By Howie Silver
Done laid around, done played around,
This old town too long.
Summer’s almost gone, winter’s coming on
And I feel like I gotta travel on.
So begins an old American folksong “Gotta Travel On.” It reflects a common theme of the transition from the lazy, hazy days to summer to the brisk, lively days of fall and ultimately winter.
Someone once calculated that of all the four seasons, fall has the fewest songs written about it. (I have no idea who did this calculation.) Even in the song above, summer and winter are mentioned, but fall is completely skipped over. But for a lot of people, fall (if you’re American, or autumn if you’re British) is their favorite season.
And what’s not to love about fall? There’s Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as Dia de Los Muertos. There are the beautiful colors of the leaves of the deciduous trees. There are pumpkins everywhere. There are great desserts (caramel apples, pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet-potato pie, pecan pie, to name a few). It’s the time for fire pits with hotdogs and toasted marshmallows. And of course, there’s pumpkin-spice latte.
Fall (or autumn) has inspired a number of wonderful thoughts. Albert Camus said, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” John Donne wrote, “No spring or summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.”
Clearly spring doesn’t have a monopoly on the sense of rebirth. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” And Nora Ephron wrote, “[Fall] makes me want to buy school supplies.”
For most of us, starting the new school year every fall was a special time. It was more than just new pencils, notebooks, and watercolors. It generally meant new clothes and a chance to reconnect with the friends we may not have seen since June. And (at least for me) it meant a promise to do better than I did the previous school year. I never made New Year’s resolutions, but I did make new-school-year resolutions every fall. Not always kept, I might add.
So even for those of us in (dare I say it?) the autumn of our years, fall and a new school year can still mean a starting over. Perhaps an intellectual rebirth. It can mean learning (or relearning) new ideas. Most likely, we don’t want to take courses at a local university or community college with students our grandchildren’s age, cram for quizzes and tests, and write papers.
Personally, I wanted to learn and be stimulated again. I discovered the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI), a lifelong- learning program at Edmonds College that has been around now for over 30 years. It offers short non-credit, college-level courses at a modest cost. The courses meet once a week and are between one and four weeks long.
CRI is not alone; the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is associated with the University of Washington and also offers similar non-credit courses to people over 50. These programs (CRI and Osher) have everything you loved about school: the excitement of learning, interesting professors/instructors, making friends with your classmates, and having fun.
These programs have none of the things you hated about school: no term papers, no quizzes or examinations, no oral reports, no grades, no $200 books to buy, and no pressure. Basically, all the laughs and none of the tears.
The Fall Term at CRI has over 40 classes to choose from and is starting soon. The courses are taught by instructors very well versed in the topics that they are teaching. Many are retired college professors, and all of them bring extensive personal and professional expertise as well as enthusiasm for their topic. Most of the CRI courses are taught in person in small classrooms, while some of the classes are taught online using the Zoom platform.
For film and music lovers, there are courses on Beyond the Narrative: When Score Tells the Story; The World is Cursed: Anti- War Messaging in Studio Ghibli Films; Understanding Cinema: Movies, Meaning, and Culture; Bach in Leipzig: The First Cantata Cycle Part III; Composers Behaving Badly; Miles and Trane at 100.
For history and current-events buffs, there are courses on Along the Danube: Eastern Europe Today – Its History, Culture, and Politics; And Behold, a Pale Horse! The Western in American Life; A Swift Survey of American History: Land of Raven, Coyote, and Corn Maiden; A Swift Survey of American History: Colonial Roots 1500s and 1600s; Iona: An Archaeological and Oral History; Folk Belief, Ritual, and Celebration; International Development and Soft Power: Accomplishments, Recent Demise, and the Future; The Peopling of the Americas: Life in the Stone Age; Royal Jewels: Power, Politics, and the Stories Behind the Crown; UNESCO World Heritage Site Program; U.S. History: From Sea to Shining Sea; Climate Change Denial; Evidence- Based Hope: Good News About the Environment.
For nature lovers, there are courses on Fall Native Plants and Wild Edibles and Plant Medicine; Geology of the National Parks I; Natural Wonders in and Around Edmonds; Wolves: They’re Back. Some Are Endangered. All Are Resilient.
If you’re into art and architecture, there are course Carving a
Life: Women Sculptors; Chateaux of the Loire Valley; Defining
“Mid-Century Modern” Design Part II; The High Renaissance in Rome: Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael; Rebels in Frock Coats: Impressionism to Fauvism; Victorian Weirdness.
If literature and drama are your thing, there are courses on Beowulf: The Old English Epic; Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Poetry of Presence; CRI’s Expanded Book Discussion Group; Walt Whitman’s Poetry of Abundance; The World Within: Victorian Women Poets.
There are courses in health and science: The 7 Pillars of Aging: The Biology of Growing Old; Viruses, Vaccines, Antivirals…Oh My!; Windows of Joy: Creative Engagement with Dementia; Treatments for Depression; Exploring Our Sense of Smell and Fragrance; Spirituality Across the Lifespan
And finally, there are courses of special topics and personal interest: Easing Into Artificial Intelligence (AI); Best Party Games Ever!; Command Your Clutter; Freewriting Workshop.
If you are not familiar with CRI, here’s your chance to have a brain-tickling, delightful time that will stimulate you and keep your mind from growing old. I’ll be there. See you there. It’s a great way to start your rebirth of learning.
Registration for the Fall 2026 Term at the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) of Edmonds College starts soon. The full list of classes, their times, dates, instructors, and complete descriptions can be found at www.edmonds.edu/cri . [At the website, click VIEW CLASSES; then click on FALL 2026 — Register today.]
