All those years of living in New England have fixed my internal calendar to interpret September in only one way: the romance of fall.
I was born in the spring, but I’m a fall baby at heart. It’s the time of year I feel the best; a time of optimism and fresh starts. A time of anticipation for myriad seasonal festivities. A time for first kisses and getting a little crazy.
I’m so ready. Ready to stoke up a fire (I wish), cue up some Dinah Washington (schwa-ing!) and curl up on the couch with a book I should have read in college (okay, that’s not that crazy).
I’m ready to break out a sweater dress, throw on some sexy boots, and sidle up to a neighborhood bar for a little hot toddy and witty repartee (oh, geez, that’s what I want the most!).
But here in Sarasota, it’s still 90 degrees outside and we’ve still got almost two and a half months left to hurricane season, so how does one get in that September swing? Without the typical harbingers of fall – the changing colors of the leaves, the crisp air – how do Sarasotans make that switch in mood from full-on summer to please-come-on fall?
Um, as usual — my response to all times of change is to think of romance — dating – specifically first dates – I’m serious — a great, new first date is the best way to get in the fall mood.
If you can find a decent bar in this town that doesn’t have a ridiculously malapropos television turned on, a bar where the food is kickin and the martinis are icy cold … I can’t imagine a better way to kick off autumn that by cozying up to a bar or in a booth under the low lights; reveling in a first-date glow. With the crowds of season still a few weeks away, there must be plenty of places where September wining and dining would carry some major mojo.
Or, if you’re like me, after feasting all summer on the natural world’s works of arts – mesmerizing sunsets, for example, — you may find yourself longing for the sumptuousness of man-made art again. The Ringling Museum of Art, small and simple, is the perfect sorbet between seasons. Besides, a walkabout through the museum’s gorgeous interiors and courtyard will cleanse your palate of summer and ready you for the excesses of the so-called arts season.
I believe Ringling is having a special exhibition of Buddhist art through November; I’ll have to check it out to get my autumn on.