Last weekend, J and I took a long, woodsy walk around our neighborhood, walking first to Hemlock Gorge to leaf-peep around Echo Bridge and then wending through the woodsy fringe along Quinobequin Road, which skirts the Charles River. The air was brisk and the sun was bright—a quintessential New England fall day—so walking just about anywhere was glorious. On sunny October days in New England, you look for any excuse to be outside in the golden gleam of autumn.
Folks who have seen New England autumns only in photographs focus on fall foliage, but those of us who live here know that tree leaves are just a small part of the beauty. What’s magical about autumn in New England is the light. Autumn light angles low, refracting through the prisms of countless turning trees. In February, I’ll bemoan the white, oversaturated glare of our monochromatic winters, but in October, the light in New England is itself golden, like sunbeams filtered through stained glass.
Because I’ve weathered enough New England winters to know how starved for light and color I’ll be come January, I find myself wanting to soak up every second of October’s golden light. Even sitting on a bench in October is a sensuous experience as your body relishes the contradictory sensations of brisk air and warm sunlight.
Emily Dickinson once said a true poem makes you feel like the top of your head has been removed, and I’d say something similar about autumns in New England. October is the one time of year when I want to steep myself directly in sunlight, even if that means ripping off the roof and removing the top of my skull: anything to better bask my brain in this fleeting gold gleam.
This week, our Jewish neighbors have erected sukkahs like Rachel’s in their yards, and I find myself quietly envying them: I have to admire a religion that requires its adherents to spend as much time as possible outside in October, simply sitting. And yet, living in New England, I’d make a terrible Jew, as any sukkah I’d erect would be topless, or at best convertible, the better to let God’s own golden gaze in.
Forget Emily Dickinson’s definition of poetry: the title of today’s post comes from a line from Pharrell Williams’ irresistibly peppy ode to joy, “Happy,” which invites listeners to “Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.”
Oct 12, 2014 at 6:04 pm
Lorianne, you’d make a great Jew, since one of the requirements for a sukkah is that it must be open to see the sky! Some golden blue skylight!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oct 12, 2014 at 6:07 pm
Then sign me up! 🙂
LikeLike
Oct 12, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Beautiful photos and colors!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oct 12, 2014 at 6:39 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed this, although I’d have to admit that my photos don’t give autumn in New England justice.
LikeLike
Oct 12, 2014 at 7:17 pm
Well I thought they did! 🙂
LikeLike
Oct 12, 2014 at 7:11 pm
Ah! This lit up my morning with glorious colors of light and view of the serene autumn in your place. I really loved this type of views since we don’t have four seasons here. The orange and red combination of leaves attract a lot and my favorite, I have to browse up and down attempting to see the whole surrounding :D. I think you love sun and its light, here in the Philippines we mostly have sunny days than rainy days. And it’s a good thing because many naturally prefers the bright and cheerful look of summer. Every time I look at these type of views (only in pictures for now) I couldn’t stop uttering our expression “Oh my gulay!”
LikeLike
Oct 12, 2014 at 7:24 pm
Reblogged this on It doesn't end here and commented:
A view of paradise as my eyes lit up attempting to see the whole surrounding, obviously we don’t have this type of season here in the Philippines. But we are blessed to have more sunny cheerful days than rainy, gloomy days though sometimes I almost couldn’t believe myself appreciating the gloomy days. Yet I know the reason, it feels like it understands the sadness I am going through when that low point kicks in. Indeed there is a season for everything, but then it is undeniable that we prefer the warmth of the sun and its light.
In this picture, Hoarded Ordinaries shared, what attracts me the most is the orange and red combination of leaves and is my favorite.
Let me share.
LikeLike
Oct 13, 2014 at 3:43 am
Hello colleagues, its impressive post about educationand fully defined, keep it up all the time.
LikeLike
Oct 13, 2014 at 6:05 am
You do a great job of explaining that special light of autumn–it takes me by surprise every year!
LikeLike
Oct 13, 2014 at 8:43 am
When I saw the post title and first sentence, I thought, “She’s going to write about seeing sukkot (sukkahs) all over Newton!” 🙂
Your descriptions of the golden light of autumn are right on. I love the light at this time of year. There is nothing else like it.
You might be pleased to know that in order for a sukkah to be kosher, one must be able to see the stars through chinks in the roof…
Wish I could invite y’all over for tea or wine in our sukkah!
LikeLike
Oct 15, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Thank you for taking us along on a beautiful walk.. Fall is beautiful in NC also… and I always feel as if I am trying to store up all the beauty around to savor it all. Sue
womenlivinglifeafter50.com
LikeLike
Oct 20, 2014 at 9:45 am
I love that song. Well, who doesn’t, really?
The low light is magical in the trees, but it stresses me out sometimes when it’s shining directly into my camera lens! Though the lens flares can be interesting in their own right.
LikeLike
Oct 25, 2014 at 11:16 am
New England fall colors are just stunning. Your neighborhood is really very beautiful!
LikeLike