Marching to a different Beat

Sticker I got during EMU Band Day 1970

It was a nice crisp fall day when our band bus pulled into the parking lot at EMU Stadium. We were to join the field during Halftime with 25 to 30 other Marching Bands. I remember the warm-up drills like it was yesterday. I'm glad I memorized all my songs. The first time my Lyre fell off my trombone taught me a lesson in memorization. Never again will I fake playing my songs or worry about my music falling in the mud, plus its so much easier concentrating on my marching without staring at the music. We played some pretty groovy songs by Santana and Chicago but 1 band had some music in a different key than the rest of us. Man did that sound sour :-] I dont remember who won the game but they certainly played better than my highschool did. Every play was fast, sharp and executed with the utmost precision but I guess they would since these are the best high school guys who get schiolarships and a few will be drafted into the NFL once they graduate. These days some go into the NFL or other pro sports right out of highschool. I wish I had taken a camera. Im not sure I had one then and I doubt those throwaway cameras were even invented yet. Marching Band was very enjoyable. We got to stare at a lot of Cheerleaders since we usually had front row seats. This is Jimio saying "Have a Nice Fall"

Autumn

Fall Colors in Full Bloom near Alpena Michigan



Missy and Mindy celebrating the Harvest

 What can I say about Autumn? It's a very colorful time and the smell of leaves in the air is so invigorating. A very robust fermented like smell, not as sweet as spring flowers but a more mildly acidic with a touch of sweetness. Nothing is more enjoyable than "Indian Summer" with its warm temperatures and cool nights. Why do leaves change their color? Some say its due to temperatures dropping   but the experts say it's because of the nights getting longer and this causes less chlorophyll to be produced. Eventually all chlorophyll stops being made and the carotenoids and anthocyanins inside the leaves are unmasked to expose their bright colors. The Oaks turn red, brown or russet. The Hickories turn a golden bronze. Aspens and Poplars turn yellow. The Dogwoods turn a purplish red and the Beech Trees turn tan. Maples differ from species to species from brilliant scarlet to red-orange to a glowing yellow. A succession of warm days and cool but not freezing nights should produce dazzling color displays. It's all due to warm days producing lots of sugars in the leaf but the cool nights trap the sugars in the leaf by leaf veins constricting during the cold nights. A warm dry fall will usually produce duller colors as seemed to happen this year. The word Autumn comes from the old French word Autompne in the 12th century or Automne in modern French. Also before the 16th century the word Harvest was used per the Dutch word Herfst and the German word Herbst. Eventually the word Harvest became know as to harvest the crops. The word Fall comes from the Old English word Fiaell or Feallan which means to fall from a height and I suspect it is to describe the leaves falling off the trees. I also enjoy the burning of leaves. The smell is somewhat like tobacco but more pungent and smokier. And who doesn't like hotdogs or marshmellows on a stick cooked over a burning pile of leaves! This is Jimio saying "Happy Fall- Autumn - Equinox"