It’s a beautiful autumn here in DC. Anyone else enjoying the strength and vibrancy of the colors? It seems as though the tint of the leaves and force of the sky is everywhere these days. When I walked into my apartment after a visit home, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight that greeted me:
This picture doesn’t do it justice. The light from the sky shone through the window, highlighting the bright green of my houseplants, which made a cheerful, alive contrast to the scene outside the window, trees in the last of autumn’s thrust.
Seriously: I smiled, laughed out loud.
Of course, it wasn’t just the pretty living room of my apartment. The weekend was a great one spent visiting my folks. I’d drive down on Friday, enjoying the fall colors on the corridor of I-95 and I-85, against the snappy blue sky. Saturday was a day of shopping, manicures, lunch and hanging out with mom; cooking a delicious dinner of healthy stuff with dad; and watching a slideshow of my mom’s travels.
Yes, a real slideshow, with a slide projector my mom recently found for a deal. Some of the destinations I traveled to during my year abroad were places I’d heard of from my mom: Kathmandu, particularly, and Thailand and Cambodia. Her slides held images from forty years ago, fascinating time travel for us all to watch.
Hearing my mom tell of her travels, watching the foreign but achingly familiar scenes flip by, was such a great adventure. What was really shocking was when the occasional image came up that seemed an exact match for one of mine. Seriously! We’d all stop and stare and comment on the similarities of the framed scene.
Well, the next day was full of birthday fun – mom’s birthday was a whirl of special breakfast, theater, gifts, dinner out with friends, and beautiful weather.
And Monday I drove myself home, to my apartment with the cheerful view of autumn. What a great weekend!
