Busy with the Daily

Since we have been home I have been getting back into a daily routine. Catching up on laundry, groceries, meals, etc. Leon has been trying to do some leaf maintenance--which will be an ongoing job for the next couple months. But we do love the trees!


I heard on TV that they have about 16" snow up in the Poconos---and we were just there! Wow, we got home just in time. And up in Burlington, VT it is in the 20's, now I understand why the motels up there don't think the heat should be on when it is in the 60's---It is a different world for us from down south.


This morning we had 2 bluebirds on our bluebird house. Guess they are looking for a winter residence to protect them from the elements. Our woodpeckers are working on the suet and the finches are beginning to gather in for an easy meal.


Tomorrow I will go to my paint class--I sure do miss seeing all the ladies and am really excited to work on my "Maine Waterfront"--as now I have been there.


I have been working on my photos for the SIPS calendar contest, which is due at the Nov.4th meeting. Also, trying to go through the photos I took while in New England so I can get some printed for an album. There is just something about having them in your hand--kind of like reading a book. Nothing quite replaces it. I saved some little mementos to put in with them and journal about our journey.


I gathered about a bushel of apples from our trees and made a pie, and have some to store for the upcoming days. And even hung some of my laundry on the line to dry, which I love to do on pretty days.


So now you know what I have been up to while not on the computer. I will make an effort to share our daily "travels down life's path". I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and all the season's bountiful blessings.

Home Sweet Home

Saturday, we made our way from Springfield, Ohio through Indiana and into Illinois. All the way we had a wonderful overhead changing canvas, painted by clouds on a brilliant blue background. The wind made new brush strokes with every mile, and a new picture for me to photograph of our journey. I will attempt to post one from home, but with our slow internet speed, the others will have to wait until we are at a high speed internet location. We arrived home about 7 P.M. and unloaded the car. Very thankful for an outstanding trip, and no problems along the way.


It was wonderful this morning to have our little cat, "Fluffy" come out of the garden shed to meet me. He has been spoiled all day long, with lots of treats and petting. I think he missed us a little, as he is not very sociable with other people. I did plant a few more daffodil bulbs this afternoon, and we planted a couple trees which we got in New England--one pine and one fir. I have a couple more perennials to plant tomorrow, if the weather cooperates. Needless to say, it is always great to get home, and always fun to take a trip too. So each day brings a new place to discover, even if it is in our own back yard. We found lots and lots of leaves have fallen while we were away, and I did take a few photos of our woodland and pond. Our leaf color surely pales in comparison with Vermont and Maine. I am thankful for the pictures taken, so I can revisit all the places we saw during the upcoming winter months.


Until later--don't forget to Enjoy Your Journey Each Day.

On the Road to the Midwest

The "most unique" of all the barns we saw.

Friday was spent on the road westward. Most of today's photos were taken from the car window as we drove down the Pennsylvania Turnpike and into West Virginia. I saw so many neat barns and farm, and wanted to share a few of them with everyone on this journey. There was such a wide variety of shapes and settings, but each one spoke to me of the life on the farm and all the work that goes into the farmer's lives.

I loved this "Drink Milk" barn. I know it must take a lot to keep it so pristine and painted.

This farm set off in the distance is my "Patriotic Farm" with the glorious red, white and blue.


The red barn with the black roof.

Cattle grazing around the Marlin Zelmore barn.

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I particularly like this barn which I call "round and square". Honestly, I think the round barn is a separate building, but in my photo it has become part of the square barn, which I like.

We drove through 4 tunnels on the PA Turnpike, and I always feel very strange going through the center of a mountain--this is the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel. It is always wonderful to see "the light at the end of the tunnel." We hope to arrive home this evening. "Home Sweet Home!"

From Pocono to Ephrata

We awoke to a brisk 28 degrees this morning in Hamlin, PA in the Pocono Mountains. The foliage in the upper elevations had lost much of their color, but as we drove down the mountains the leaves were still on the trees. It was very interesting, as you could tell your elevation by the amount of leaves remaining.

As we drove our planned route, we noticed a sign that had an arrow and said Red Detour, so we exited the main highway and followed it. It lead us through some very scenic roads, and I had the opportunity to take pictures of this mountain stream.

We drove through many little towns and noticed similar architecture in many of them. There were buildings with colorful cupolas and each with their own story to tell.

