Fall around the Lake

 It's always such a joy to take a walk around the neighborhood, especially this time of year.  Each season brings its own special beauty but as I have said before, this is my favorite time of year.  Of course the Northwest is known more for its evergreens, but we do have some pretty fall color.  Unfortunately, between working, planning for a trip and redecorating there hasn't been much time for walking.  But as I was driving home from work yesterday I realized that I had my snapshot camera in the car and so I stopped to take a few photos to share of some of the lovely sights I see as I drive to and from the school each day.  

We are starting to pass the peak of color so these two maples are starting to shed but they still look beautiful.

I love driving past this row of trees each day.  The red tree in front is a Japanese Maple.  The others, I think, are some kind of cherry tree.
 

 Coming down the hill towards the lake I always go past this little old house with this beautiful big tree in the yard.   I wish my little camera had been better able to capture the golden color of the the leaves cascading down from the branches.

As I was standing there I could hear the sound of the little creek behind me.   After our long hot summer it's good to see and hear the sound of flowing water again.  It's a spawning creek and we were concerned the kokanee (fresh water salmon) wouldn't be able to make the trip this year.  By the end of November we will see them making their way up the stream.
 

Each morning I drive up this little road on my way to work.

And each afternoon I drive back down towards the lake.

And my heart, as always is filled with gratitude.

My little snapshot camera couldn't really capture that true essence of this fall afternoon but it made me stop and take a few moments to enjoy this lovely tableau of color spread before me instead of rushing home in a whirl of business, forgetting it is a gift.  And so I leave you with this verse from Genesis 8:22

"while the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."

A Quiet Night

Last night I had the house to myself for the evening.  My hubby had gone to a hockey game with his buddy and my son was gone as well.  No one to make dinner for, no one who wanted to watch the news, just me and whatever I felt like doing. Bliss.  So, I threw the casserole I had already made into the oven, did a little straightening while it baked and made a fire in the wood burning stove.  When dinner was ready I nestled myself into a comfy chair and spent the evening watching old Cary Grant movies.  I love Cary Grant.  I think one of my favorites is North by Northwest.  However, last night I tickled my funny bone with Operation Petticoat   co-starring Tony Curtis, followed by Father Goose with co-star Leslie Caron.   

In between movies, I just sat enjoying the quiet as I watched the fire burning.  I got to thinking about how much the things we enjoy or place around ourselves are an outward expression of who we are. 

My husband doesn't think of himself as a artist but he built this beautiful mantle for our fireplace years ago.  It took him months of careful consideration.  He started with a simple oak box frame and board and then he went to fireplace shops and looked at photos of mantles he liked picking up a piece of trim here and there,carefully matching and staining, adding piece by piece until one day he decided it was complete.  When he was finished it we had this beautiful piece that has added grace and warmth to our home.

 So, even though he doesn't see himself as an artist, God has definitely given him a gifted eye.  He has also given him a love for our northwest football team.  Yep, he is definitely a "12th Man".  That flag, along with the large outdoor one he got for Christmas last year will both hang until the season is over.

He also shares my love of the sea which is expressed in the things we keep on our beautiful mantle throughout the year.  

 We picked up this lovely conch shell in Morro Bay many years ago.  The painting behind it is one we picked up at an art show before any of our kids were born.

We found this beautiful lighthouse carved from myrtlewood on a trip down the Oregon coast the summer my husband retired.

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The bookends come from a little shop in Seaside, Oregon.  Here are a couple of my favorite books, including The Shell Seekers, by Rosamund Pilcher and a childhood favorite, The Swiss Family Robinson.  

Just a few things gathered over the years that express a little of who we are.  How about you?  If someone walked into your home what would they learn about you as they took a look around?

Thankful Thursday #12

1.  We finished the laundry/pantry room. I didn't take a before picture and perhaps that is just as well as I feel embarrassed when I think of how bad it really was. There was a long counter that was supposed to be for folding clothes which had just ended up being the catchall  for everything in the house that I couldn't find a home for.  The old flooring was scratched and torn and the walls were all marked up.  I didn't even want to go in there and I made very sure the door was closed if there was company in the house. Here it is now with a fresh coat of paint and a nice new floor.  We also took out the lower cabinet and counter which gives us a lot more room and rearranged the large pantry cabinets for more easy access.  Then we purged.  The end result has made me want to do laundry again....well, sort of.

Decided to "store" some of the extra things decoratively leaving more space in the cabinets available for other "stuff".

The Inspector laid the flooring.  Didn't he do a nice job?

There are two tall pantry cupboards and the freezer on the right side.  The door to the left leads outside to the back deck which makes it possible to use this space as a mud room if needed.

 2.   I got a new pair of Sketcher walking shoes.  No big deal to me, but in a world of poverty and war I know that a pair of shoes is something many don't have and I am grateful.

 3.  Watching the football game together with some of our kids.  Even when our team doesn't win, which it didn't this week, just being together is one of the wonderful blessings of family living near by.

4.  The simple comfort of a bowl of homemade beef stew and a slice of bread, nothing fancy, just warm and filling on a cool fall evening.  My husband and son-in-law pretty much ate the pot down to the bottom.  Ok...I helped. 

 5.  Often times I am just grateful for the gift of routine.  There is nothing exciting or dramatic going on in my world right now, just the normal ebb and flow of everyday life.  Last year was a really hard one and it's nice to be blessed with the calmness of  the ordinary.  It's a huge blessing that we don't always appreciate until it's gone.  It has been said that joy is measured in moments.  Take the time this week my friends to savor the moments.

In gratitude to the Lord of Hosts who gives us every good and perfect thing.

Psalm 5:3

Woke up to this beautiful morning sunrise.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning.

Oh Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer

unto thee, and will look up.

Fall Is In The Air

While we have been having a lovely Indian Summer with blue skies and warm temperatures, Fall is definitely in the air with all the delightful sights and sounds that go with it.

I drive into the parking lot at school to the sight of the trees turning a soft golden yellow. Soon the other trees will begin to change as well.

And as the leaves are falling to the ground, I love the sound of them crunching under my feet as I leave my car and walk into the building each morning.

 

At home my Red Flame Maple is one of the first trees in the neighborhood to turn the colors it gets it's name from. 

My Virginia Creeper is slowly creeping across the fence in bright red and even the blueberry leaves are starting to turn.

 We started our first fire this evening and tomorrow I think I will make a pot of soup.  Lovely, lovely fall, my favorite time of year.