Why I love autumn

My favourite run buddy and I were chatting about the changing season during our run today, and why I like fall. I started talking, then realized I could blog it and then you'd all know.

But first, to get you in the mood. The shocking wave of gold leaves is gone, but there's still lots of gold and yellow and a bit of orange still to be seen. Today was the first real hard frost. We've had a few cool and frosty nights, but there was actually frost on the grass today. We started our run fairly early, and had to dress a bit warmer than our recent runs. By mistake I wore a pair of clapped-out old shoes I usually use for walking around the yard in. I ran really carefully. 10K, 1:17 or so, feeling pretty good, through Weaselhead. There were a ton of people on the path, enjoying the day.

We didn't quite get this view, but the mountain part would be similar.

Why I love autumn in Calgary, a list in no particular order:

• Autumn colours make me happy. I love the yellows, golds, russets, oranges, all those shades. They look good against my skin which is why I often wear them. The trees and shrubs are totally dressed up like this, which I love to see.
• I like the crisp crunch of leaves underfoot. It livens up a long run, and totally changes the blah paved path into the yellow leaf road that can lead your imagination anywhere.
• I like seeing the swirls of leaves as they fall and are twisting in the breeze.
• It's the nicest climate of the year. Still sunny, cool and crisp in the morning, usually warmish in the afternoon. No hot muggy weather. Not much rain.
• The kids are back in school, and pity the school day isn't longer. 
• There's a burst of activity in the air, a feeling that it's time to get stuff done. Now or never.
• When working, people are back from vacation and you can get caught up with what your buddies have been up to.
• The days are about equal length as the nights, making it easier to sleep at night, or get sunrise/sunset shots the same day.
• There's a satisfaction in getting the yard ready for winter, putting the mower away, knowing you won't need it for months, and you don't quite need to get the snow shovels out yet.
• The last, sweetest BC blackberries come just at the very beginning of autumn. No others need apply.
• Somehow the quality of light is just a bit different. The sky is clearer, making the colours sharper. 
• The cats seem more contemplative, looking out the windows in a thoughtful way. I think they can see things changing as well. Their fur gets thicker and softer.
• I'm not much of a Halloween person, but I can dream of creating a costume, or making a remote control tentacle creature to frighten half the people coming to the door into wetting their pants, adults included.
• It's a great time to look back and take stock of a busy summer, what you enjoyed and what you want to do again only better. What maybe didn't work out as planned, and what to do about that.
• Even though most people like flower blooms at the peak of their perfection, I'm sort of liking the just past the prime look. It's a reminder that all things must pass, and we have to enjoy them  for what they are, while they can.

What do you love about autumn?