In Pursuit of Fall



(Photo: Kristine Esmalla)


I had been exceedingly determined since the beginning of the season to make sure that I get my Fall shots. Week after week passed by and I was getting increasingly disappointed, anxious even, that time was not being set apart for that photo op. Today, I realized that perhaps the best date with Fall is one that is not planned, but rather, spontaneous.

With winter fast approaching, the weather has become increasingly colder as Frosty the Snowman drew closer and closer. I decided to warm up for 20-minutes with Beto Perez before going outside to mow the lawn. Sweaty and satisfied that I wasn’t going to freeze my tail off while tackling the grass that was verdant and green, thanks to the Autumn, I grabbed my Ipod and my camera and headed on outside. It was a perfectly lovely, sunny autumn day. I wanted to take a brisk walk to where there were some trees that were still wearing their seasonal colors, while others were already completely bare. So I circled the block to where the trees towered over the rooftops and began to take snapshots; yellow, red and orangey-brown. Some trees still had a full-coat of leaves, while others have already shed more than half of theirs.

I headed on home after being convinced I had taken enough photos without raising suspicion amongst my neighbors, a few of whom were sitting on their porch enjoying the cool midday sun and perfect weather. As I drew upon our house, something pulled me to move forward. I ignored the red machine waiting for me on our driveway and followed my impulse and kept on walking.



(Photo: Kristine Esmalla)


Hiking up the slope towards the orchard road that led into our community I was not prepared for what met my gaze. As I reached the top, my breath was taken away by the panorama staring right in front of me. In the distance was the Blue Ridge Mountain, with trees in the various stages of fall and a flock of migrating birds passed by in flight. I caught my breath as I drank deep of the moment when all my senses were being stimulated at the same time. The smoky fragrance of firewood burning in someone’s furnace wafted into my olfactory senses, while icy, cool breeze gently caressed my dermis. My eyes were utterly captivated by the vivid array of color and there was no mistaking it – this is autumn in West Virginia.



Words cannot do justice, neither do still photographs bear proper semblance of half of what I experienced in that cathartic moment. But I must at least attempt to do so in order that I may have some token remembrance of that day; the day I went in pursuit of Fall and found her.