The Smell of Autumn and an Open Tailgate There is a chill in the air today. It is that crisp, biting autumn breeze that tells you summer has officially packed its bags and headed south. The leaves are turning brilliant shades of gold, orange, and crimson. As an old-timer who has spent nearly every fall […]
The Arrival of Autumn I can still remember the exact moment the autumn air would change. It happens every September without fail. The oppressive heat of summer finally breaks. A crisp breeze sweeps through the neighborhood. You can hear the distant rhythmic thumping of a local high school drumline practicing down the street. That sound […]
The Sounds of a Summer Evening I can still hear the crack of a wooden bat bouncing off brick walls. It is a crisp sound that settles deep in your chest. When I was growing up, the local ballfield was not just a patch of dirt and grass. It was the absolute center of our […]
The Magic of an Autumn Saturday The crispness of the autumn air always brings back a rush of fond memories for me. You feel the distinct change when late August rolls around and the leaves just begin to hint at turning yellow and gold. The heavy summer humidity finally drops, leaving a fresh, welcomed chill […]
The Sounds of Summer The late afternoon sun dips below the grandstand. A cool breeze finally cuts through the thick summer heat. I can still close my eyes and hear the precise, sharp crack of a wooden bat meeting a leather ball. That sound echoed across the radio on warm July evenings when our windows […]
The Sounds of Summer There is a very specific sound that tells you summer has arrived. You know the exact one. You are sitting on a set of weathered wooden bleachers on a warm Tuesday evening. The sun is just starting to dip below the tree line. Then you hear it. The sharp ping of […]
The Sounds of Summer and a Shrinking World I still remember the rhythmic thud of a leather ball against the cracked pavement of our old neighborhood. It was the absolute soundtrack of my childhood summers. The air would hang thick and humid. The cicadas would hum in the background. But above it all was the […]
I can still hear the rhythmic echoing thud of a heavy leather ball bouncing on hard maple wood. The floorboards in our neighborhood gymnasium always creaked in the corners. It was a humble place smelling faintly of floor wax, canvas sneakers, and winter sweat. Outside the wind would howl through the bare branches of the […]
The Rhythm of the American Autumn The air turns crisp. The leaves begin to brown. A familiar rhythm settles over our towns. You can smell woodsmoke in the evening breeze. You can feel a sudden chill that tells you summer has finally closed its doors. It happens every autumn. For as long as I can […]
The leaves begin to turn brilliant shades of gold, crimson, and amber. The sweltering heat of summer finally breaks. A familiar crisp bite fills the evening air. Across the country, you can hear a distinct sound echoing through small towns and big cities alike. It is the sharp whistle of a referee. It is the […]