We reached Ephrata, PA in the late afternoon, and enjoyed the peaceful setting of this National Historic Landmark. The Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 as a German religious community by Conrad Biessel who lived, worked and worshiped at the Cloister. The German settlers came here seeking spiritual goals, rather than earthly rewards. Some were married and some celibate. In 1813 the married group formed the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. It is a very interesting history to learn about. I will include a few pictures of the grounds so you can enjoy our journey too.

This was the Ephrata school building.

This is the cemetery on the Cloister grounds.

We drove through some of the Amish communities and then made our way to the Pennsylvania Turnpike to head on west. We stopped for the evening at Breezewood, PA with more new memories made of the places visited and people we met.

On the Road Westward

We spent Tuesday evening in Norwich, CT and are making our way west toward Illinois. Today we enjoyed our journey through the hills and towns of Connecticut. Some of the trees have begun losing their leaves. Probably due to the winds that we have been having up this way. There are still some adding pretty color to the rocky cliffs.

We stopped for a break at Waterbury, Ct. Where we found a Barnes and Noble, and I put my worked on the posting of yesterday's adventures. The following picture is of the Timex Museum in Waterbury, which was just across the parking lot from the bookstore. It is a colorful place.

After our break, we got on the road again and drove through New York to Hamlin, PA where we are spending the night. We hope to visit the Pennsylvania Dutch communities near Lancaster on our way.

Hyannis Port --Beauty by the Sea

Tuesday we drove around Hyannis Port, and visited the JF Kennedy Memorial and Korean War Memorial. On our way to locate the memorials we saw such neat sights. On one tree covered lane I had to stop and take a picture of this flower cart to share with others on our journey.

A little further down the road we saw a barn with horses in the field, so, after we stopped and I called a horse over for a visit, we drove over to the area by the barn. We learned that the horses belong to the Sheriff's Dept. and they use them in youth rehabilitation program. We visited with a lady gardener, and learned about the history of the area. They still had red raspberries on the vine. The roses and horses in the field called for another photo opportunity.

The John F. Kennedy Memorial and the Korean War Memorial are by the Bay, and the flowers were beautiful. I took time to smell the roses, as we remembered the leaders and soldiers in our country's history and all the lives that have been given for our freedom.

The harbor had so many boats of all sizes and this one was so colorful that I wanted to share it with others. It is called Sea Gypsy and is from Hyannis, MA. It had more character than most of the boats, and caught my eye. Hope you enjoy it too.

One last picture that touched my heart, as we drove through neighborhoods. This was of a portrait studio, and the easel with a painting sitting on the patio overlooking the sea. While we were there, a little dog jumped up on the stone wall ledge, and completed the picture.

I hope you see all the beauty that I do in the setting.

Cape Cod from Hyannis to Provincetown

Windy, cold, sunny, and magnificent describe our day at Cape Cod. The wind was blowing unbelievably hard. The waves at the National Sea Shore were amazing. Very high and very forceful. As we watch them at high tide, their power pulled you toward them. The sand dunes lined the banks and the sand from the ocean was swept up onto the stairs we had climbed down to the shore.

At high tide the sand covered several steps at the bottom and the waves were about 10 feet high. Due to the extreme conditions we did not go to Martha's Vineyard, but had a very full and fulfilling day.

This is a picture of a determined fisherman along the National Seashore, in pretty rough conditions, but they were dressed for it, and didn't seem to mind the wind and waves. Hope they caught some big ones, as a reward for their perserverance.

We discovered a little Wharf on Wharf Lane in Barnstable, and got to take some photos of 3 little boats moored close to the marshes. We could see the ocean waves on the horizon, and we had not yet been to the National Sea Shore to see their force up close.


I love the wooden shingle siding on the houses here. It is just exactly "New England" as you would expect, and so very pretty.

We drove all the way to Provincetown and were there at sunset. It is a very interesting town, full of neat shops and interesting people. Our waiter at Lobster Pot was from Portugal. We met a friendly elderly couple taking a walk on Commercial Street. He had a walker and she a cane, but they both had smiles and time to chat. They were thrilled to have their picture taken. It's all about the friends you meet along life's journey.

After driving to see the lighthouses and checking out Bird Watchers General Store, seeing the sand dunes, ocean waves, interesting villages and architecture, we made one last stop at Hyannis' Barnes and Noble for about an hour. Ahhh, what a perfect day!

Hope you are enjoying our journey for we surely are.

