On my day off today, I took advantage of the beautiful 64 degree day and drove out to Ligonier. Even though it bleeds red, I still love my little Stars Hollow/Hallmark Christmas town. This will the first of multiple visits between now and Christmas. Leaf peeping is at its peak right now as the color is perfect at this time in the Fall season. With the lack of rainfall this year (hard to believe when April was so wet), some may say it isn’t a good season for color. While that may be partially true, you just have to look for and take the small victories where you can find them. While in Ligonier, I also stopped at Abigail’s and treated myself to a pepperoni roll and a Caramel Apple Latte (iced)
When I drive out to places Ligonier or Somerset, one of the best practices I use to get my time out being there is double how long it takes me to get somewhere. For example, Ligonier is a 40 minute drive, so I’ll spend an hour and twenty minutes hanging out there. Most of that time I’ll be taking in the scenery that makes this small town what it is. That gazebo in the middle of town will soon be adorned with a beautiful Christmas tree.
After I finally completed Wednesday’s blog a few days later, I took a little stroll over to Second Chapter Books and spent about fifteen minutes shopping. Some of the reads I was interested in were two books by local historian David McCullough (one on Paris and the other on the Brooklyn Bridge), as well as one on the history of Penn Traffic written by the same guy who wrote about the history of Glosser Bros. My time in Ligonier wound up around 4:20. Perfect timing as I had a few minutes left on the meter. I went over time though and snapped a few pictures of the spectacular color in town (near the Y as well as the Presbyterian Church).
Finally, let’s talk about some of the beautiful foliage I saw this week. Yellows lit up my drive into Laurel Hill on Sunday as I was on my way to our family reunion. Also on Friday, as I passed Latrobe en route to my destination, some of those yellows and oranges really popped out on Route 30 near Kingston. Both experiences saw vibrant color. Right now is a great time to get out there and see the leaves. It’ll soon be past peak in Somerset County so get out there and enjoy it while you can. This time of year is when I enjoy being in my Autumn Leaves era.
Stylish 🍒 