Wednesday, November 30, 2016

November remembered...

November...the month that ushers in winter. 



It began with beautiful foliage.  On occasion we even had a little sunshine...and I quickly pulled out the camera.  We have had rain over here most every day for the last two months.


Some of our fields look like lakes; it is hard to imagine that there was corn growing here not long ago.


Whenever the sun came out...so did my camera.



Can one ever have too many pictures of autumn leaves?


Somehow I appreciate them more when they are attached to the boughs...than when they are on the ground and need to be cleaned up.  By now the limbs are all bare!



Emme and Spencer turned 15...and invited us over for a birthday dinner.  Since they are both DQ girls...they had an ice-cream cake for dessert. Of course!  One can never have too much ice-cream...so they say.


Chester was really excited about celebrating with them!


Micah also has a November birthday...
so we had a cousin celebration on another night.
Good memories!


Where did November go?  Gone like the trains that roll through our neighbourhood!


Gone like the leaves that are blown in the wind.  The snow is building up on the local mountains...and winter is just around the corner.  And so is Christmas!

The three grands  from next door are sleeping over here for a few nights while their parents are in the big city for a conference.  Ryder had hockey right over the supper hour...so some of us ate before. One ate by himself.  And we all had Christmas ice-cream while we watched Polar Express tonight.  They thought it quite a shame that I had never seen that movie...and so that all changed this evening.  I'll see if I can handle a few days of getting everyone to the right place at the right time!  I'd almost forgotten what that was like...and admire the parents who do this all the time.

Wishing you all a wonderful 'month before Christmas'...as you prepare your heart and home.
  




Monday, November 14, 2016

a desert get-away

We began this month in one of our favorite warm spots...the desert near Palm Springs.  By the end of the month I will be immersed in all things Christmas and have long forgotten about our time in the sun...so I'll share a few pic's now.


We have stayed at this same resort many times...often meeting up with family or friends while we are there.


We had a ground floor suite this time...




...and watched the birds on the lagoon from our patio.



It was mostly a lazy time all around!  Though we started every morning off with a nice long walk...



...in the desert behind the resort



...around the adjacent golf course



...or through one of the many new sub-divisions sprouting up nearby.



We also hiked the Ladder Canyon Trail at Painted Canyon near Mecca for the first time. This trail has about seven ladders to help hikers make their way through the slot canyon. The trail-head was a little hard to find...but we met up with a boyscout leader that pointed us in the right direction.  The loop trail took us about three hours. 


Much of the scenery reminded us of that in Death Valley...several hundred miles away. The temperature was just perfect for hiking. 



If you are ever in the Palm Springs area and looking for a good hike...check out Mecca Hills Painted Canyon.

We spent a few days with family at the resort, met up with friends for dinner and church, and also drove to Quartzsite, Arizona to spend a evening with two of my sisters and their hubbies. But for the most part, we read books and floated on the lazy river.


I quite liked our desert get-away!  It was just what I needed.