Autumn

1. What first tells you that autumn is here?
Back-to-school, crisp days and brisk nights, and a smattering of color appearing among the green leaves. The Mum Festival parade and apples ready for picking and The Big E. Now that I live in Florida, though, I rely on the calendar, the arrival of pumpkin muffins and donuts at Dunkin', and the way my summer-weary self grouses over all the proclamations of beautiful weather plastered all over Facebook and Twitter.

2. Name your five of your favorite distinctively autumn habits or customs.
Switching over to autumn-scented Yankee Candles. Breakfast dates to Dunkin' that include something pumpkin-flavored. Forming my plan of attack for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Planting fresh mums in my flower garden. Fewer blonde highlights in favor of a darker, warmer color.

3. What is your favorite smell of autumn?
Anything spicy mixed with apple, pumpkin or vanilla.

4. What is your favorite taste of autumn?
Any sort of baked good that is apple or pumpkin. Although to be fair, I would happily eat those flavors at any time.

5. Favorite autumn memory?
Road-tripping with my dad through the Catskill Mountains to Cooperstown.

6. What is your favorite part of autumn?
In New England: the colors and the weather. In Florida: the arrival of Food and Wine Fest.

7. What's your favorite quintessentially autumn food? Least favorite?
Favorite: warm apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Least favorite: tie between pecan pie and mushy winter squash.

8. Go-to autumn beverage?
Hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick.

9. Least favorite/most annoying thing related to autumn?
There isn't one in New England (see this favorite quote of mine by George Eliot: "Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."), but in Florida, it is most definitely that it's still. flipping. summer. And I am over it.

10. Place you'd most want to be in the autumn: the lake, the city, the beach or the mountains?
Hmmm... assuming there are trees around the lake, I'll go with that because the only thing better than autumn foliage is autumn foliage reflected in the surface of the water.

11. Your absolute dream autumn day would be:
Somewhere deep in New England at the peak of foliage color. The day morning would be brisk and include a stop at Dunkin' Donuts. The day would be cool enough for long sleeves but warm enough that I don't need a jacket. There would be plenty of time spent outside. And I'd have my camera close by. There would be a spectacular sunset, and then I'd need a sweater and my cheeks would be rosy as we watched a high school football game with mugs of hot apple cider warming our hands.

12. If you could go anywhere on vacation in the autumn, where would you go?
Anywhere that has autumn color would be fine with me, but even better if it's some place I haven't been before. (How is it that I don't know where else gets all that glorious color??) *Or* to Fenway Park to see the Sox play in the post-season!