By A Treasure Coast Essay
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wqcs/local-wqcs-986678.mp3
Fort Pierce, FL – Autumn on our coast. Why does it seem so inviting? (Sung to "Autumn in New York.") Sorry. But autumn on the Treasure Coast really IS inviting. This year it begins at 9:04 a.m. eastern time on Friday, September 23rd. Autumn on the Treasure Coast means an end to the summer heat and humidity. Yet the ocean is still warm enough for swimming. We can open the windows and turn off the A/C, and our electric bills go down. It's time to plant annuals and veggies. The kids are back in school. Halloween is fun. Thanksgiving brings the family together. Our friends, the snowbirds from the North, start returning. We can go to football games, both high-school and college. Florida Atlantic University will open its new stadium in Boca Raton on October 15th. What's NOT so inviting about autumn on the Treasure Coast? Well, the hurricane season reaches its peak. The ocean may be warm, but it's also rough from offshore storms. It's nice to see our friends from up North, but the streets become clogged, the lines at the supermarket are long, and you have to wait for a table in the restaurant. And - Oh, no! - we better get a start on our Christmas shopping. But it's autumn on our coast. It's good to live it again. (Sung to "Autumn in New York.") For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.
Treasure Coast Essayist Paul Janensch was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.