The Best of Friends

This last weekend John and I spent time with our dear friends, the best of friends, for several days. We were spoiled by their gracious hospitality and generosity; Jim and Barbara, on the right, took us to an actual castle near Calistoga Ca. Since we have never been to Europe this was an incredible experience for us, transporting our imaginations to Italy. This castle is new but the stones and bricks came from Italy and are hundreds of years old. The owner spent time in Europe as he was growing up and decided to build an authentic castle here in the U.S. What a treat it was!!!

Of course being back in the vineyards caused us to miss the beauty of the area and all the pampering by Jim and Barbara really made us miss their being right next door. However, now we have trips to go on together and adventures for the future. The bond of friendship means we are never more than a heartbeat away. True friends make life so much richer, even when you are losing at cards.

SURPRISE

I have been blessed by the best brother and sister-in-law(better known as the sister of my heart) than anyone could ever imagine. They have loved me through thick and thin and during those times when I wasn't quite so lovable. They have poured into the lives of our two daughters and their families in ways beyond imagination. They have always stayed in touch with all the cousins and often reach out and plan reunions. Susan has a gift in hospitality and has taught me much over the years and Rich is one of the friendliest guys around. So when they emailed us and told us they had planned a luncheon in San Francisco and would love it if we came, my hubby quickly put a plan into motion. He was on the Internet within a day making reservations for us to fly to our old state for an extended weekend. We wanted to bless and surprise Rich and Susan, to honor them for all they do for us and for our children&grandchildren. After reservations were made I called a cousin and told her we wanted to surprise everyone and found out the location of the restaurant. All the while, I didn't even respond to Susan's email and just played innocent. Well this last Saturday, John and I flew home and got to the restaurant before they arrived. It was so fun to watch them react; Susan wasn't sure who we were as we had our backs to her and my brother had one of those moments when you see someone who lives in another state and the mind goes into shock. All the cousins did a great job keeping quiet after we arrived and it was so much fun to visit with them. Although we only spent a few hours with them, it was so worth it and I can now honestly say "Gotcha" and giggle. Susan and Rich promise to get us back but we will see. Truly giving joy to them was as much a reward to us who have been so blessed by their love and friendship.

Enjoying Tea

Fall has definitely arrived in our little neck of the woods. We were awakened to the sound of heavy rain last night and this morning the weather has been a bit cold, cloudy and dreary. Fall always heralds in a cup of tea every afternoon and usually some candles being lit around the house. I love Yankee candles and one of my favorites, from years past, is Mom's Apple Pie which sends out scents of autumn baking. As for tea, I love most teas and generally enjoy Chai or Earl Grey in the early afternoon but as the days goes on I prefer Cinnamon Apple Spice or Raspberry and Blackberry. I try not to nibble sweets with my tea but love just sitting enjoying the aromas and warm drink.

What are your favorite things to do in autumn?

Enjoy the changing of the season.

Noreen

Bygone Days

Last weekend while we were visiting Utah, we traveled up the road apiece enjoying the countryside. We came across this old building with the rusted farm tool laying behind the log cabin. It stood out in stark contrast to the John Deere tractors and the new farm implements. Although the new equipment can probably get the job done in a more timely manner, there was something about this old tool that made me think of slower days. Hard work, none the less, but a time when the harvesting lasted long into the evening and when entire families pitched in to help. In today's world there are still many, many families who dedicate every waking moment to farming and provide us with grain and food; to you that work so hard I say thank you. Our country wouldn't be the same without you and we are grateful for all you do.

Signs of Autumn

I truly enjoy all the seasons and look forward to the changing of weather with excitement. This will be our first Autumn in Colorado and although I may miss the reds,oranges and yellows that marked our area in CA. I look forward to new sights and adventures here. This week I have noticed more wind than before and our weather is definitely changing. Autumn always marks a time for fragrant candles and harvest decorations around our house. It also marks the start of football season and means that in the evening I can sit and quilt while hubby watches football. This year I am looking forward to getting up to the tundra in the Rockies to hear the Elk bugle and also see them rutt. I've been told that once you hear the sound you will never forget it.
September 1st always marks the day that I take down all of my patriotic decorations and put up most of my harvest decor. I do save some things for October and I love to spend time enjoying the beauty of God's world. This year my daughter is having a harvest party and we will be making batches of applesauce and giving them as gifts. I will undertake this with at least 4 of the grand kids; they've already sampled some organic applesauce I made Monday and we can all say that it was delicious. This year I imagine I will try to stock up on more items for our pantry in the event that we have an early winter. There are also lots of art projects to do with the little ones so I've got a lot to get ready.
May you find beauty in your life daily.
Harvest Blessings to you.

Family Fun

Last weekend part of our family went on a short vacation to Utah. We had never been to this part of the country before so we set out to find fun family activities. Being that two of the grandsons are homeschooling now, it was natural to find things to do for their schooling. One of the places we went was Minnetonka Cave; it was so interesting to go view these geologic formations. We actually hiked down a total of 444 steps, a feet which in and of itself was quite challenging. At the bottom of the caves, the tour guide( did something that in all my years of exploring caves I've never experienced), turned off the spot lights leaving us in total darkness.

I can honestly say I didn't care too much for that feeling. Both boys successfully made the hike without any complaining and I was sure I wouldn't be able to walk the next day but didn't have any residual stiffness.

After this, we headed to a museum and tour dedicated to the Pioneers and the Oregon Trail. This was by far the best tour I've been on, in all my years homeschooling and teaching.

We were able to experience what the people had to buy and leave behind, purchasing supplies for the trail, a simulated wagon train and then walk through a campsite to see what it was like. All of this for only $9.00 per person and the living history that the children will remember.

When our daughters were young we were able to go on several cross country trips and see places instead of just reading about them; now this tradition continues. I pray the boys and all the girls too, will grow to love learning whether in real life situations or by reading about history.

Have a great day.

A Small Town Parade

Living in a small town, compared to the city we came from in CA., has given us wonderful experiences. Last spring this was proved when a tornado ripped our town apart and people turned out in droves to help others, volunteering their time and money to rebuild our community. This weekend our town has been celebrating harvest and today we had a down-home parade. We weren't here last year at this time so we thought it might be a small parade, mainly of children's floats, but we were so surprised- it lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. This is not to say there weren't parades in Santa Rosa but nothing could compare to this; it was so fun.

There has been a spirit of unity here since May's disaster and all over town you can see signs saying "Rebuilding" and today's parade echoed that sentiment. Our local high school had their marching band out with all the teens and many businesses had floats as well. Candy was given out to the children and after the long parade everyone went over to the Main Street Park and participated in all sorts of games, booths, food etc. The only other parades I've seen in a small town where so many participate was in Petaluma CA and also Los Altos CA.

You got to love it, makes me so glad to be living here!