Life in the Pioneer Valley, part 3
I had read that fall in Western Massachusetts draws in a lot of people for the hills and the fall foliage, but this is ridiculous. My street has been non-stop traffic for 3 days now, presumably mostly out of towners here for the long weekend. The leaves are starting to change, and the landscape is turning surreal. In California, leaves stay green. The oaks drop their leaves in the fall, but they drop green leaves. Here it's any color between green and ruby red. The other day on the bus I really had to shake my head to realize the oddity of what I was seeing - the landscape looked like a Constable painting on acid, something very over-the-top and exaggerated. I concluded that since I'm not into psychotropics, the landscape likely was real.
Last night was the first real cold night. The air had that bite. In a perverse way I'm sort of looking forward to the cold. I like cold weather things. Tea, blankets, snow, beanies, wool overcoats. My tea consumption has shot sky-high since moving here. California, for me anyway, has only 4-5 months where it's cold enough to be proper tea months. Here I imagine it's more like 8 months. So that's a bonus. Other New England novelties: they call sandwiches here "grinders". Maybe only at Subway would you still order a sub. More: it's refreshing to live in a place that isn't part of the 49ers nation. Here everyone is, of course, nuts for the New England Patriots. Thus I don't have to see red and gold splashed everywhere, or posters of Jerry Rice for that matter. Instead its Tom Brady, who I'm not quite yet sick of. As a Cowboys fan, there is an added bonus in that the Patriots are an AFC team thus their fans don't really have a strong opinion versus my team. In Sacramento, being a Cowboys fan was a great way to take shit from everyone else at the sports bar. Plus here, unlike back at home, I'm the only Cowboys fan at the bar. I'm known as the "Cowboys guy." So that's kinda cool.
The beer here is a lot better than back at home too. Tons, and tons of local brews. And generally cheaper. $2 pint specials at the bar across the street, Silent Cal's. Can't go wrong with prices like that.
