For Every Thing there Is a Season

Friday night we attended the last Sounders home match of the season. My ticket book is now empty. There will be some playoff games, but the only guaranteed home match is October 31, when we will be in Colorado for Halloween. There is also another international match this Tuesday that we will attend, but it doesn't count for anything and the regular fanfare will be missing. Our last game of the season, next weekend, will be on television for us here in Seattle. Because this was a season ending match, it was fan appreciation day. We arrived early for the 8:00 start. The half moon was hanging over the stadium in a clear sky. By the time the festivities began in Occidental Park, the deep blue of the darkening sky was reflected in the horns of the Sound Wave band. Drew Carey, a part owner, spoke to the crowd. In the stadium parking lot, after the March to the Match, Grammatrain performed for the fans.

One of our favorite defensive players, Ozzie Alonzo, scored his first goal of the season.

36,356 fans loved every minute of the full 90, and once again the victory was ours over Chivas Los Angeles, 2-1.

Seasons come, and seasons go, but from the first match in the cold rain of March, through the summer when we had the whole family with us, to this lovely autumn evening, it has been great fun. We'll renew our season tickets for next year. I plan to go as long as I can.

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Then on Saturday we had more seasonal fun, the annual family cider fest at my brother's house in Chehalis.

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I didn't do a very good job of taking photos, as I was too busy visiting and watching, and I also this year didn't do much of the work.

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We had able bodied young men to run the cider press.

And there was plenty of help preparing the apples.

My mother sat in the sun in the middle of the action, and various family members made a point to sit and visit with her. Mom's sister Evelyn lives in Seattle now, and this year we brought her with us, along with my cousin Dan. They had a great time catching up with people they hadn't seen for a long time.

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And then it was time for the eating. Once again it was a beautiful fall day, perfect for a picnic on the deck.

Nephew Jason and his new bride Amie were married last weekend in North Carolina, where he is in special forces training at Fort Bragg. They are honeymooning at the cabin in Rockaway, and came over for the weekend. It was our chance to meet Amie, and shower them with gifts, since only the immediate family had attended the wedding.

And so it is for them, in this autumn, a season for new beginnings.

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Well, once again the day has dawned clear and bright, another gift. I'll watch the Seahawks on television in an away game this morning, and then go outside and putter in the garden this afternoon. It's time for the fall cleanup, but with the crazy seasons we've had this year, it's still so green and lush and bloomy that most of the cutting back will wait for a while. However, the thermometer says 37, so definitely it won't be long before it's all gone.

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For everything there is a season.