October Light

Two days of rain, Saturday and Sunday, did little to dissuade visitors from coming to Highlands and walking its brick sidewalks with umbrellas in hand.  Everybody is still complying with the face mask order, and as far as we know there have been no new cases of Covid-19 in Highlands.  The visitors flock to Mountain Fresh, across from the Episcopal Church, and the new little cafe in the Creekside Village Shops, the Blue Bike Cafe.  

The leaves in our yard are starting to come down now, but it is so wet that we cannot rake them yet; they plaster our cars in the driveway and have to be unstuck from the windshield.

Monday morning, the rain stopped, and in warm, overcast conditions, I rambled all around Highlands on a wonderful eight-mile run.  The maples are at the very peak of their color right now.  We are having such beautiful, warm weather now that it is difficult to believe it is October, and last night we were able to eat dinner outside on our deck.

In weather like this, it is hard to stay indoors.  After lunch yesterday, I drove to Cashiers to do some grocery shopping at Ingles, taking my time along the way, enjoying the Whiteside overlook where before long we will see people lined up at the guardrail in the evening witnessing a well-known phenomenon known as "The Shadow of the Bear," where shadows form the outline of a bear out in the valley below.  In fact, the perceptive reader of this blog may notice that the license tag on the front of the leaf-plastered car above features the iconic Shadow of the Bear:

I always wonder what the Cherokee thought when they first saw this phenomenon generations ago, before tourists with cameras arrived.

This morning, I walked a mile or so around Town, taking photographs along the way.  The tree planters in the middle of Main Street have all been decorated and they look very nice.

And the trees in front of Townsite Apartments are also just at their peak.  This is where Martha's aunt Anne lives during the summer months, but alas she was not able to come this summer, and as we have told her in phone calls and e-mails it just didn't seem like summer without her being here.

This is the view looking north on Fifth Street, just around the corner.  What a joy it is to run under that canopy of golden trees this time of year!

Is there a better time for running in Highlands?  I think not.