Fall break sends a lot of Sun Devils home, miles away from the desert. For many out-of-state students, they get a chance to spend a weekend at home during the best time of the year: fall.
Fall is the richest season. There's a culture that goes along with it and, being in the desert, Tempe does not get to experience this time of year. Culture is, by definition, the manifestation of human achievements and arts in one big, collective expression.
While many other places are experiencing this breezy, distinct season, Tempe suffers a void of any distinct season at all. The only change going on in the desert this time of year is the slow trickle in temperature, hardly noticeable until December. For people who don't know, fall envelops towns overnight, transforming every inch of the landscape and stimulating all of everyone's senses. Fall sights are stunning; one of the biggest downfalls of living in the desert is missing out on leaves changing colors.
The appeal is much more than the curiosity of how one's backyard goes from green to red overnight. Streets are bordered in oranges, yellows and reds and specks of green leftovers from last season. The scent of fall fills nostrils indoors and outdoors with the scent of pumpkin pie, fall candles and crisp air. It's distinctly breezy this time of year, too; rustling leaves are the soundtrack of the season, personifying backyards as participants in this unassuming culture.
Fall tastes wriggle their way onto every menu in town; from apple ciders to hot cocoa, fresh pies to roasted pumpkin seeds, it's everywhere. Hearing someone in Tempe talk about how much they like a cup of hot chocolate is cringeworthy; they will never know the all-around delight of scalding liquid chocolate and its power to warm the coldest of hands and completely revive the chilliest of bodies at outdoor events. The sense of touch gets its fill from brisk weather, chilling and raising goosebumps and layered clothes, warming and soothing shivers.
Sports fans that stick around for fall are true fans. One cannot say they are a true fan until sitting through his or her high school football game on Friday night in the 40 degree weather. Baseball fans that really love their team will sit through entire games, suffering mild frostbite by the sixth inning, warming themselves up for a moment on those hard, plastic seats only to stand up cheering and return back to an ice-block of a chair. Fans in fall are on a whole different level than fans with the luxury of year-round summertime weather.
It's hard to know the richness of the season without experiencing it, but once it's been experienced, it's never forgotten. Students who stole a taste of fall this weekend won't miss anything more upon their return to Tempe and students from Tempe boasting their love for fall don't know what they're talking about. Fall is the most sublime time of year, coloring the months before winter literally and figuratively and giving people a sort of calm before the storm; an enjoyable time before winter takes over. It's a shame we can't genuinely enjoy it.
Reach the columnist at aerumore@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @AubreyElleR
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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