Welcoming Autumn

I love Fall. It’s my favorite season so I’m always glad when the August breezes begin to whisper Autumn’s name. What’s not to like? There is still plenty of sunshine, but it’s tempered by Autumn breezes and crisp nights. My frequent trips to the coast give me a chance to watch the turning of the leaves. Spring is lovely with her flowers, but I think the yellows, oranges and reds of the Autumn leaves are spectacular. Burnham road from highway 16 up to the Target shopping area of Gig Harbor is lines with trees that seem to try to outdo each other in a breathtaking picture that last just a few days before the leaves begin to blow away.

Mabon, or the Autumnal Equinox is particularly special as it frequently falls on my husband Dave’s birthday so we have two things to celebrate. This year Dave wanted to go to see the sixties concert at the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup. Although I like farmer’s markets, I am not a big fan of state fairs. I don’t know if it is the food, the hot asphalt or that I’m tired of looking at other people’s collections. For anyone else I would not have not only agreed to venturing to Puyallup on an 88 degree day, let alone pay for our entire family to attend the concert, but it made the man who drove 300 miles round trip just to take his mother-in-law to dinner on her birthday when I could not.

The grandbabies got to see Weird Al’s brain and ride on rides. GrandDave took Linda on the Sky Ride which was right around the time that he lost track of his wallet. We discovered that it was missing when we arrived at the Fischer Scone stand under the Grandstand. Dave dashed off towards where he’d had dinner and son Josh began searching while I went to the Lost and Found in the Administration Building. Not only had someone found the wallet, they’d given it to an officer who had taken it to the Lost and Found immediately. The ladies behind the desk said that it had been there only a few minutes. Everyone was relieved that Dave could enjoy his concert and we all had scones.

The “Young” Rascals aren’t, but it was fun to sing along with all the songs. My forty-three year old daughter-in-law surprised all of us, even herself, by knowing the words. Her reason for coming was Herman’s Hermits. Peter Noone put on a show that made me feel like we were on a cruise, but what’s an aging bubble-gum rocker to do? And we all sang along with every song. Ten month old granddaughter Lydia particularly liked Noone, clapping her hands and bobbing her head. By nine-thirty the kids were tired, especially five-year-old Linda. Josh & Jamie left to take the girls home and Frank & Ana took Gabriel to use up the ride tickets GrandDave still had in his shirt pocket, leaving the grandparents to enjoy Tommy James and the Shondells who put on a true concert and rocked the Grandstand.

We came home tired, dirty and sweaty, but glad that we celebrated the arrival of Fall with a trip down memory lane and for just a few hours been kids again ourselves.