You can feel the weather changing as summer winds down. It’s more than just the passing of the Labor Day holiday and the school year starting. The nights are longer and cooler. The days are not quite so hot and the flowers in the garden seem brighter and more colorful. I look past the soft blue and lavender blossoms and am drawn to the warm shades of gold, rust, orange, hot pink and red. They shout autumn is on the way.

When the soldiers came home from World War II, they brought back a new perspective for a new America. Rather than continuing a rural existence, most citizens were ready for a modern lifestyle supported by technology — dams, suburbs, shopping malls, interstate highways — and all the natural resources that could be gobbled up.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is quite a mouthful of a name. Once, it was simply Big Trees.

Summer may be winding down, but we still have lots of great outdoor weather to enjoy for several more months. This means more time to spend outdoors in the garden relaxing, entertaining, and cooking on the grill.

On Sunday, Aug. 31, Scotts Valley residents Virgil and Donna Kannall will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with an intimate dinner with their immediate family.

So far this year, my travels have taken me up the coast of California and parts north. Then I headed a bit east to explore the Sierra Nevadas.