October, though debateable, is my favorite favorite month of the year for sunrising. Or is it February? Either way, October is a spectacular month. In October, Autumn turns over completely, by months end there are just a few leaves left on the tree. And with October, comes the excitement of when the gales of November came early. It was October of 2019 when a storm complete ripped apart the shoreline of Marquette. This road never opened again, it was moved a couple hundred feet back, and still sits there today, deteriorating further witch each storm.

Here in the Upper Peninsula, it’s almost a guarantee that I’ll see the first snowfall of the season. Though it’s not likely it will stick to the ground, it’s a sight to behold when there is still color on the trees.

The excitement of October is offset by the stress of the “fall gauntlet”, a stretch of personal projects starting with 906 Day, Plaidurday, and concluding with the Fresh Coast Film Festival. This period of time is daunting, exhausting, and limiting in what I’m able to achieve. Each year I cross my fingers for a fall getaway, but the obligations of the gauntlet just never seems to allow for it.

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables