Turning of the seasons

And so, autumn arrived earlier this week as the hues and tones of the mountains change colors and the radiant minutes of sunshine diminish with each passing day. With a dry spell and moderate drought levels in the area for the latter part of the summer, mother nature was thirsty. Thankfully a couple of days of of substantial rain accompanied by a good thunderstorm on Thursday evening provided a necessary gulp to our thirsty earth.

Last Saturday (September 20), I embarked in my pre-sunrise adventures as I drove up Route 7 from the Lanesborough border to Williamstown and embarked in my usual Sheep Hill (off Bee Hill Road) musings. Some evidence of foliage was abound while other sections have yet to turn. Nature contemplates its moment to reach its full potential to return to that beautiful annual cycle of life and death.

The trail along Sheep Hill is one that provides me serenity and the ability to disconnect and listen to the rustle of its occupants, the chirping of the birds, and smell the morning dew. Along the hills and valleys one could witness the majestic lines of fog being enveloped by the rising sun. Slowly they dissipate and provide framing that’s unique in its own virtue. Shortly after, I ventured into town to capture the tranquility of a quiet Williams College campus at eight in the morning. The way the sunlight penetrates at this time of the year is therapeutic and charges the spirit in a way that clears the mind and fills the soul.