Fall in Virginia

As I wrote a long time ago during my first fall in the USA, no amount of preparedness can take away the surprise of experiencing an American fall first hand. I must clarify of course, in case it is not already clear, that I am talking of the season fall, and not the act of falling down upon black ice, although that also takes you by surprise in spite of all preparedness.

Fall foliage in Chantilly, Virginia where I go for grocery shopping

Last October, I had moved to Fairfax, Virginia to start my post-doctoral job. Naturally the second half of October and the first half of November was spent in a frenzy of activity related to packing, moving and unpacking my stuff and I hardly had time to really see what fall looked like in Virginia. This year, when I got that chance, I finally realized that if fall in New Jersey was breathtaking, fall in Virginia is beyond all adjectives. And I am not even talking about the national parks and rural areas. Both Falls Church, the city where I live, and Fairfax, the city where I work, showed spectacular fall colours along with all neighbouring urban regions that I happened to visit during the last month.

Fall foliage in downtown Fairfax

Fall foliage inside my apartment complex

So this year, I photographed fall colours at all these places to my heart's content. I even parked my car in downtown Fairfax while going to work and photographed the trees there which I see everyday on my route. Apart from that, in keeping with the spirit of the season, I put up coloured lights on my balcony before Diwali and left them until Halloween. I bought a pumpkin and carved it to make the face of the King of Ghosts from Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen as a jack-o-lantern. I also bought chocolates in case some occasional trick-or-treaters decided to come knocking (which they did).

Now fall is almost gone. The trees are gradually turning a golden brown and the roads are covered with dry rustling leaves rather than the bright red carpet of a few weeks ago. The temperature is reaching for the freezing point and the wind is making sure that fall lives up to its name. I threw away my rotting jack-o-lantern and took off the lights from the balcony. Daylight saving time ended this weekend, which means the evenings will now be intolerably long. There was a time when I loved winter and waited for it all year long. Now, however, winter seems bleak and depressing and I feel like quoting Robert Frost and say:

Fall foliage inside my apartment complex

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away.

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

October is already over, but the last few snow-free and occasionally warm days of this year are still left. Then it would be time for winter, and when the world outside turns white, I would be left looking longingly at the warm colours of fall in these photographs until the arrival of spring.

The view from my balcony

Fall foliage inside my apartment complex

Fall foliage in downtown Fairfax