EDITORIAL: An autumn kiss from New England

Hurricane Ian picked us up on the Gulf coast of Florida and deposited us in the natural wonderland of northern Vermont.

OK, that might be stretching it a bit, but an editorial writer who has left various ink blots on this page three times weekly for more than 20 years can be forgiven a little harmless exaggeration, can't he?

It's no exaggeration that more North Idahoans than we can count have touched base with us to ensure that Ian did not cause us or our home harm. Happy to say, the domicile was undamaged shortly after the Patricks hit the road and headed north.

That two-week adventure is now over. We've left, reluctantly, the crisp, cool air and the unspeakably spectacular New England foliage that we'd only seen photos of and dreamed about our whole adult lives.

And now, we're back in the too-warm, too-humid Palm Harbor air — but also in the embrace of our 5-month-old grandson, Colt.

We wish to thank all of you who worried about us. It was heartwarming to realize that you haven't forgotten us any more than we've forgotten you.

When the trip began, a celebration of our favorite season of the year, it was our intention to relay an autumn blessing from New England to North Idaho. The beauty all around you is spectacular, and this isn't an attempt to compare or contrast.

We simply wanted to send an apple pie-scented message spreading some of Mother Nature's joy to people in another gorgeous corner of the world, bridging a massive geographic gap but bringing us closer together where it counts.

Happy autumn, Press readers!

— Mike and Sholeh