Growin' Up in Maine

The joys of Maine fall foliage childhood fun begins when fall arrives and the outdoors comes alive in vivid color. My grandparents lived next door in my hometown of Derby, Maine, and there was a huge oak tree streetside at the front of their home.

Maple trees are especially colorful like the orange and red leaves in the photo shown here. Oak trees provide less color but more volume because they're generally larger.

What was especially memorable about the huge oak tree was the depth of leaves once the tree completely shed. More than a foot of leaves covered the lawn and provided a wonderful playground for innovative kids.

Piles of leaves provided a soft cushion for jumping, diving, or play wrestling.

We sometimes created a large oval path through the leaves with a rake including an intersecting cross shaped trail in the middle. It was perfect for a game of tag and the only rule was staying within the path. (Note: We used the same design making footprints in the snow during wintertime.)

Perhaps the most enjoyable and creative fall foliage game was taking large flattened cardboard cartons as slides placed on the slope of the front lawn. Leaves were piled on to add effect and then we'd take a long run into a belly flop.

The simple pleasure of just walking across the leaf covered lawn and hearing the woosh woosh sound of rustling leaves is a fond memory, as well. When it comes to seasons in Maine I can't say I have a favorite unless it's the one happening at the time.




TAGS: Maine stories fall