Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post, from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum. This series was conceived as a haven where folks can drop in to share conversation, ideas, weather reports, and music. Feel free to leave a note, comment, picture, or tune. As always the diarist gets to sleep in, and may show up long after the post is published. Or not. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug.
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Pull up a chair, get your cup of tea, coffee, or other favorite morning beverage and join us for a neighborly and {{{{{chilly}}}}} start to the day ahead.
While out driving, we have been watching the late changes to the hills and valleys. The colors are more subued this year, not to mention being late. It was the delayed warm weather, combined with not as much rain until the past couple of weeks. We normally have peak color the third week of October, but it has turned out to be the first half of November instead. All due to climate change, no doubt. The new normal? I hope not.
This week, we got our first snow and sub-freezing temperatures.
Thanksgiving is coming in only two weeks. That got me to thinking back to my years as a disc jockey at a local radio station. One of the most requested east listening songs this time of year was Autumn Leaves.
Another old favorite is Indian Summer, by Brewer and Shipley.
Neil Young recorded a song about the Harvest Moon:
Finally, here is a different treatment of Autumn Leaves by John Coltrane and Stan Getz:
One of the things we had planned to do this fall was to go over to Bryson City, NC and catch one of the fall excursion runs down the Nantahala Gorge. I had promised Socks a 4½ hour train ride on one of the luxury dining cars. Alas, we had some illness and a lot of other stuff going on, so it has to wait until next year.
This is one of the trains run by the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. The sound of a steam engine is like music to a railfan.
This is an open thread.
Get your favorite morning libation, pull up a chair and join us for sharing ideas, jokes, weather, music, and memories.