I left Raleigh last Thursday morning. The trees were still colorful, and the temperature wavered between warm and cool.
I returned late Tuesday night. When the sun rose Wednesday morning and i went out to face the day, i found myself looking at an entire yard and driveway full of leaves. The Japanese Maple in the front yard, which just a week before had been a vibrant red, is now mostly bare, with the leaves on the ground having turned to a dull rust. And everywhere i looked, on the drive to work, the world looked just a little bit bleaker.
(i suppose the bleakness might have been at least partially ascribed to the fact that i was returning to work after nearly a week of vacation.)