Falling Leaves October 26, 2016

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not exactly the picture I wanted but it will have to do to convey the feeling of late autumn here in Glastonbury Connecticut.  A lovely late Fall day, clear and cold.  A slight breeze and more leaves come down.

But I have a cold and am staying inside just reading a book and knitting.  Cozy.

Seen on my Walk October 29, 2014

I live about a 5-10 minute walk to my son’s home – today I was asked to look after his youngest son Sean for a couple of hours.  So I duly walked over there and here are a few pictures of things I saw on a late Fall day in Ballard.               

              an obsolete fire hydrant

 

   a slight detour to see these houses under construction (and of course the ubiquitous facility for the convenience of the workmen).

I was  observed by a  black cat       

 

All ready for a delightful 2 hours with 4 year old Sean  We played Old Maid and Go Fish.  When I yawned and said I was a bit tired, he suggested I take a nap up in his room.  Now there’s a thoughtful and generous little boy.

The Sword of Damocles, aka Colours of October in Seattle November 6, 2010

I have been trying to follow a sequence of posts where different people around the world post pictures of the colours of the month in their part of the globe.  The sequence was started by Sue in New Hampshire on her blog Life Looms Large.  The series started a year ago and now October was to be the last month.  I entered into this with gusto, enjoying the changing seasons, selecting appropriate photos for my part of the world for each particular month, and seeing other people’s photos.  The list of participants was long.   But now the year has drawn to a close and I am eager to complete my participation.  We are now into November but the deadline for the October colours has been extended to November 15th.  I suspect that other participants have found it difficult to find the time to continue this theme.  Now I feel sort of as if The Sword of Damocles is hanging over my head until I complete my “voluntary” participation.  i.e. the sword is self-inflicted.  So here they are – my colours for October in Seattle.   Red, orange, yellow, brown, black – and increasingly bare branches.  And more colours besides.

                                                                                                                      The leaves are falling, outside the Nordic Heritage Museum

View from the Museum of History and Industry (the MOHAI)

One of my cousins from the East Coast was visiting and we had a  wonderful day exploring in the Museum and then enjoying the beautiful late autumn sunshine.  Her perspective on early American history is far more rooted in the past in the early settlement of New England in the 17th and 18th centuries.  The emphasis here in Seattle is later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  But to give MOHI its due, there was a lot of information about the earlier years and the Indians who preceded the first pioneer settlers.

 

                                                                           Array of trees near the MOHAI

 I can’t let October go by without posting a Halloween photo.  Here are some of the Seattle McKee’s all set to go trick or treating.  Ethan is the only really colourful one here in his Tigger costume.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                     Here he comes, trick or treat.

Picasso pumpkin, very cleverly carved as were so many of the pumpkins we saw that night

The day before Halloween, we had a festive family birthday dinner.  Happy Birthday Grandad.  Baby Sean turned his back on the proceedings but Ashley and Caitlin were enthusiastic helpers in blowing out the numerous candles on the delicious chocolate birthday cake.  

The Friday before Halloween there was a carnival up at the local primary/elementary school.  We had all the colours of the rainbow there as almost everyone came in Halloween costume.  Ashley’s 3rd grade teacher was Chiquita Banana, or maybe Carmen Miranda.  Here she is offering sweets to Little Orphan Annie and Pippi Longstocking.  What a fun evening it was.

(My apologies for the way some of the captions have been tossed around – WordPress has a mind of its own.)

Ducks and Piglets December 14, 2009

This morning I had an unexpected walk beside a stream.  My Irish conversation group (Cupla Focla) was unable to meet because painting was being done upstairs in the library.  So I ambled home instead and was very surprised to see ducks in the stream near the rear of the old shopping centre in Dundrum.

  Ducks in the stream

  away they swam

Then I went up to Airfield to check on the piglets.  They have really grown a lot and are scurrying about in their pen.  They get worn out and then they all huddle together and have a sleep.

Other photos taken at this time of year

        Morning sun, 9:30 a.m. at Kilternan Market

  rusty gate, abandoned, along the Upper Kilmacud Road

  sky over Ashford, December afternoon

  early morning from our upstairs window

Christmas trees for sale at Airfield    

  a stone wall along my route, the Upper Kilmacud Road

Dundrum Main Street, late afternoon       

  my knitting stash – latest photo – note the stash is getting smaller