It's something you don't often hear people say until it hits.

"Fall is my favorite season!"

Somehow, it always seems to take us by surprise. It creeps up on us as we continue to wear shorts and sandals on deceptively warm days that struggle in vain to outlive summer's end. Although I was aware that it was mid-October, the pleasant arrival of autumn didn't really awaken me until I drove into work one day recently. Venturing down a narrow stretch of road framed by oak trees, weeping willows and other towering monuments of nature, I saw the colors. There are many great artists out there, but Mother Nature tops them all! She slowly and delicately strokes the leaves in yellow, orange, red and brown. A rhapsody of color clearly designed to make us stop, or at least slow down and admire.

There's also something unusual about the sky. It's the bluest of blues. It's the blue you want to be when people say you're in a blue mood. There is no bluer blue. Clouds are in short supply when the sky is true blue. It lifts the concept of blue minimalism to new heights!

And yes, THE SUN!

There's something beautifully strange about the way the sun shines during fall. It's so bright and precise as it floods everything, putting it all on stage, especially the newborn color wash on the trees. How can you not notice? Still lifes are everywhere.

Autumn always reminds me that nothing is more magical than change. Something new always comes or goes as the wind blows. Oh, and the wind! It's grand and gusty and bold and breezy. It's unapologetically unruly. Who doesn't love a windy fall day? The wind makes a mess, but it all makes sense. Change blows and brings creativity for those with open eyes. The nip and chill in the air pinch you and remind you that you're alive. You're crisp and alert. All eyes, ears and even pores are open. What a great season to experience. Autumn is for artists and people who live artistically. The falling leaves swirl and twirl, the sun bounces and trounces, our shadows dance and prance, while insects flee and you're left to live in the moment. A pest-free moment, finally ... except for those times when the ground-crowding leaves crunch and rustle beneath the teeth of my determined rake. Fall makes me believe that I too, am an artist. Or is it a landscaper?

Even the brooks and creeks and rivers and lakes seem game. There's an elegant flow in fall and everyone knows that it's destiny. There's no stopping it or running from it. It's here already. It crept up on us. Like a river flow, it will come and it will go. Why not enjoy? It's time to dwell in this autumn spell. But hurry, it won't be long until the leaves are all gone.

Fall is my favorite season, too. (Did you guess?) It reminds me as an art collector that experiences make the best collectibles. People do too. Just live and be awake and on the move and automatically, you're a collector! Yet with fall comes that frigid threat of winter. The bain of the warmhearted. UGH! It's not my cup of tea.

Speaking of which, there's nothing like a cup of hot tea in fall. Drink up. Winter is approaching.