a rakes progress

Ah Fall, my favorite season, a chill in the air, a sweater, rustling of the leaves- you get the idea

A memory- The unforgettable smell of burning leaves. Way back when ,the folks in the neighborhood would pile up the leaves in the yard and set that pile on fire. Standing around watching those leaves burn obviously plugs right into some hidden caveman pleasure center in the brain " uuuuuuuuuuugggggg fire" Of course the thought of burning leaves today would cause Al Gore and the Polar Bears to have many sleepless nights. (I still think I have their first album, Al Gore and the......)

Another memory- Back in college at Fredonia, most weekend nights we would take the walk Downtown to see what mischief we could cause. The good people of the town would rake all their leaves to the curb and the town would rake them or vacuum them or something them right onto trucks. Voila! No Bags!
Some of these curbside piles were nearly three feet high. During our walks downtown my pal Pete would launch himself into these mounds. 6 feet, 200plus running at top speed and diving headfirst into the leaves. Hilarious (well to 18 year old boys anyway) One day I got an image in my head of Pete flying into the leaves and meeting a fire hydrant- from that day on I walked Downtown with a less exuberant group of pals,

If you find your self heading north to take in the changing of the leaves (upstate NY) head over to Poughkeepsie (of "Did you pick your toes in Poughkeepsie?"fame) And visit the Walkway over the Hudson. This is an old railroad bridge that has been turned into a park. I's a very literal park in that you walk over the Hudson. A great walk, incredible views and an absolute thrill that someone(s) though of this and made it happen.

I was there in June around sundown and there were lots and lots of people taking the stroll. A total thrill and at the same time very relaxing.

a sidebar- as you get about a third of the way across the bridge there is a clearly marked "mental health emergency phone" that is manned at all times when the park is open. When you get out over the water you are waaaaaaaaaaaay high up in the air and the river is a loooooong way down and while the walk is totally safe if someone wanted to go over the side they very easily could.

I don't think I'll ever Visit the Walkway with my pal Pete.


ps "pick your toes...." is a line from The French Connection