Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

So the weather has broken here in DC, and the temperatures have moderated some. The highs are supposed to be in the 80s for the next few days, and it reminds me that my favorite season of the year, autumn, is just around the corner.

I remember when I was a kid thinking that the end of summer was the worst time of year, but now that I am an adult, I have a different point of view. I love the autumn. I love the colors, the coolness, the harvest, the way the sun angles as October turns to November.

If you went to the Forest Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, you would see one of my autumn memories. In the light tower on the house left side (stage right) I carved my initials in November of 1980 when I was a doofy little freshman at Carolina. Unfortunately the last time I tried to find my crude piece of artwork, the tower insides had burned and one could no longer climb to the window ledge to see the sill where I was one of the many who had etched their personal messages into the 2 x 4.

But I will never forget the day.

I had been taking a theatre tech class at Paul Greene Theatre, and was on my way back to my dorm when I decided to climb into the tower of the theatre to see what was there. Not much, spider webs, a couple of old beer cans, and of course, graffiti.

But I decided that I would add my message to the hundred of others there, so I took out my knife and carved "D Byrd was Here, Nov. 4 1980" in the window sill. It was a perfect day -- sunshine, blue skies, cool, and the sycamore trees were resplendent yellow against the -- of course Carolina Blue -- sky. I wished I could capture that moment and hold it forever. Live in it for more than the few moments I had in the tower. I knew I couldn't so I did the next best thing, I carved something in the tower to remember me by. I wonder if it's still there.