The most spectacular fall colors come from sugar maples;
the red and yellows, sometimes mixed with the diminishing green leaves, proved
the ideal of what fall in the northeast United States is supposed to look like.
In Shippensburg, there are two sugar maples, side by side along South Queen
Street that I pass every morning on the way to campus. On a sunny autumn
morning, coming over the rise of the bridge over the railroad tracks, the sun
is at just the right angle to make the two trees stand out, highlighting the
changing foliage for a few precious weeks. The trees are so compelling that
even in the dead of winter, or the height of summer, I glance over to make sure
they are thriving so that I can await the return of the annual display.
