Fleeting Fall

Schizophrenic. That's how I'd describe the seasons this year on the East Coast. Spring came late and lasted about three days before blasting us into a really stinking HOT summer. Once again elbow sweat was the headliner of many a conversation. The heat was interminable.

Fall Dinner Party - handmade place settings!

That is, until one day, when it became Fall! The best season of the year! Colorful scarves, quilted coats, argyle socks, knee high boots...these fabulous accouterments return to the wardrobe. The crisp smell of an impending winter was in the air, the changing foliage, the smell of burned leaves, pumpkin flavored everything. And then it snowed. In October. Not since I was a child trick-or-treating in Minnesota have I experience snow in October. Fall was out faster than The Playboy Club.

Hudson River Fete

Before Octoblizzard arrived, we did capture a few moments of fall bliss with a fall dinner party, scarves galore, and a day outing up the Hudson. We picnicked by the river, visited an apple orchard and pumpkin patch, and visited "The Blaze." The day of our outing was perfect...crisp enough for the proper fall attire, but sunny too so sitting along the Hudson River was still enjoyable. We met up with good friends in Ossining and drove down to the river. A little Marques de Riscal to imbibe, charcuterie from Eataly, homemade tortellini salad, truffle cheese...a perfect fall feast!

Sigh.

Our group enjoyed ourselves immensely and after a relaxing in the sun digesting our treats we headed to the pumpkin patch to collect pumpkins and pick apples. At least that was our plan. A side effect of the abbreviated fall was a truncated opportunity to pick apples and pumpkins. To our chagrin, we arrived to a patch of putrefied pumpkins and barren apple trees. We weren't the only ones disappointed - unfortunately this little boy's parents had delayed too long as well. Despite no pumpkins or apples, we still enjoyed walking around the farm and seeing the little kids riding on the tractor, racing each other in their red radio flyer wagons, and running around the fields.

The Blaze

We still had one more stop to make, one that I had really been looking forward to - The Blaze. Our friends in Ossining had found this delightful event, and I couldn't have guessed that it would be so spectacular! Over 5,000 pumpkins (a mix of real and synthetic) had all been hand carved and displayed in an outdoor walking tour at the Van Cortland Manor. The Blaze has been going on for seven years now and has had over 80,000 visitors. The artistry is compelling and creative, the themes are inventive and unique, and it's a beautiful nighttime stroll that isn't haunting or horrifying. Luckily we visited before it snowed!