Quote of the Day (Martha Gellhorn, on November)

“In November you begin to know how long the winter will be.”—American journalist and novelist Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998), "November Afternoon," The Heart of Another (1941)

I took the image that accompanies this post a couple of days ago in Pondside Park in Harrington Park, a few towns away from me in Bergen County, NJ. I was coming back from a trip into Rockland County, NY when I saw this park on the side of the road, and pulled over for a walk.

I have increasingly felt that autumn is all too short a season in my part of the country, with warmer temperatures encroaching on the traditional point marking fall. The past several days, however, the temperatures have dropped and the winds have whipped up. I had to pull my scarf around me a little more tightly the other day as I circled this pond.

Leaf-changing—heck, leaf disappearance—can occur so rapidly these days. The magnificent profusion of colors seen on trees just a couple of weeks ago is all gone. The many leaves crunching beneath my feet were all brown, as were those that remained on trees for now.

So, to take up the question posed by Gellhorn so long ago, how long will winter be? I might have worried more about global warming if we continued to have balmy temperatures at this point. For now—fingers crossed—Earth is back into its usual rhythms, I hope.

Photo of the Day: Carpet of Leaves, Pondside Park, Harrington Park, NJ

What a difference seven weeks can make! In the first week of autumn, I posted this photo I took of Pondside Park, several miles north of me in Bergen County, NJ. Even as late as earlier in the week, temperatures soared into the 70s around here.

But this weekend, as in so many parks around me—and even in my own backyard—the shift to fall is complete. It came through three days of rain that lowered the temperatures and set leaves hurtling to the ground in droves.

With a day of sunlight that was cooler, but not yet fragile, it was no time to stay inside.

Photo of the Day: Gazebo, Horsey Centennial Park, Harrington Park NJ

My eye would have been caught anyway by the ¾-acre triangle formed by Harriot Avenue, Harriot Place and Parkside Road in Harrington Park, NJ. But the crowning feature of Donald T. Horsey Centennial Park (named after a town clerk who served 42 years) is this covered gazebo, which makes it a real community center.

As you can tell from this photo I took a few days ago, this spot has been decorated for Halloween. But newlyweds have also been known to use it as the backdrop for wedding photos.

Photo of the Day: Our Lady of Victories, Harrington Park NJ

Earlier this week, on my way to visit an area park, I spotted Our Lady of Victories, then turned around and photographed it. It reminded me of the one other, sad occasion several years ago when I visited this Roman Catholic church in northern New Jersey.

Photo of the Day: Pondside Park, Harrington Park, NJ

A couple of days ago, I took advantage of the abundant sunshine to walk around Pondside Park, seven miles from where I live in Bergen County, NJ. I relished the chance to walk the wooden path around a 32-acre park I have rarely visited, and not at all during the months of the COVID-19 outbreak. I took many photos as I walked around, including the one here.

Cooler temperatures may have led much of the wildlife often in abundance here to move on. But I did see a heron, who appeared quite surprised by the attention he was receiving from a solitary photographer.

Photo of the Day: Pondside Park, Harrington Park, NJ

I have driven by this park in northern Bergen County, NJ, a number of times over the years.  This weekend, to satisfy my curiosity, I finally stopped by and snapped this picture.