A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

seasons

Fall is arriving quickly

Fall brings awesome colors!

I think it’s safe to say the fall is arriving.

Despite the hot-as-hell days we’ve had this week, it looks like cooler weather is returning. And I like that. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. It’s ripe with photographic possibilities. The days and nights get cooler, but usually not too bad, and it is a time when the air truly smells fresh as can be.

Of course with the onset of fall, that means winter is eventually coming, too.

But, for now, it’s fall.

Football fills up Friday nights and Saturday afternoons at local high schools. The days get shorter, which is one of the things I don’t like about fall. There’s a smell in the air unlike any other season.

Soon enough, the colors will be glorious!

Apple orchards are busy with people picking some great varieties of the fruit.

And the fall beers — there are so many good ones. I have some planned that I want to brew soon, though by the time they are ready, the fall will be almost over. I should plan better for them next year, eh?

There also seem to be some great festivals and events, whether related to fall or just because the weather is nicer.

The cooler weather also makes it better for geocaching and hiking, or a couple of rounds of disc golf. Though, to be fair, it can be slightly harder to find your discs when the leaves have fallen, especially if you have discs with autumn colors!

As I mentioned above, I really like the fall for photography. I’m hoping to get to a few state parks this year to try and capture some great images!

Maybe it’s a glass of cider you enjoy in the fall? Or the last few barbecues?

Whatever it is, fall really is quite a wonderful season.

What do you enjoy best in the fall? Let me know in the comments below!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

The winter isn’t so bad after all

The winter isn’t so bad … for a short while.

Last year, my area was odd in the winter.

No snow. Warmer temps. And, well, the ability to head out and do non-winter things during the winter months.

For those who dislike the harsher winter weather, it was a slice of perfection. Well, kind of.

Though this year started out that way, winter has shown its face. And it’s been a bit ugly. In the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I used the snow blower three times — that’s two more times than last year. That one time last year probably didn’t even need to be done, but we got a wet snow and the plows pushed it all in the driveway. It was much easier to snow blow than shovel.

For those who don’t know, I recently interviewed for a job in the south. Despite high qualifications and, what I thought, was a pretty solid interview, I didn’t make it to the final round. Some day I’ll truly share that experiences, but for now, I’ll leave it be. Anyway, when I get deep into the job process, I’ll often research the place where the job is located.

After all, you want to know what you’ll be dealing with, right?

The place where I was looking had some long and hot summers. I can deal with weather as it comes, but it made me realize there would be a chance I wouldn’t experience four full seasons. It’s one thing I think some take for granted when we live in the Northeast. We get a healthy spring, a variety in the summer, usually a colorful fall and then winter.

Winter can truly be beautiful … at least for a little while.

We see it all.

During those seasons, we have the ability to go see different things — wildlife, nature and the such — that goes with each season. And, it also allows us to do many things. For those who are into it, there’s four-wheelin’ and snowmobiling. You can hike in different weather.

For me, I can play softball in the summer, disc golf in most seasons, geocache all year and get out and experience different things. A couple of years ago, I even had the chance to do some snow shoeing. I’d actually like to do that again, someday, but need to be able to get shoes that feel comfortable and work on my feet better than the ones I used.

As a photographer, it’s great, too.

Winter is actually, to me, the hardest season to shoot in. With bright white snow or whatever else, it can make it tough. But some of the images you can come away with are incredible.

Also, it’s quite nice to drive on some back roads after a fresh snow and see it sticking to tress. It’s a beautiful thing.

This area is expecting some warmer temps this weekend, so some of the snow we have might be looking to disappear. And, for all I know, most of the winter might be leaving. But no matter what, we got a bit of it this year and it’s not a bad thing.

Turns out, winter isn’t so bad after all.

I don’t know where life will eventually lead me, but I do know that no matter what, I’ll cherish some of these winters. The path I end up following might still take me to a warmer climate, so I might not always get the four seasons. Don’t get me wrong — the long winters are tough. But a decent winter isn’t too bad as it truly gives you a highly enjoyable slice of life.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

The seasons soon will be changing

It doesn’t quite look like this outside yet, but I saw a few trees already starting to change.

I was out for a quick drive yesterday and saw colors starting to hit a few trees.

Add that to the cool night and I realized the seasons were getting ready to change. Sure, the official “date” for the fall isn’t for another three weeks or so, but little things have made me realize it’s coming.

  • It’s gotten darker earlier
  • It’s cooler at night (thankfully)
  • Schools are starting
  • College kids are back

I don’t mind the fall. It’s pretty for photography. And, truthfully, after the hot summer we’ve had, I’m ready for it to cool off slightly. But the days get shorter and that means, eventually, daylight savings time comes and it becomes dreary.

Despite the heat of this summer, it did go pretty quick.

It’s also a tough time for my industry — especially for somebody looking for a job — because this isn’t the ideal hiring time. I guess it truly is time to start considering another career field and see what else is out there.

This summer has been OK, but I was hoping to be somewhere else by now, working and feeling what it’s like to be in that world again. Alas, nothing. It’s been a stressful and, at times, depressing stretch of time for me. Summers make it slightly easier when you’re not working because you can be outside, do some exercise, play softball or something else. Still, it’s hard because you see people going on wonderful vacations and know doing that is nearly impossible right now.

I still say something will eventually happen. It has to, right?

The change in the season isn’t always bad.

There are wonderful festivals in the fall and different things to photograph. The colors are usually quite wonderful. The air is crisp and nice. But this eventually leads to winter.

Who knows how this winter will be?

Last year was very mild. We didn’t get a lot of snow and it was decent all around. Will this year be worse? Will it be one filled with snow? Who knows.

For now, it’s still summer.

There’s still enough daylight after the “normal” work day hours to go out and do something. Take a walk. Find a geocache. Get a quick round of golf or disc golf in. Ride a bike. Go out for a paddle.

Seeing the colors on the tree really make me realize that some of these things — specifically the daylight part — will be going away for the year, soon enough. Eventually, darkness will be setting in before some people are out of work.

So take advantage of it. Get out and do something with the day. Or the weekends. And enjoy still being able to get outside in shorts and a t-shirt while you can.

But those seasons — they’re definitely a changin’.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!