Summer has definitely
“left the building” here in The Dalles. Cool nights and days that, although not
exactly cold and rainy, are grey with mists… not quite rain but not quite
sunny. What the Irish call a fine, soft day. There is a full palette of autumnal
leaf litter covering the grass and obscuring the sidewalks. Flame red bushes
and bright yellow saplings dot the borders of the yards and parks, a nice
counterpoint to the lush, rain-watered greens of lawns and cedars. It makes for
a most pleasant afternoon stroll around the neighborhoods and downtown environs
while killing time and learning one’s way around. With the tang of fall in the
air and a feast for the eyes everywhere around, it is enough to make you slip
the memories of summer’s furnace heat and January’s howling, sleet encrusted
grip.
