Autumn on the wind

Over the weekend I was up in the high country for some camping and hiking. Not far from Park City and for much of the trip I could see bursts of color as the leaves have already begun turning. On Labor Day it was nearly jacket weather all day. The weather is cooling off and fall is peeking around the corner. It will soon be my favorite season.

I’m eager. Here’s a preview:

Of course with autumn comes The Autumn People, and one of my favorite works by Bradbury. The movie doesn’t hold up as well these days as when I was a kid. But it’s always lurking out there on the edge of my psyche, the antithesis of the golden glow and crisp tingle of autumn. There will always be Mr. Dark and his ilk, but there will also be Mr. Holloways, of which I hope I have become. This scene always struck a chord with me, and only more so now. And if you ever needed a sign that Jonathan Pryce’s character is evil it’s this: he rips out the pages of books!

https://youtu.be/mK02PA0IVK4

Pryce’s Mr. Nightshade holds a place in my mental Hall of Hallmark Villains. His acting in the rest of the movie would have been sufficient to cement his place, but this scene would have done it all by itself.

But to get back to the light side of autumn, there is a song by Mannheim Steamroller that, even though it’s on their supposed “summer” album, is to me the essence of autumn. (Oddly enough, their autumn album, however much I love it, has never felt like autumn to me.)

Dang, now I need to go dig out my Fresh Aire collection. It’s been too long. One through Five were always my favorites. Six onward, after the rest of the band left, always felt a little too digitized, a little too canned for my tastes, though his Christmas Albums remain favorites. But I digress.

It’s autumn! Time to fall in love again…  Kapow! Fwoosh! Zingg!