Chris and Wendy

Chris and Wendy are back from their honeymoon in Switzerland. What an epic time they had. 

I love this photo. 

Pumpkin fest

Yesterday Bradford closed off the Main Street for Pumpkinfest. Up and down the street were vendors, hay rides, and food trucks.

The pots were adorned with mums and our new sidewalks all along the street are almost finished. 

This fellow was enjoying the great weather.

A window display....

Prompts

Stripes....abstract,,,self portrait...shadow...and pattern. 

Real people

Hey Alexa, play some Latin music.... I am loving the upbeat tempo of the Latin beat. It suits my mood today. It is an extraordinary day with crisp breezes and sunny skies. It’s a good day to get out of the house and walk somewhere. I will be starting a photography course soon and the teacher is encouraging us to get out and take some pictures and has given us prompts. I don’t require much of myself when it come to that. In my mind I know that the only way to improve my photography is to practice but I get lazy when it comes to actually going out and applying myself. So I need to form a new habit. So out I will go. How are you enjoying these lovely fall days?

Things to do in Autumn

Taking a walk

“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.”

A walk is just what I needed today. Sometimes getting out of the house and into the woods reminds you of the simple things in life. As I walked the path at the Marina Reservior I stopped along the way to take pictures. I’ve walked this trail many times. The crunch of my sandals on the gravel tapped a smooth rhythm as I strolled along.

The tall straight trees led me on in dappled shade making patterns across the path. 

And on the ground were the few first leaves who have given up their high perches to pave the path with color. 

The flag attached on a fallen log waved gently in the wind to add a bit of color to the scene. 

Take a discovery walk today to find what's missing in your life. There's peace in the whisper of the wind, hope in the sun smiling from behind clouds, strength in every step forward. You can do it!” 
― Toni Sorenson, The Great Brain Cleanse

Hello Autumn

It’s officially here. 


Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” 
― Lauren DeStefano, Wither

A wedding weekend

Our wedding weekend began with a gathering of families at Fujihana, a local hibachi restaurant in York, Pennsylvania. It was so nice to see Steve, above in the blue shirt, and his wife from Florida and Josh and his family from Pittsburgh area. They are my nephews. My sister Linda was also there from Fredericksburg. We always enjoy it when the family gets together. 

Linda and I on the wedding day. The wedding was spectacular. The music was played by a violinist and piano player and we all enjoyed the prelude to the ceremony. After Chris came out with the best man and minister a slide show was shown which chronicaled their lives from their childhood up to the present with music from Somewhere in Time. Unlike most weddings where you see the groom and bride from the back the minister placed the couple up on the alter facing the families. The ceremony itself was so lovely. My favorite moment was when they moved up to take communion and afterwards the minister left them alone to talk for a few moments. 

Wendy’s dress was so beautiful. In the light it sparkled ever so lightly. She was a radiant bride. 

Their first kiss and husband and wife. We proceeded to the reception hall where we had a lovely afternoon visiting and dancing. I am so happy for both of them.

Photo challenge

Lit by a window

I'm getting excited

Saturday is almost here and Chris and Wendy's wedding will be happening. I am so excited about it. Who would have thought a year ago that he would have found the love of his life? And we love her too. I will of course put pictures on the blog from the wedding. They are so perfect for each other...they get each other's humor and both enjoy the same things. Chris has always been curious and adventurous and now he has found the perfect person to share this with. They will be spending the honeymoon evening at a bed and breakfast and then leave Monday for Switzerland. She is seeking a new job...she is a soil conservationist with the government...in Harrisburg. She has her house for sale up here. It will be a lot of change for her...and for Chris too. His boys are both out of the house now and he will welcome having someone to come home to. 

On another note we have been very, very busy. Next week we are having a new garage floor put in. The old one will need to be jackhammered up  first. Don and his buddies have spent many hours unloading everything from the garage, taking down built in shelves, and moving things around. It looks like a different garage with everything out of it. 

The weather here has been absolutely perfect. Our falls in Bradford are the best! After all the hot weather it is pleasant now and I enjoy being out. I found this great Gladys Taber quote:

"We are in for a spell of perfect weather now, every day luminous, every night brimmed with stars."

Know a good book?

Have you been reading lately? And can you recommend some good books. Lately I'm finding that the books I pick out are not holding my interest and I can't get by the first twenty pages or so without thinking they sound just like some others I have read. I have been very busy lately and haven't had a lot of time to read so I am more fussy than ever when I pick up a book. Have you read the Goldfinch? I see the movie is out now but I would like to read the book before I see the movie. I've been reading a lot of British authors as of late. I like a good twist ending...any ideas? 

 

A simple fall leaf

Love. It felt like a falling raindrop scatter on a trembling leaf then roll of its tip in a cascade of pearls” 
― Prabhukrishna M

A tangerine and russet cascade of kaleidoscopic leaves, creates a tapestry of autumn magic upon the emerald carpet of fading summer.

