Autumn has ended, and we are now well into what locals call “stick season.” After summer comes the fall, when the hardwood trees turn various shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown, bringing new color to the hilly New Hampshire landscape just before it tucks in for a long winter’s nap. This year we have had a beautiful fall season, with sunny/warm weather and brilliant fall colors. In this quick blog post I want to share a few photos from three of my favorite aspects of autumn at Dartmouth and in New Hampshire: fall foliage, the homecoming bonfire, and Diwali. Read on!
The fall foliage was especially spectacular this year. Nobody is quite sure why; maybe it was the wet July, or the dry August, or the unusually warm fall temperatures. I had opportunities to hike in the White Mountains and to ramble in the woods closer to home, and snapped a few photos for a gallery.
Dartmouth’s annual homecoming weekend involves the spectacle of a massive bonfire, built by the incoming first-year undergraduate class, then lit on a Friday evening with an audience of thousands. An incredible event, and another photo gallery.
Dartmouth also celebrates the Hindu festival of Diwali, every fall. One of my favorite aspects of this celebration of light is the community gathering in the middle of The Green, surrounded by hundreds of diya (small candle-lit cups). It is a peaceful, cheerful event that everyone can enjoy. See my gallery.
David Kotz 
Thank you for these! I did get a taste of the leaves changing when I blew through last month, but wish I could have seen Diwali in person. And I wish it had been celebrated at D during our time there.
For all its complicated legacy and challenges, I also have to admit that it’s (heart)warming to see the bonfire tradition back. I have fond memories (and some grainy pics) of the 1984 one where a few of us set up beach blankets and beach chairs and basked in its heat in our swimsuits a bit too close to the flames…