DUKES FANS:
“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.” ― Chad Sugg
“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."― John Howard Bryant
It is nearing that time of the year that I lovingly refer to as, “Deep Fall.’ That is the time where you just step outside your house and everywhere you look you see various shades of orange and yellow, fading green and red, and even some purples. First those colors are on trees all around and above us. Then, gradually, they are beneath us and underfoot, forming a carpet of leaves as we walk down the street on our daily comings and goings. It is a visual treat lasting for several weeks, bringing smiles and a sense of wonder wherever I am. I have seen dozens of Deep Falls, and they all bring me no end of joy.
When William Penn laid out Philadelphia he had the idea of a, "Greene Country Towne”-a place where there were trees throughout the city. He also laid out five green public squares, now known as Washington, Franklin, Rittenhouse Squares, City Hall, and Logan Circle. He did it to promote the city and attract Europeans to come to this new and strange place, guaranteeing that they would have some of the comforts they were familiar with in Europe. Those Squares are still here, and the city has, as it has grown, done a good job of holding on to Penn’s original idea for the city. Just about every neighborhood in Philadelphia has a good number of trees, and there are a variety of small and large parks throughout the city. That is one of the attractions of Philadelphia for me. Those trees and parks and squares allow for a number of benches and seats to just sit in, to read, to lunch, to meet folks, and just people watch. They also attract a good number of birds and bring their autumn tree magic to us. Philly in many ways is a “Greene Country Towne.”.
Throughout the whole city there are tons of trees that put on spectacular fall displays. In addition to the four squares in Center City, there are a myriad of other places where one can easily witness the glories of autumn. The maples have just started turning different shades of red and orange, and in my Mt. Airy neighborhood, we have red maples, sugar maples, Japanese maples and more. That is a lot of wonderful viewing every time I leave my house. There are also sumac trees and bushes and sweetgum in different parts of the city, including Center City and parts of South Philly. West Philly has several large gingko trees that stand up proudly and colorfully. There are also sumacs and aspens there as well. Laurel Hill Cemetery, Kelly and West River Drives, the Ben Franklin Parkway, Bartam’s Garden, all along the Wissahickon, Tacony Park, Clark Park...whew! Wherever we are, all we need to do is slow down, look up, and marvel at what nature has provided for us.
These changing trees, along with the fall migration of the hawks and songbirds, makes Deep Fall a special and powerfully magical time for me. I am so glad to be a resident of the mid-Atlantic region where these treasures last for a nice, long while. It is a glorious way to approach the ending of a year, the year's “last, loveliest smile.” May you all have a Happy Deep Fall.
(https://www.inquirer.com/news/peak-fall-foliage-viewing-philadelphia-pennsylvania-20211012.html}
VOTING IN 2022
Local deadlines for registering to vote in the 2022 Mid-term elections are fast approaching. Delaware’s is Saturday, October 15th. New Jersey’s is Tuesday, October 18th. Pennsylvania's is Monday, October 24th. I urge you all to register, check your registration if you think you are already registered, and to show up and vote. This may well be one of the most important and consequential elections in our lifetimes. We all need to show up and have a say. Thanks
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