Sunshine And A Glass Of Beer

Snippets from a lovely fall afternoon…

The weather here has been lovely, mostly, and today is no exception. The wind is up, and the temperature is down a bit. The sky has been clear almost all day with crisp, golden sunlight shining down on the changing leaves. It is the definition of a fall day. All I need now is a bit of wood smoke to round things out. Too bad I am without a fireplace.

I had the luxury of a walk around the park this morning, all by myself. After I made the circuit around the lake I sat for a time at a picnic table and did some people, and dog, watching. This is good dog walking weather and the pooches were out in force this morning. The dog count for the day stood at forty-nine before I left the park. With the exception of four tiny Chihuahuas I saw, today seemed to be a day for the big dogs. Labrador retrievers, Rottweilers, a bloodhound and even a Rhodesian ridgeback (I think). Some of them looked like they were so happy to be outside, I wanted to get down and roll in the grass with them.

I write this with a glass of beer sitting at my elbow. Anchor Steam beer to be exact. The sunlight coming in the window is shining through the amber liquid in the glass. It is an amazing color. Very fall-like in its radiance. In my opinion, Anchor Steam is one the greatest American beers out there. I don’t drink it as often as I should (wait, that didn’t come out right), rather, as often as I could, but I always dig it when I do.

Today I discovered that Anchor Steam goes quite well with roasted pumpkin seeds. I made them from the jack o’ lantern we carved up for Halloween. Toasted with a bit of oil and sprinkled with a spice blend (southwest seasoning from Penzeys’) they are a right tasty snack.

On the dining table are some placemats printed with pumpkins. More sunlight streams through the window at the far end of the table. I am struggling to come up with the right words to describe the glow and the color. Pretty is inadequate. Silvery-gold is accurate but seems trite. The fall light regains a wonderful clarity it loses during the smog season. Maybe it is the fall breezes, or the lack of humidity. Whatever the reason, I am always glad to see that light after the heavy wet towel we call a typical Baltimore summer.

Fall is making its way back, creeping in on leafy paws. The cooler, cleaner air is welcome. I sip some beer, chew some pumpkin seeds and give thanks that this is all I am obligated to do on this wonderful November day.