A Crimson Colored Autumn
As the leaves on the Plympton Street tree change, and the wind starts whispering about winter, there are a couple of autumnal hallmarks that truly define the post summer season. From apple picking to regattas on the Charles, Cambridge pulsates with the beating of fall, and it’ll be a time of year I’ll surely miss once I graduate.
A couple of weekends ago, just as the weather started to shift but it was still socially appropriate to wear bright colors, some of my friends and I took the drive down to Honey Pot Hill Orchards - the classic cove of fall photos and fresh apple cider donuts. There’s something about ladders and rotten apple cores that reminds me of my youth, and the orchards provided the perfect playground for this day long trip back to childhood.
This year’s apple adventure featured climbing trees, nearly concussing Sofia by dropping an apple from high altitudes, and finally baking an apple pie with the heap of fruit we over paid for. And though our genius idea of using cinnamon roll dough to make the basket weave atop our apple crisp ended up crashing and burning (literally), our concoction of steamed apple soup wasn’t half bad.
Now if dodging squealing children and photobombing engagement photos are not your thing, maybe another autumnal activity would appeal to you: Head of the Charles. While I won’t lie and pretend that in going to HOCR every year I’ve actually watched any of the boat races… I must say that going for my last year as a student and watching my boyfriend pass by for approx. 6 seconds and then win, made the fall tradition even more of a special treat.
Though, in the past, I’ve mostly gone for the food stands and abundance of riverside puppies, finally being able to understand the real reason people come to HOCR made it all the more fun. Plus, running into so many alumni down at the boathouse made me realize that these autumnal traditions won’t dissipate once I graduate, but are in fact an excuse for all of us to continue coming together as soon as the leaves on the Plympton Street tree change.