary is a lively and well-resourced city if you need to be in an urban area, lacking little, but it doesn’t have a wide variety of deciduous trees providing fall colour. I think of the London oaks, planes and chestnuts, and the sweet chestnuts, walnuts, and alders of Bordeaux and Perigueux. We lived near the Foret de la Double, and it was a fine place to wander in the fall. But that was back then, and in the here and now we can enjoy the green and gold.
Walt, over at Rivertop Rambles (Rivertop Rambles – Double Focus), recently wrote about being home after a period away, and the slightly schizophrenic nature of our thoughts as we exist in one physical place and think about another. I often find myself doing that, even when I’m happy enough where we are. Aren’t we complicated creatures, sometimes?
Bringing myself into the present, my main thought in all this written meandering and on those pleasant riverside paths, is that I’m grateful to have lived in and visited so many places, and currently very happy to find myself in Western Canada. Looking back is good, living in the present is good, and looking forward is good. It’s all good – aren’t we fortunate?
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 
You’re right PC, reminiscing is good as is ambling around on a golden sunny day. Enjoy the warmer weather while you can, oh and you’d better go out and find those new boots soon. Have fun 😎
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Thanks, Miriam! The new boots are broken in, and sunshine and warmth are holding on. Life is good! Probably snow next week…
Enjoy your week!
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Yay, sounds like you’ve got all you need PC. Enjoy! 🙂
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I have a few pairs of boots that held together by mud. They are begging for an end, but I need pairs to replace them first. Beautiful pictures and glad that you have some time to just wonder around. Enjoy your hike this weekend.
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We had a good hike, and the sun continues to shine! It is nice to have new boots, but there’s something comforting about a favourite old pair, even if mud is what keeps them together…
Thanks, and I hope your week is off to a good start!
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Yes, we are fortunate. I find travel and relocating opens up the world, reminding us of the millions of different lifestyles. But then it’s always a joy to focus back to the here and now where we can see the beautiful berries, our trail co-walkers, the golden leaves…as you have done here. Wonderful post, my friend, and beautifully written. Wishing you a transitional time of peace and discovery; and a great hike this weekend. New hiking boots are a big deal — enjoy.
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Thanks, Jet! We had a fine hike on a warm and sunny day – more like summer than fall…
You’re so right about the positives of travel, the opening up of minds to other lives and cultures. We seem to be in need of that open-mindedness closer to home too, if current headlines are anything to go by.
I hope you’re having a great week so far!
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Hello Plaid Camper – thank you for all the summer posts and the beautiful photos. It is indeed sad to say goodbye to summer 2017, but look forward to the golden season of autumn. This is a season of beautiful colours, harvest and Thanksgiving. Best wishes in all your endeavours this season.
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Hello Pandora – it is wonderful to hear from you! Glad you enjoyed the summer posts, always happy to share. Yes, fall is a great season, especially when the days are unexpectedly warm. Enjoy the season, and I hope your week is off to a fine start!
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Fall is our favorite season from childhood: crisp days and gorgeously colored trees. Ahh, but that’s not how Fall is starting in Portugal: fewer tourists and a drop to mildly hot weather. Guess that’s a season we can enjoy here as well. Enjoy your new-found weekdays, PC.
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Southern European destinations are fine places to enjoy an extended summer and pleasant fall – good choice, enjoy!
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Give yourself a check for productivity, Plaid, and for finding the wisdom and photography that comes with trading in a pair of rotten boots for new ones. Autumn is a great time for reflection on where we’ve been and where we are and hope to be. Fortunate are those who, like yourself, have traveled or who have a keen sense of the nature of what is. Keep up the excellent work!
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Thank you, Walt! I’ve been having a fine time redefining productivity, and as long as I’m putting pen to paper (fingertips to keyboard? Doesn’t sound quite so alluring…) then all is well. I’ve all manner of half-assed projects on the go, and maybe one or two might even reach fruition…
I hope your rivertops produce for you this coming week!
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Indeed! I love looking back and also appreciating the now and most definitely looking ahead! Great post and Happy Autumn to you and Mrs. Plaidcamper!
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Thanks, Margaret! Happy Autumn to you too, and I hope you’re getting outside to paint those beautiful scenes in warm fall sunshine – have a good week!
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I enjoyed your neighborhood stroll and reminiscing and found myself laughing at the boot story and your new adventures with time management. It’s wonderful to be able to meander through the streets of your current life and appreciate the present and past and have hope for the future. Wonderful photos and words to capture wandering through memories and a fall day! Have a great weekend and I hope the boots were comfortable for your weekend hike.
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Thank you! I think it’s mostly time mismanagement, but I’m trying…
We had a great hike, and the boots were still relatively clean and fresh at the end, but I’m working on that too!
Enjoy your week!
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When I lived in Calgary many years ago,I got use to the Fall time colours.Mostly yellow but not many Maples around for those diverse reds/oranges. If you want a great Fall time experience,go to northern Ontario Adam.Camp up in Algonquin during the fall time.You’d be in heaven!
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Thanks, Wayne! Algonquin in the fall is on our wish list. We met a friend of a friend yesterday who lives out that way, and as much as she was (politely!) enjoying the Alberta colours, she couldn’t wait to be getting back east for the autumn leaves!
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yep
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