Autumn Trees on the Mountain

The autumn trees in Michigan are one of my favorite parts of Michigan. The colors are so brilliant in golds and yellows and scarlets. There is a stretch of I75 just north of Flint that is striking when the sun hits it on an autumn day late in the afternoon. The trees in the median are simply amazing.

It is hard to imagine a prettier sight, but I have found a runner-up. The Austrians occupied this part of Romania and called it Bucovina which translates to mean "Land of Linden Trees." Most of the houses and out buildings were built from wood with many of them still standing today. I do see, though, that the new houses which are going up are all cinder block construction. A two inch layer of Styrofoam is next and then plaster for a stucco effect which is painted in subtle pastel colors. It makes for a lovely countryside.

Today I followed the Humor River through the valley. I walked past three mountains before I decided it was time to head back for hot chocolate. Looking up the sides of the mountains, you can see each individual farmer's field. This time of year, they are busy harvesting. There are fields that have been cleared and plowed under. There are fields that are still waiting to be harvested. There are fields with sheep grazing. Quite a sight. It looks exactly like my history text in high school.

I am very clearly living in a place out of time with the rest of the world. It is certainly charming. I tell my students, many of whom still live and work on these farms, that I would not survive if I had to do what they do on a daily basis. I don't have the stamina to keep up with them. (And this is AFTER I have lost twenty-two pounds) Many houses here still get water from a well with a bucket on a rope. I have been to some were there is no electricity. The quaint ceramic wood stoves in every room of some houses are very efficient and heat well. I can say that from experience. While they are constructing more rooms upstairs, there were days when the heat was turned off so they could add the new rooms. My woodstove keot my room toasty. I didn't even notice the big windows being taken out and replaced.