Well folks, tomorrow’s the first day of October.  I AM SO EXCITED! What’s not to love about Fall? From back-to-school shopping specials and pumpkin spice lattes; tail-gaiting at football games (or watching baseball, hockey and soccer); to apple-picking and pumpkin carving; recipes for delicious warm soups, pumpkin pies and breads; mulling spices and ciders; and several brilliant holidays (World Food Day on October 16th,  Apple Day on October 21st, Halloween on the 31st,and of course, my birthday, the most important of them all.*)

I’m headed back East to Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a few days, where the color changes in the leaves and the beautiful campuses make me homesick for my alma mater.  In the spirit of one of the most beautiful seasons – I thought I’d express my thoughts and love of the Fall season in a photo-essay. Among other things, these are the best things about Fall. Welcome to October.


And, of course, here’s the unofficial list: The BEST THINGS about October, v.2010:

  • Back to school shopping
  • Notebooks, pens, pencils and books
  • The time change: better sunrises and sunsets. Winter hiberation (it’s okay! Spring will come!)
  • Late night barbecues
  • Pumpkins and the color orange
  • Fall Harvest and Wine Crush
  • Apple Picking, Harvest, Cider, and Apple Pies (I make a mean Apple Pastry).
  • Cinnamon spices, nutmeg, and cloves.
  • Fall Football games and Tailgating
  • Texture and color in the Fall trees dropping their leaves
  • Farm harvest: honeybees and produce and champagne, oh my!
  • Discount Theme Parks
  • Pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie recipes
  • Warm soup (My favorite recipes: French Onion with mushrooms, 17 bean, Split-Pea Soup, and Celery-Chicken Stock)
  • My Birthday (had to throw that in there)
  • World Food Day (um, that is almost as good as my birthday).
  • Holiday previews and discount sales on skiing, season passes, and winter lodges.
Have anything to add? Anything I missed? Leave a note in the comments and I’ll update this post!

* I wish that my birthday were truly a wikipedia entry, but I realize that there are also other things that happen on the 30th day of October.