Further confirmation that autumn was here at last came
as I walked around Overpeck County Park, a few miles from where I live in
Bergen County, NJ. The tree you see here had not really changed since summer,
but the sudden change I noticed on Wednesday led me to take this photograph.
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.
And so it was this past weekend that I became fully
aware that autumn had arrived. The realization came full force this past Sunday
while I was walking around Michael Petruska Jr. Memorial Park in Paramus,
several miles from where I live in Bergen County, NJ.
I came upon this stretch of green by accident, while trying
to get somewhere else. Farview Avenue, where it is located, would, in many
other communities, seem quite busy.
But in the borough of Paramus, with a well-earned reputation
as the mall capital of the United States, this stretch of green feels like an
island of stillness and serenity, a far remove from traffic-clogged Routes 4 and
17. For me, a Bergen County resident for virtually my whole life, it was a
delight to come upon something I had never encountered before.
In 1958, North Jersey-based developer Michael J.
Petruska Sr. deeded 12 acres to Paramus with the only condition being that the
land be named for his son, who had died in a tragic plane crash. In the mid-Sixties,
the park came to fruition when borough volunteers responded to a nationwide beautification
contest sponsored by Lady Bird Johnson through a 24-hour “plant-a-thon” on the
property.
When I came to the park in mid-afternoon, the skies
were overcast, with temperatures having fallen to a high of 52 degrees
Fahrenheit—a more than 20-degree drop from the prior day. Jackets, sweatshirts
and hoodies had become a requirement overnight.
On the courts, two teams were playing on the
basketball court and two guys were wielding hockey sticks—though, by this point
in the year, the baseball field was empty. On the nearby path circling the
park, several parents were out with their children. Social distancing was easier
to maintain with the mercury having dropped.
As I circled the park I took many pictures, but I was
especially drawn to this scene. Though a good many orange, yellow and red
leaves stayed in place, others had meekly surrendered, leaving their trees
bare.
I imagine, after several more days of rain, wind and further
temperature drops, that Indian summer has now beaten a full-fledged retreat. These
days more than ever, when I relish the chance to walk around, autumn has never
seemed so beautiful and brief.
