It doesn’t seem to matter how many autumns sneak up on me, I never tire of welcoming this refreshing and colourful season, especially if I get the opportunity to head into the forests of Ontario, Quebec, or any of the New England states.
Following our very hot and dry summer, in which our trees were starved for adequate water, they started to die and change colour sooner than in previous years. I’m fortunate to have a desk at work that looks out over a city overflow reservoir (that I think of as my very own pond), surrounded by a decent amount of wooded area. For the past few weeks, I’ve watched “my” trees go through their metamorphosis, providing me with a promise of what was coming.
With a couple of vacation days wrapped around Thanksgiving weekend, which fortunately is a little earlier this year, Steve and I headed out on Thursday night for a road trip to Fitch Bay, Quebec – the cottage home of Edith and Nick, nestled in the rolling hills of the Eastern Townships, about 20 minutes south of Magog.
We drove to Belleville in the dark but when we resumed our drive the next morning, the sun was brilliant and so were the trees that bordered the highway. This only helped to feed my anticipation of what lay ahead. I was not disappointed and, as we emerged out of the flat farmlands in the Richelieu Valley, south of Montreal, and into the mountainous region of ski country, the forests grew denser and their corresponding colours more intense – crimson reds, flaming oranges, golden yellows – autumn eye candy, a true feast for the soul.
The cottage sits on the shore of Lake Memphremagog and, not only is the view spectacular with these amazing colours reflected in the water, the sounds (for this city girl) are equally appreciated – the most appreciated being the sound of silence. Second to that, in no particular order, would be the call of a loon, the dip of a paddle, the rustle of leaves as they float to the ground in the wind, the bark of a dog, maybe a howl from a coyote, a variety of birdsong, the splash of a fish as it re-enters the lake after coming up for a quick look around.
And then there is the weather. Summer says goodbye, reluctantly, pretty much every year, with warm days, and even some evenings, making a reappearance on a regular basis. This year is no different. We went from a chilly evening to a very warm day, to a night that was too warm for even a light sheet to another day of needing a jacket. And where we drove through a downpour to get some groceries one day, “fairies” ended up dancing across the lake in the wake of the setting sun that evening. But who cares how often the weather swings from one direction to another when you’re basking in rest and relaxation, enjoyable company, and good things to eat and drink – excellent reasons to give thanks this weekend.
