Sibling Assignment 2015.20: I Don't Remember Fall Colors #3Siblings

When I thought up this sibling assignment, I realized my fall memory is pretty boring.  It is actually more of an observation than a memory.

The thing that came to my mind when I thought of fall growing up, compared to now, is the lack of fall colors.

My assignment to my siblings this time was: 

"Write about a memory or memories of the autumn season growing up in Kellogg, sometime before you graduated from Kellogg High School."

My sister wrote a nice memory of her second grade teacher here, and my brother wrote about fantasy sports in his youth here.

We had two maple trees in our front yard.  I never remember them turning beautiful colors in the fall.  My memory is they turned brown, curled up, and fell off the tree.

I never remember Kellogg as having much beauty in the autumn season.

Not like now.

Now the maples turn red and yellow and orange, full of vibrant colors.

The aspen on the hillsides turn yellow, a contrast to their evergreen neighbors.

The burning bushes turn a vivid red.

I don't remember this spectacular array of colors from the foliage in my youth.

This was a new thing.

This was a result of the pollution stopping.

This was a result of people planting beautiful kinds of trees and plants and shrubs throughout our valley that cause the beautiful colors.

I am not saying there were not fall colors in Kellogg growing up.

I just don't remember any.

Here is a photo of Kellogg this fall. (Photo cred to sister Christy).

That is not the memory of what the Kellogg of my youth looked like during the autumnal season.  In my mind, these colors did not exist.