JUDITH A. LINDBERG, The Organic View

Remember

This beautiful photo by local photographer Nate Bortoff shows Oak Hill Cemetery. 

My son the inventor

This plaque is for Chris’ tenth invention. He works at Tyco Electronics in Harrisburg as a research and development engineer. He has always been clever and it started very young. As a baby he had a wooden car with three tools which could only be put together by placing the pieces in the right place. At four he disassembled  the neighbor’s old motorcycle (I’m not kidding). He took a wrench and other tools and wanted to see how it came apart. I came home one night when he was a teenager and he had my VCR all apart on the rug. He was taking computer classes at Pitt in Junior HIgh and belonged to a computer club. He loves cars and always has a project in the works. He loves working with his hands and using his mind to solve problems. He has three other patents submitted and is working on three more. I am so very proud of him. 

Flowers

I received a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Chris and Wendy. 

The sunlight was pouring in yesterday. I really enjoy it because in the winter we have a lot of cloudy days. I will try to make the most of these hot days left. 

A very special birthday

This weekend I celebrated a very special birthday...75. We went to Chris’ for the weekend and on Sunday went to King’s Gap. AT the top of the hill there is a stone mansion which now belongs to the state and as a special treat it was open and you were allowed to tour it. 

We bought subs and took them out to the terrace to eat overlooking the valley. 

There was also a dog event going on with lots of dog breeds being led around. There were first aid and obedience demonstrations. I loved seeing all the breeds. 

Chris and Wendy both wore purple that day..they didn’t plan it to happen. 

After we got home we celebrated with a peanut butter and chocolate ice cream cake. 

Celebrating

Well, today is my 75th birthday. Even though that number makes me seem real old inside I do not feel it at all. I like to think that I’m young at heart. I am visiting Chris and he asked me where I would like to go to dinner. I told him that I would prefer getting subs and going up to the overlook. It is a special place in the hills with a great view. I don’t need something fancy to mark this day. Just being with family makes it special. 

  Yesterday Chris  and Wendy closed the pool and put away some summer things. Next week he will be up in Bradford and the following weekend is the wedding. Then they are off to Switzerland for their honeymoon. So they wanted to get things done around the house. 

  We played cards then enjoyed chicken pot pie that I had made. Afterwards we went to the Sweet Shop a new ice cream place that opened in Boiling Springs for a treat. 

Then followed that by watching a movie in Chris’s theater room. Today my goal is to hang up all the decorations that he has for down there. 

A perfect way to spend my birthday. 

Photo booth

Wendy and Chris are having a photo booth at their wedding. I made a fall photo frame for it. 

I also made this little fall lantern arrangement for Wendy. 

It’s for the frogs

I saw this in Chris’s pool.  It is a frog ladder.  He frequently gets frogs in his pool and they don’t have any way of getting out so he built them a frog ladder.  Then Wendy ordered one from w.almart too. 

He also hangs several ropes over the sides to allow the bugs to crawl out. How thoughtful. 

Wendy is taking her morning swim. They will be closing the pool soon.  

The birds

Even the birds know the season has changed. They are gathering together in a way that confirms that animals can communicate with one another. I had to stop and take a picture when I saw these birds sitting on a wire and flying all together. 

Just the right thing

I found these volumes at Goodwill the other day. I remember reading Little Women but never these additional books by Louisa May Alcott. But I didn’t buy them for their literary value. They were the perfect color of green to use in decorating. But I will try reading them too.

Photo lab

It’s easy to make photo effects with this app. 

Exercise 16: Something you make

“I want to learn more and more to see as beautiful what is necessary in things—-then I shall be one of those who make things beautiful”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

When we make something with our own hands, we not only feel great satisfaction but we also bring more beauty into the world.—Alessandra Cave

Today I crafted a wreath made from the pages of a book. I knew that my arch above the fireplace needed just a little something more and remembered seeing garlands and wreaths made from book pages. I found a tutorial (here..if you’d like...from Delightsome Life...https://www.adelightsomelife.com/book-page-leaves/. )  I really enjoyed making it and it didn’t take long at all.  

I thought it was just the right thing for the mood on the mantle. 

A time long ago and far away

I was on a cleaning spree today and tackled my entertainment center in the living room. It once housed our television but since we built the sunroom we no longer use it for that. It had turned into a storage place and gotten out of hand. I wanted to use the space where the tv used to be to store my framed art. So I removed everything and even cleaned the large cupboard below it. Don sat and helped me go through a lot of pictures. I found some I hadn’t ever seen....or at least didn’t remember.  There were three that were behind another picture in a frame. When I removed the first picture these three black and white photos appeared. 

Me at 18. These candid shots are precious to me now. I wish I still had that jawline...LOL.