Nausett Light on The Cape Cod National Seashore

Concord, Massachusetts--Walden Pond

As we walked around Walden Pond this afternoon, and I took this picture of the paths, I was reminded of a poem by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh,
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

by Robert Frost

We both have read and love Thoreau's "Walden Pond", and we so enjoyed walking the paths and standing on the site where his cabin had stood. There was a replica of the cabin on the grounds also, but something special about being where he had lived by the water in the woods, and knowing that some of those trees were there when he was. The evening sun illuminated all the leaves and warmed the cool autumn air, making a our journey around the pond delightful.

We stayed until the area was closing for the day, and then drove on down to Hyannis, Massachusetts, where we will stay for the next couple days. It is very windy here this evening, and the lady at the desk said several people who live on Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard are having to stay here this evening because the winds have blown the ferries in, and they have no way home. We had planned to go out to Martha's Vineyard, but will wait and see what the weather does. We will have no problem filling our days, as there are several towns, and beaches to explore.

I must pay homage to my Scottish heritage and post one more picture of the Scottsman at Bar Harbor playing his bagpipe. It truly was a highlight of our journey. This one's for you, Tammy!

An Acadian Afternoon

On the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Acadia National Park. I love the big rocks and blue sea.

Saturday has been a magnificent day spent in Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine. The combination of the water's blue and the red, yellow and green trees was outstanding. There were beautiful cliffs, high mountains, pink granite rocks, sandy beaches, yellow birches, smooth stones, boats of all sizes and shapes.

If you look at the top of Cadillac Mountain you can see the people at the very top and on the cliffs. It is so high that they look like a dot from down below.

At Bar Harbor we watched the men loading and unloading the lobster boats. Then went inside and had a lobster dinner. It was a high of about 50 degrees here with a brisk breeze. The sunshine warmed it up some, or it would have felt very cold. But the views were so spectacular, that I never noticed until the sun had set and we were on our way as I had been so immersed in the wonder of God's Creation.

Just when one would have thought it could not get any better, as we were leaving Bar Harbor, on the side of the road, up on a cliff overlooking the water was a bagpiper playing. He was dressed in his kilt and the music was soooo beautiful and moving it brought tears to our eyes. What a perfect ending to a perfect day.

We asked some other people there, and they said he plays every Saturday during the summer season and today was his last time to play. How blessed were were to get to hear and see him.

Wiscasset and Booth Bay, Maine

Friday was a beautiful day driving up Route 1 going through all the quaint little towns and seeing the people, scenery and Bays and Harbors along the Route. Here we are coming into Wiscasset, Maine. There were lots of rolling hills along the coast. Wiscasset was very neat with an original General Store which opened in 1949 as a Hardware Store. (1949 was a very good year!)

Then we had lunch overlooking the water at Le Garage, which was a garage where they repaired cars, until the owner remodeled and made it a neat restaurant. Here is the front of the restaurant, and you can see the water through the window in the door, and the pretty tree leaves reflected in the windows.

One of the neatest trees I have discovered on our trip is the Mountain Ash. It has these lovely red berries, and surely makes one think of the fall holidays. These are common up in this area, and I would love to have one in my yard. This is zone 5 like at home, but they have lots more rain and a different climate along the water.

Another sweet little village is Booth Bay, where we visited the Sea Pier, and relaxed enjoying the view. Some sea gulls came to visit, and we shared a little bread with them, and they became our instant best friends. Here is one flying toward me, like maybe he would just go home with us if we would allow it.

We stopped for the evening at Ellsworth, just outside Bar Harbor, and are ready to head out the door to see Acadia National Park and the Bar Harbor area. The sun is shining and it is brisk, but just picture perfect. Until later--enjoy your journey today, where ever you are and whatever you are doing.

Rainy Day on Route 1

Thursday brought rain to Maine, and it felt just like one imagines the New England coast to be. It was not a down pour, but a gentle rain and mist most of the day.

The rain only added to the feel of being in New England.

It did not dampen our spirits, we ventured on to Portland, and went down on the waterfront. Ate at Becky's Diner which is right on the water, a typical little city diner with all the locals, who enjoy coming there daily. While we were down by the waterfront we visited the Portland Lobster Pound and caught a picture of one man loading a boat with supplies for the ships going out to sea.

On our trip up the coast we stopped at a garden center and enjoyed all the fall displays and were tempted to fill our van with perennials at 50% off, but decided we might need the room for other treasures later.

One more picture of the lovely changing foliage, and this time it is adorning an old brick building, much like a lovely pendant, or lace collar. The leaves are still very colorful here on the coast, but with today's rain, they could begin to fall very soon..

Thank you for checking in and hope you are "enjoying the journey" with us in New England.