I rarely mention the first and second prizes when I write about travel sweeps. I focus on the Grand Prize, the trip I want to win. This sweeps, for four nights at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, comes with a seasonal second prize: cashmere blankets. I discovered all this yesterday on the website of a magazine I sometimes read. The air had an autumnal edge to it, and the thought of a cashmere blanket was delicious. I love the change of seasons. I love the cricket’s sad farewell song this time of year. I used to think my favorite season was fall. In many ways it is. But it’s the change of season, each and every season, I like most. That first crisp day. That first frost. On the other side of Old Man Winter, the crocuses. I would miss the seasons if I moved to a place where the seasons were more or less a continuum, where the changes were less extreme. I wish we referred more to the seasons. As a time reference, in conjunction with the passage of time. “Three seasons later, he was well enough to walk to the field’s edge.” Isn’t that more interesting than “Nine months later.” But it’s awkward. It’s not a usage to which we are accustomed. Anyway, ‘tis the season of cashmere blankets. Even pink ones.
This prize speaks for itself: Four nights at Canyon Ranch in Tuscon, Arizona.
To enter, click HERE. The deadline is October 31.