It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Fall?

WHEN: November 20, 2010
WHERE: Dorchester County, SC

Yep, it has finally started looking like fall around here this past week.  The previous two weekends dropped into the 30's overnight and helped change the colors of the leaves on the trees.  When we moved to Charleston, which has a noticeably different climate than where we lived in Virginia or North Carolina, we wondered what kind of fall colors (if any) we'd see here.  Once November hit and the leaves were still green, we had generally given up on having much of a "fall experience".  Now fall has unmistakably arrived and we ventured out to soak it up yesterday in nearby Summerville.

Perhaps what's mistimed is the Christmas mood we have been in this past week.  Our minds had skipped fall and went straight to winter.  We went out shopping last Friday night and were surprised at the sheer volume of Christmas decor and merchandise in the stores.  Since it was a cold night and our first exposure to the "Christmas season" this year, we were easily sucked in.  We didn't buy anything that night but we were all talk that night about plans for Thanksgiving and setting up Christmas decor in our house and have been in that mindset since.

Compounding that spirit, we also watched last weekend as Minnesota was being buried in its first snowstorm of the year.  The first snowfall is always exciting, especially where snow is rare.  I like to live vicariously through other locales that are being inundated with snow (especially when it's before Christmas).  Of course Stace and I miss the snow but we absolutely do not miss the 6 months of winter, hazardous driving, 5 layers of clothes, and chapped lips that accompany it.  We go home for one week at Christmas, get our fill of snow and cold, and we're back to and content with our mild winters.

And the fact that the snow storm last weekend was in the Twin Cities was especially exciting.  Stacie's sister and several relatives live in the Twin Cities, which received over 10" of snow.  We usually fly in to the Twin Cities at Christmas, as we are this year.  We also spent a few Christmas vacations in the Twin Cities with Stacie's family when we were dating and still lived in Iowa.  The Twin Cities (and their weather) have become a part of our Christmas memories and hold a special place in our hearts for that reason.  Although we are far away, watching the snow fall in Minnesota somehow feels like we're part of it and we look forward to seeing snow drifts, white fields, snow-laden pine trees, and blizzards when we come home in 5 weeks.

Since last weekend's snow storm, I have been monitoring that snow almost on an hourly basis.  I have the Minnesota DOT webcams for the Twin Cities and interactive snow maps at the ready, observing the snow cover every day.  The colder it is and the deeper the snow there, the better in my opinion.  I want sub-zero temps and 3 feet of the snow on the ground when we come home at Christmas (and every Christmas).  And it looks like the Twin Cities off to a good start, with more snow and some single-digit temps in the forecast.  Oh, goody! :)  Sorry, Minnesota.  Your "loss" is my gain! 

Here in Charleston it's just about the opposite.  Not only has fall just begun but our Thanksgiving forecast is full of sunshine and temps are flirting with 80° all week.  It does make it hard to believe December is right around the corner and we feel a little out of place.  But as long as we get that white, frigid week at home over Christmas, then by all means bring on these warm, sunny days.  That makes it bearable, when we will likely never have a first snowfall this winter.  Yesterday we took advantage of the colors, put on some fall outfits, and headed out for pictures.  Our sweaters were much too warm but it was cloudy, which made it more comfortable.  We did miss the peak of the fall colors, which hit around mid-week, and half of the tree species here stay green year-around.  So, our fall shots seemed a little misplaced but it was still fun to get out and enjoy the smells and sights of fall; late or not.

One is hard-pressed to find a tree in Charleston that isn't enveloped in Spanish moss, which only makes the trees (whether green or colorful) more dramatic and beautiful.

We spent a lot of time just driving through the historic and quaint neighborhoods in Summerville.  Every home, with expansive southern porches, blankets of leaves in the yard, and dense tree canopies, was beautiful to see.  I only managed to snap a few shots, amongst onlooking residents working or playing in their yards, but we drove through neighborhood after neighborhood, wanting to take pictures of and go in almost every house.

For only the second time this season, our Iowa Hawkeyes were on TV here; which means we get to watch it on TV instead of low-quality internet sites, or even worse, online radio.  Stacie was on the road and in Minnesota the first time the Hawks were on TV here last month, so yesterday was her first time being able to get comfortable on her couch and watch a (frustrating) game.  Sadly, it was not a game to remember.

Stacie has now set her sights on the Thanksgiving meal she is planning.  It is the first time we have spent Thanksgiving together, alone, and the first time she has been in charge of the meal.  She loves to cook, she's great at it, and I am a simple guy (I had a $1 Totino's pizza by myself the first Thanksgiving we were married, when Stace was home in Iowa without me).  Only improvements can happen from there!