Seasons of Change at Black Moshannon

Have you ever been there to see the first bit of bright red fall foliage when you least expected it? Have you stood on the banks and wistfully watched a fisherman on the water, surrounded by water lilies? Have you swum in water that's turning cooler by the night, on a beach that you had all to yourself? Have you heard one of the first of summer's last sighs? I have!

My husband and I took a quick jaunt up to Black Moshannon for a swim. Labor Day has passed and all of the park beaches will be closing in the coming few weeks. My husband and I are swimming fiends: we're trying to get in as many swims as possible before this summer life we've been living closes down for the season.

There WERE indeed red trees. The beach WAS indeed deserted. There WAS indeed a fisherman on the waters, and his presence made every single shot better. And look at that colorful rainbow of boats to the side; isn't that just a bit of summer joy?

This is the start of the changes that are coming. For summer is starting to fade away and these first red trees sing a song of the best time of year (to me, at least): autumn is coming! Have you ever seen the magic of October in the Pennsylvania woods? Oh, I have, and you're in for such a treat! Like this, only times a hundred-fold! Hooray, hooray! It begins!

My soundtrack song is the title track from Seasons of the Heart, an album John Denver released in February of 1982. And it heralded a time of great change for me, as well. I went away to college at Penn State that fall, and I felt so lonely and homesick and lost. What was my go-to activity, once my day of classes was done? Two things have always saved me. Woods! And music!

I lived in North Halls, so I'd put on my little portable cassette player, pop in this album, and this song would start to play, as I headed for the only woods I could find, which was across Park Avenue and back in behind Sunset Park (those woods are part of the Arboretum now, and I just walked them a few months ago - some things never change, I guess). Here's John Denver, with 1982's Seasons of the Heart.