The Beagle Log, 17 October 2007 - Fall

Last edited by on Fri 19 Oct 2007 - 14:23; edited 1 time in total

Good Morning.

Last fall I took these pictures on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. I was about a week early, the trees had just started to change into their fall colors. I guess this gives me an excuse to go back and try again this year. Skyline Drive is an hour's drive from home.

Question for today is what is "Indian Summer"?
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Don
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Don

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 17 October 2007 - Fall Wed 17 Oct 2007 - 10:23

Hola Don!

Your beautiful pictures make me homesick for Wales where we often spent the autumn break with the children.

Here in Spain there is no autumn as such. The trees are still green and the flowers still bloom. flower

However the days are shortening rapidly and the sun loses its power at about 4.30pm. To swim outdoors after that one needs to be very hardy, or perhaps foolhardy!

An Indian summer is a period of warm weather in the autumn. It dates back to the Raj in India when I believe the September weather often suited the white British people who were living there more than the monsoons in our traditional summer months.

Hasta la vista, Gillian
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''What will survive of us is love.'' Philip Larkin

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 17 October 2007 - Fall Thu 18 Oct 2007 - 18:24

Gillian,

Your definition of Indian summer is interesting; I had not heard that before.

On this side of the Atlantic Indian Summer is a warm period following the first hard frost. The link provided gives several definitions and origins of this term although not the definition I had. My understanding is that Indian Summer is a false summer that follows a cold spell (hard frost) in the autumn.
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Don

Subject: Re: The Beagle Log, 17 October 2007 - Fall Thu 18 Oct 2007 - 18:55

Hola Don!

On this side of the Atlantic it is quite the reverse. It is almost an affectionate term for the unreliable British weather which sometimes gives us a much enjoyed warm spell before the onset of winter.

Cheers Gillian
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''What will survive of us is love.'' Philip Larkin