I thank y'all....I figured "fall" was more in use in North America, and "autumn" was more a UK usage. I like "autumn" better somehow, but I do seem to use the two words interchangeably, thereby continuing to tread water in mid-Atlantic language mode.

As far as the articles go, I liked your point, Faldage - tending to use "the" when referring to a specific season and dropping it when referring to the season generically. Good distinction, and one I prolly make myself if I'd stopped to think about it.