fall

I love pictures.  Good pictures tell really good stories, without any words.  But because I love to write, my pictures have to have words.

I had a lovely weekend north.  The leaves are changing, the colors are popping, and the cold brings the most beautiful colors to the lake.






I love the dark skies.  The clouds threatened all afternoon.


But in with the dark skies sat a little rainbow. Sort of like life .. there is always something wonderful, even in the darkest times.


Friends north who have dual residences, usually talk about here and there; north and south; there and back. Because so much of there feels like home just as much as here feels like home. So as I wrap up this late Sunday, I am back.  Home and not. Loving here and loving there. Loving life.

Cheers to the week!

the handsome one

writing this weekend, trying not to think about the time we are missing EOTE.  I got a note from friends that it was a "beach day" on the enchanted Oscoda shores; and while fighting a miserable cold/allergy/combo/whateverisgoingon, I would rather be there.

so hoping to fight off whatever is filling up my nose and head, I slept intermittently and enjoyed the company of our velcro dog. 

seriously, this dog is like velcro.  never leaves our side. 

the is the blue ball.  there are all kinds of funniness around the blue ball.  but this is a G rated blog so I won't mention anything.  and it smells like blueberries.  pretty sweet.







he loves to roll around on his back.





loving here.  wishing that I was there.



happy weekend, wherever you are! 

a quiet end

to summer.  It has been a pretty cool summer, cool like in temperature.  We had a number of chores to do, so we took a day off to head up and work.

we stacked wood.
we cleaned the deck.
we took a nap.

and, I took a deep breath and went for a swim.  I won't lie - it's wasn't warm ... but it was moderate.  I swam for about 30 minutes before heading up.

we head into fall.  the leaves up north are already starting to change, color-kissed by the grand Painter.  stunning.  beautiful.  glorious.

after all the work today, we are kicking back with pork chops in the oven and a nice chardonnay in our glass.



these days, and weeks, and months fly by.  I've lost my stop-time button ... and I think about how quickly this summer passed and I get a little anxious.  my chest tightens.  I need time to slow down.  For Handsome Boy to quit greying around his muzzle and keep his quick step.  for the lazy-hazy daze of summer to stretch indefinitely.  



tomorrow is fall.  welcome falling temps, falling leaves, and eventually falling snow.  good bye summer.  come back soon.

Happy Halloween!

Despite the gloom and doom, we had a fair amount of trick-or-treaters.  Paul has epic in handing out candy!

From 2012-10-31

From 2012-10-31

From 2012-10-31

Well, it's over until next year!  Welcome November.

(mostly) Delight and (a little) Disappointment

We have had a glorious weekend EOTE.  While the weather has been a tad wild, it hasn't prevented us from doing everything we love.   We have watched the sun rise and set, grilled breakfast and dinner, walked the beach, watched freighters float by, and watched the moon rise.

From Fall in the O

From Fall in the O

From Fall in the O

From Fall in the O

From October Moon

Saturday, we had lunch at our very favorite restaurant, The Old Place Inn. I always write about their soups. This visit is no exception.  We were smarter this time (well Paul was); he called ahead.  Don made sure to have TWO of my favorite soups ... wild mushroom and Carolina seafood chowder.  I had a new one - greens and beans.  Every kind of fabulous green along with beans - it was a home run.

From Fall in the O

From Fall in the O

Then they told us the news ... we were hoping to see them over Thanksgiving but Don and Sharon are closing for the winter.  We were crushed.  Sad for us but happy for them. They will be closing from daylight savings to daylight savings each year.  Don said that it is the first time in 45 years that he will get to spend a Thanksgiving with his family - not cooking for others. 

We will certainly miss them for our last few visits of the year and we are happy for their time off.  It's been a rough year for them.  They deserve it. 

As a send off, Don had a quart of his masterful butternut squash bisque.  I bought what was left and will have it for lunches this next week.  Lucky me. 

Cheers from the most beautiful place on earth. 

Backyard

The Japanese maple in our backyard is absolutely stunning! 

From 2012-10-19

From 2012-10-19

Fall is stunning in Michigan. Cheers to the weekend.  Soon. 

Autumnal Equinox

Fall.

Sigh.

But it's here, just like changing leaves, baseball playoffs, and with another commissioner, hockey.

We had a nice weekend at the cottage.  The days look different - no long, hot days under the umbrellas, no five am sunrises, and no biting black flies.  There are some advantages.

We had beautiful sunrises each day.

From 2012-09-21

From 2012-09-22

A nice walk on the beach

From 2012-09-22

A passing freighter

From 2012-09-22

From 2012-09-22

oh, and a rainbow.

From 2012-09-22

The days get shorter, the temperatures cooler, and the colors more vibrant.  Happy Fall.

The rest of the story

Sometimes, it's just a step outside into the backyard to see divine beauty. 

From 2011-11-06

From 2011-11-06

From 2011-11-06

From 2011-11-06

I took these pictures during the wind.  This is my favorite. 

From 2011-11-06

Leaf-a-gedden

Those leaves.  They just keep falling.  Darn gravity.  The leaves have created a brown carpet on the still green grass.  And if you look up, you will see that we still have more to come.  Great.








Samson helped.  Well helped supervise.




Took a few minutes to enjoy the gorgeous red of the Japanese Maple.






There will be more pictures.  There are more leaves.  Lots and lots of leaves still hanging on the tree.  But now, it's time to rest.

Cheers from EGR.  Hope you are having a glorious weekend!

Weekend

We had a delightful weekend. We had a dear friend come visit and Samson is IN LOVE.  Wouldn't leave her side.  He is still checking the guest room.

We did some shopping, have pumpkins for O'Hallow's Eve;  picked up some super special license plates ... and then took ourselves for a glorious walk, treated ourselves to a delicious lunch at our fave place in EGR, Ramona's Table, picked up the last of dinner needs, and took a few happy snaps on our walk home. 

Beautiful.

From 2011-10-29

From 2011-10-29

From 2011-10-29

From 2011-10-29

A wonderful Saturday. Some good eats planned. A fire in the fireplace to start and end the day. Life is good, good indeed.

Happy weather

It has been such a wonderful fall. The temperatures have been warm, breezes gentle, and sun abundant. We took out our cameras to grab what's left of the leaves and a few of those braves souls still enjoying the water.

From 2011-10-23

From 2011-10-23

From 2011-10-23

From 2011-10-23

From 2011-10-23

It's the Friday Happy Dance. Looking forward to a wonderful weekend full of friends, food, and fotography. Cheers!