I've realized that different places mark the changing seasons in their own ways. Of course, generally, cold and snow mean winter, warmth and flowers mean spring, sun and hot mean summer, and cool and colorful mean fall, but in the various places I've lived around the country, there are other signs for the changing seasons.
In DC, I knew spring had arrived when I would go to bed and it was still cooler outside than inside, but when I went outside in the morning, it was hot and steamy. And I knew that outside would be a steam bath from that morning until October, every year. I knew summer had arrived when all of the sudden, overnight, the metro system became clogged with tourists during the daily commute. It'd be fine one day, and packed full of sweaty people asking for directions and talking too loudly the next day. Not a bad thing; just a sign that the summer travel season was upon us, and all of America had chosen to vacation in the nation's capitol that year.
In Michigan, one day in November you'll see a few snowflakes start falling, and you realize you've seen the bare ground for the last time until April. It's time to get out the snow clothes and get ready for some alpine kickball, frosty football, blizzard baseball, etc. You get the idea. Spring arrives in April, the first day the temperature gets into the 50s, and the neighborhood comes to life with everybody out walking, biking, gardening, and doing anything else they can think of to soak up some sun. It's the friendliest day of the year. And for a sure sign of summer, just look to the freeways. Traffic isn't usually too bad in Michigan. But in the summer, the freeways right around the cities become parking lots. I think this is because with all the cold temperatures the rest of the year, the roads take extra work during the warm weather. Of course, it doesn't help that every now and then you get a really stupid driver who takes a turn too fast and rams into a fuel tanker right under a newly completed overpass (that took a year to build and had just been finished a few days earlier) and causes an explosion so big the overpass melts.
Utah seems to be the opposite of DC and Michigan. Summer officially arrives when the roads clear out. My commute the last few months has been awesome. There have been plenty of days with traffic jams, but overall, the roads have been nice and easy compared to the rest of the year. I'd complain about being the only person in the state who apparently has to go to work, but the commute is just so great, I can't complain. And the latest sign of the seasons changing is one I discovered today. I realized it was the first day back to school for most kids when I got to the gym this morning. For months, when I've arrived at 6 every morning, there have been about 4 people in the gym. Suddenly and without warning today, almost every piece of equipment was occupied. It was nuts! I guess everybody's back to their regular schedules. And I'll know fall has arrived when there's a line for the equipment. That means it's too dark/cold for people to exercise outside anymore. I'm all for people exercising and making America healthy; I just don't want them doing it on my time.
7 years ago
