Fall, Etcetera

Happy first day of Autumn!  On a whim, last night I snatched up a small bottle of pumpkin spice creamer and gave it a try this morning.  Verdict?  Terrible, but that wasn't exactly unexpected.  And despite the chemical overload, it was still fun to have a little pumpkin something.

My favorite way to make "pumpkin-y" coffee at home is to add a little pumpkin spice mix {the kind you use for baking} to the grounds before brewing. No chemicals, no added calories, smells amazing.

I haven't been back to New England for Fall since 2010, which seems like quite a long time ago.  I had taken the Bar Exam that summer and was freshly married to Mr. Curieuse. I went home for moral support as the Bar results were released right around Thanksgiving.

Mum and I kept out eye out for Bittersweet, and would pop out of the car, scissors in hand when we saw a good patch.  It's  terrific for Fall Decor - I wish it grew here in Southern California.

We went to visit the little town where I grew up - a town centered around a river with one main street and two bridges - one for flowers, and one for cars.  The one for flowers used to be a trolley bridge.  It isn't as colorful in November as it is in the spring and summer, but to me it's still beautiful in a sparse way:

Here's what it looked like while under construction in 1908:

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And speaking of visiting home, last night I watched the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.   Have you seen it?  It's set in India, obviously, which isn't my home, but it does feature Dame Judi Dench - she reminds me so much of my Mum {Mum's younger, but they share some of the exact same funny/feisty personality traits}.

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Well, this post shaped up to be something of an assortment of random thoughts loosely tied together with this thought in mind:  Happy Fall!  Go forth and buy pumpkins!