fantasyland

The fall foliage season is past peak, but there are still some beautiful scenes to see out there. As a matter of fact, I was driving Route 7 on Saturday, and saw some trees in the Brandon area that were intensely bright. They didn't even look real. I have been living in Vermont for over 30 years, and I can honestly say I don't ever remember seeing leaves more brightly colored than the ones I saw on that day.
It is not unusual during this season to see someone half pulled over on some busy byway, taking some photos of the scenery. We jaded Vermonters scoff at such behavior. I have often said to myself, this is not Disneyland. There are people who actually live here, and need to use these roads for the usual daily activities. But for 2-3 weeks in October, Vermont does indeed have a Fantasyland quality to it. It does feel like another, more beautiful world.
The other reality is that some years the foliage is remarkably brilliant while in other years it is more ordinary. The last three years have been of the remarkable variety. I don't ever remember that happening before. The only potential down side is that the ensuing winters the last two years have been much colder than usual. I hope that pattern is not repeated in the coming months.