november ~ as it happened

What can I say about November?  

It seems  a long time ago since we flipped that calendar page over...

...and much has happened in the last thirty days.

The leaves that hung on for dear life for the first few weeks of the month...

are all gone.

And no...

we never rake leaves over here.

They just get swept away by the winds...

and land up in someone else's field.

I like that. 

But I don't care so much for the other results of the wind that blows through here in November!

We had a major storm two weeks ago...

and were without power for a day.

Some of our friends had no power for three days.

Roofs set sail...

semi-trucks on the freeway blew over...

and broken trees still line the roadways.

Though many birds have headed south...

the swarms of starlings clearly have no intention of going anywhere. 

We have our favorites that we are feeding in the backyard..

including some mourning doves.

The last week of November has been sunny, cold and beautiful!

It doesn't get much better than this!

Early in the month...

we escaped to our favorite place in the desert of California for a bit.

My sisters were all there when we arrived...

and we enjoyed a few days together.

It is not often that all five of us are in the same place at the same time.

On the morning when Bev and Mary Ellen were on their way to the airport...

they came to say good-bye.

We suddenly realized that we had not taken one group photo of all five of us.

We handed my brother-in-law the camera and thought he could quickly snap a photo for the record.

Now I know why there are very few pictures of the five sisters!

How hard can it be so hard to take a photo?

Kathy was trying to organize us...

we were all laughing...

and Terry took pictures before we were ready.

I guess we never were ready...
since I can't seem to find the good one!

Our one full-day-trip took us past the Salton Sea and through Imperial Valley.

The Salton Sea was once a resort area.

Wow...how things have changed!

The sea is receding...

the settlements along the shore have mostly been abandoned...

and the fish are dying.

 What looks like sandy beach from a distance is actually dried fish bones.

It is rather a sorry sight!

The rest of our day was spent touring the Imperial Valley...

where most everything is about agriculture.

Hundreds of workers dotted the horizon...

all working together to provide fruits and veggies for the tables of America.

Miles of irrigated alfalfa and wheat fields were punctuated by stacks of baled hay. 

The guys stopped to check out the hay...

and the adjacent solar energy farm.

 

 

Where everything was about about growing crops in the past...

acres and acres of cultivated land are now covered by solar energy plants...

supplying green energy for much of southern California. 

While we were out and about touring the desert with Jim and Kathy...

Dot and Terry were leaving for home.

We said our farewells in the morning and gave them the key to our unit...

so they could use it once they were checked out of their room.

When we returned to the resort at the end of the day...

we had no trouble figuring out who may have TP'd our suite.

:)

We have three grands with a birthday in early November.

The girls remind us often that we are NEVER home for their birthday.

That is just how it seems to work out.

But we celebrated all three birthdays as soon as we returned home!

And each one got their own ice-cream cake.

Micah is six...

and the girls are fourteen.

They still call me 'Grammy Beana' on occasion...

a name they came up with when they were two.

 

Did I ever tell you that being a grandparent is a lot of fun?

I am so blessed to call them my grands!

The three grands from next door spent a few nights here last week...

while their parents were out of town.

We baked Christmas cookies, played games, watched a Christmas movie...

and stayed up late.

They had to slip home in between to hug their dog...

who missed them a lot!

And now our thoughts are turning to all things Christmas.

The outside lights are up...

and the mantel is done.

I copied the Noel sign which I first saw on Dawna's blog last Christmas...

and quite like it. 

Wishing you all a blessed advent season...

and a Christmas filled with joy, hope, peace and love.