There is Beauty All Around Us

Just another lovely stroll around one of my favorite city parks not far from my home.  I am so thankful to be back here, back home!

Blooms at the Fair

One of my favorite places to linger at our state fair is the master gardener's exhibit.  It gets more elaborate each year.  So many people labor over this garden.  It is a work of art.  It's an excellent place to have fun with my camera.

The Park Across the Street

When we were looking for a house to rent for the next year, we decided amenities were key.  This house has turned out to be situated in the perfect spot for our family.  Just across the street sits a beautiful little city park that boasts a giant sledding hill, corn hole, porch swing, shelter house, playground, firepit and a connection to a multi-use path.  Did I mention that it also has a Little Free Library?  Well, it does!  I have already donated a book.  The sledding hill is quite steep and so fun to climb to the top.  Up there one can see for miles.  There is also a table with a chess/checkerboard. We are planning to use this park for our required PE minutes.  Who knows?  Perhaps we will find a house to buy in this neighborhood next year.  We won't go far, that is for certain.

Endless Summer

Wow, we sure have been having some great fall weather around here.  The flowers are still all in bloom, too, as we have yet to have a frost.  I did bring in my tender geranium starts.  They are happier inside anyway.  Below is a picture of our tomato haul.  I cannot believe how prolific they are in November!

In other news, we were forced to replace our water heater.  I am very thankful that we have a cousin who is a plumber.  We now have an almost endless supply of hot water again.  Time to build up another emergency fund before the next emergency presents itself.  That is life!

Tonight, as we wait on the election results, we are going to play games and have a feast.  I decided to roast a chicken, make stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, and green beans.  This fretful night needs some wholesome activity in my opinion.

My Birthday Trip

I was blessed to go to my favorite lake for my birthday!  Here are some pictures.

These are from the first day, taken at IN Dunes State Park.  We played on the beach in the 80 degrees, then took a 4-mile hike back in the woods.  My Fitbit registered 24 flights of stairs from all the dunes we climbed.

Day two was a trip to New Buffalo, MI's city beach park, another pretty place to climb dunes.  Along the way, we stopped at a favorite orchard to pick over 21 pounds of Pink Lady apples.

That evening, we went to see the sunset at Michigan City, IN's city park.

And today, my actual birthday, we hiked a favorite trail at the IN Dunes National Lake Shore West Beach.

I always enjoy our trips to see Lake Michigan.  I will not be going back for some time, so this was an especially sweet trip.  I am very grateful!!