There is no place in the world more beautiful than Prince George in the fall. The seamless mix of evergreen and gold-leafed trees that surround our fair city so perfectly draw the eye up to the hills around the bowl that rims the city centre.
Most of the time, when I am driving around town, to work, to school to dance, etc., I hardly notice the trees that flank us on all sides. I am busy, distracted and over-concerned with all of the things that I have not had time to do so gazing fondly at the trees is not normally a pastime that I have the patience for. Except in the fall, Prince George, I cannot seem to help myself.
After the best days in the summer were eaten up by fire and smoke, what a relief it is to see the blue sky. Blue is such a pale word to describe it though but what adjective can describe the colour that saturates our skies in the fall? Azure, cobalt, sapphire, peacock, indigo - the more I look for an appropriate synonym, the more it becomes an exercise in pretension.
Living here, year after year, our moods become intrinsically tied to the weather patterns. We are annoyed when spring is late, frustrated and agitated with winter stays overlong, feel betrayed with our summers are stolen by cold weather, or fires, or smoke, or mosquitos and are saddened when the fall is obscured by fog and wind. But, even through all of it, we are still resilient because every once in a while, the payoff is pure beauty and golden afternoons.
It's the light that keeps us here. It burns through the fog and lights up the trees like a kaleidoscope of auburns, reds and golds - a treasure chest of colours. We are so lucky to have these beautiful days. When the miserably cold, wet winter comes, the memory of the these beautiful days light us up from the inside and comforts us from with the memory of the golden afternoons.
It should help with the whining about the weather - probably.
