Shorter Days and a Hint of Fall

In keeping with the theme of change from the last several days, this morning's walk was truly a glorious weather related experience.  On a whim, I threw a long sleeved UA Heatgear shirt in my bag, and it was just about perfect for the fifty five degree temperatures that greeted me as I struck off along the river.  In the last couple of weeks, the darkness of the early morning has been growing noticeably deeper and longer lived.  

Although that sign of a waning summer has been incrementally growing in magnitude, the warmth of the previous afternoon and the damp mugginess that comes when you build a city on a wetland (i.e. swamp) at the confluence of two rivers had persisted.  Today was the first day that the deep breathing of summer heat grew shallower and less stifling.

Sol rises cooly over the Capitol dome from the steps of the National Art Gallery

The transition from the foggy elephant like sauna of the summer has broken.  Oh, I'm sure that it will come back again for another round or two, but as of today the irreversible march of the season toward fall came out of the blocks and lept forward with a welcome burst of acceleration.  The signs that a mere twelve weeks from now I will have made the transition from summer weight exercise gear to the warmer embrace of long sleeved tops and fleece watch caps accompanied by the rustle of fading leaves and a brisk north wind were evident.

Of all the seasonal transitions, I find the movement of the northern pole of our planet away from the life giving flux of the sun most pleasant.  It ushers in the deep chill of the winter, but these next several weeks are some of my favorite time of year.  There's a nip in the air that is gently pushed back by a warm afternoon, but the air is much drier.  Every day is the best day of my life, but I particularly look forward to the weather associated with the coming weeks.