Fall is hands-down my all-time favorite season. I mean, spring’s awesome, and summer’s gorgeous, and winter is cozy, but there’s just something so… satisfying about Fall.
It involves crisp chilly air, shorter days, bright sun-speckled leaves, pumpkin everything, maple anything, root vegetables, things involving spices like cinnamon and clove and nutmeg, creamy chai lattes & hot chocolates, bright vibrant hues of reds and oranges and yellows, and my favorite autumn wardrobe staples: tights and cardigans with boots.
Every fall, I seem to end up taking a walk and taking photos. This year, it came about as an invite from a new friend. Who am I to turn down a lovely Autumn stroll with good company?
We sort of started out aimless, and ended up walking up to Alberta Street, probably about 2 or 3 miles each way. It took us a good 3 or 4 hours, but that included two stops into everyone’s favorite gluten-free vegan bakery in Portland, Back to Eden, and lunch at my favorite taco shop in the multiverse, El Nutri Taco.
Before we hit up the delightful tacos, we strolled and stopped to take pictures of whatever caught our fancy. I’m always a sucker for flowers, bright colors, sunlight through leaves, and spider webs.
Sunflowers and bright orange pumpkins: check.
We walked through the Sabin neighborhood, which had community gardens and a Hydro Park. How cool is that? A Hydro Park. Never heard of it before, but it was just a quiet little playground in the shadow of a couple of water towers.
We spotted lots of fruits and vegetables growing. Tomatoes, figs, and what I thought could be an apple tree, but was actually… a persimmon tree! Cool.
Love this rose:
We had a fun discussion about squirrels while we strolled. We spotted a lot of them–hoarding nuts, bounding across yards, and running up trees. I asked my friend if he could trade places with a squirrel for a day, would he? (Would you?)
He answered in the affirmative. Makes sense. If I could trade places with another animal for a day, I totally would. It would be weird for a minute, but very interesting. And what would happen to your body while you were in another creature’s body? I think your body would then be inhabited by whoever’s place you took. But think how weird that would be, for the other creature. \ If a tiny little squirrel were suddenly in a big ol’ bulky human body, would it move around? Would it just lie still for the day, afraid to move? I imagine it would take some time to get used to so much more body mass than one is used to. It would probably feel so small, rattling around in a big human body, having to stand upright and everything.
Or, alternatively, can you imagine occupying a human body for so long, and then being in a tiny little squirrel body that can climb trees? Would you go for it, scampering up trees all day long, or would you stay close to the ground? I think I would go for it and scamper the heck out of my squirrelness for day.
Anyway. Here’s a little plant doing jazz hands:
…And once we got to Alberta, and off the squirrel talk, there were bumper stickers…
…And a big chain, locking out who knows what. The riff raff of Alberta Street, I suppose.
…And then, finally (FINALLY), there were tacos:
Hello, gorgeous.
El Nutri is my jam. I ordered the Green Taco (beans, avocado, lettuce, cilantro, tomato and I ordered it without the vegan cheese) and a potato taco—the same as the bean but minus the avocado and beans and with potatoes.
They were good.
Like, really good.
…And the long walk back home was made a little more poem-y by finding this on the way:
A Poetree!
Which wouldn’t be complete without a poem:
I like that it’s about disorder and untidiness. It speaks to me. Well, it speaks to the general state I keep my house.
Last picture:
These are called Hen and Chicks, and I had no idea they had such a random and cool name. Cute little succulent buggers.
For previous posts and photo essays about Portland Fall:
* Fall 2010 Apples and Gin Tasting
