Fall Came, It is Almost Winter

In the few weeks since I last posted the fall has come and gone. I kept waiting for the perfect day to take pictures but it never came. Sure there were beautiful days but they did not coincide with the beautiful colors which were sometimes fleeting this year. The summer was so hot and then the torrential rains of early September did not do favors for the brilliant colors we have so often. One tree I use to gauge the progress of color simply dropped its leaves this year. There were many lovely sights but not the crisp ones I have grown to expect since moving here.

It is now the 8th of December. The leaves have fallen and I should be getting ready for Christmas. Before that, here are some photos taken in the last few weeks to show we did have autumn topped off by a Thanksgiving trip to Cape Cod.

Along Wagamons Pond.

Above Milton Memorial Park

Outside our front door

The geraniums are still blooming but are much bigger and prettier today

Dave is showing Jake how to pull carrots

Geoff and Jake on Cape Cod

Kicking the ball and enjoying the out of doors

Bentlely loves running at the Cape

Jake and Bentley (that's Bill's leg in upper right corner)

Just after sunrise looking out at Cape Cod

The worst part of the past few weeks has been a neverending cough and congestion. I am getting too old for this stuff. The best part is that I made it through another year. Yesterday was a significant birthday for me. More significant is that we travel to Arlington this weekend to celebrate Jake's "Happy Birthday."

I guess it is time to get ready for winter now.

Summer is Gone

It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I have been going through one of the phases when I allow boredom to seep into my pores. I really have no reason for this except that it almost always happen during summer. I have always liked the fall and being here in Delaware has not changed that. Gone are the stifling hot last days of summer and first days of autumn. The first really cooling storms have come and after the storms the days have been extraordinarily clear. The season's change was special for us this year as we were fortunate that our friends Terry and Ray ventured to Delaware from Oregon for a visit. Then a week after their visit, our friends Robin and Dave came from Cape Cod. What a boost to my physic those visits were.

Autumn has come to Delaware. We are not into peak color but that will be in a few short days. I love to load Bentley and the camera into the car and travel around the back roads. I take picture after picture of stuff, mostly trees and come home and look at the pictures and say to myself, "Not too bad."

Here are some photos of the first of such outings. These were taken earlier this week. I hope to be out on Sunday when the changes will be more obvious. I also have to force myself to be more inclined to go out in the morning light, much nicer water scenes then.

The Broadkill River at Milton Memorial Park

Different angle of the same area

Wagamons Pond – sun too bright to show depth of color

There will be more later as I travel around Sussex Country and more.

Good Day Despite the News

We were fortunate to have our good friends Robin and Dave to visit for a couple of days. Yesterday we drove down to Assateague Island to see the wild ponies and the seashore. This trip we first drove to Chincoteague which is on the Virginia side of the island. We saw this lone pony in a marsh alongside the road. There were other ponies but they were mostly in the trees and very hard to see. This pony seems to be enjoying some down time now that the summer population has gone home and there are just a few campers and visitors.

In this picture you can see the Atlantic from the Visitors' Center. The sky looks a little ominous here but that is how it has been for a few days now. Perhaps a reflections of the grim news in the financial world.

It was then onto a brief visit of the Assateague Island Light House. It was commission by Congress in 1855. It is going through some much needed renovation. When I near one of these old sentinels my mind sets to wondering about the days when these beacons were manned. There had to be some amazing stories. We went from here back into the town of Chincoteague and had a late lunch at a place call Bill's. We all thought that appropriate.

Then it was time to go and see if we could find some ponies on the Maryland side of the island. That trip is over 20 miles because there is no through access on the island. When we were last here there were lots of folks taking in the nature trails and just walking the beach. This time there were few in trails area, more on bicycles and lots of campers in the designated areas along the beach. It was getting on in the afternoon and we had still not clearly seen a group of ponies. We drove clear around the National Park Area and missed the trail area we spied ponies in during our last visit. Mind you, we saw lots of evidence ponies had left behind but still not seen a group of real live horses. We drove through the park and back around and with the gracious assistance of the ranger at the entry station we got to trail the we had sought. We parked the car and started out on the trail down to the marsh. We dodged evidence all the way but it was worth it because some of the ponies were right next to the wooden walk.

I had the longer lens on the camera by this time so the horse in this picture looks closer than it was. The three guys on the opposite side of the water were trying to net something.

You can see in this picture how close these ponies were to the boardwalk. I think there were three more horses in the group that are not in this picture.

While on our last trip to Assateague, Bill's grand-niece Rebecca adopted a pony named Rosie. It is a pinto and looks much like this one. I need to research this a little and see if this might be Rosie. The next couple of pictures are some close-ups that could not have been taken if I had not been so close to the ponies. We were close enough to touch them which is illegal to do. It was awesome to be that close.

It was very enjoyable making this trip down the coast and sharing it with such good friends.

The marsh as the sun is taking its position in the late afternoon sky.

Happy Birthday Dave!!

Our great old friend Dave is having a special birthday today! Dave is a retired member of the US Forest Service. He loves puttering around outside and is a devoted spouse to Robin and father to Nathan and Rachel and their spouses. He newest loves are his grandson Luke and new granddaughter Lily. Dave is a wonderful friend and we a blessed to have him in our lives. Today is his Medicare birthday. Congratulations, you made it old man.

Just Some This and That

Not much happening here on the streets of Milton. Oh, there was an auction for the Historical Society on Saturday. That was a good event with a party tent set up on a lot on Union Street. That was a fun time. The first couple of hours were devoted to snacks and drinks and the silent auction items. GREAT SILENT AUCTION items. Lots of historical books, pictures, antiques, items from local merchants, other gift bags. The live auction was also good with an antique tractor as the featured item. I took some pictures but with dwindling daylight they are not the best to offer up to you today.

It has cooled down enough to be comfortable outside. Today is windy and overcast but it is still pretty nice. The leaves are slowly starting to change with new trees dropping their follage already. The focus of the farm stands has moved from the delicious sweet corn that is here all summer to squash and winter vegetables and mums. Everywhere there are mums. I will be forced to come up with some this week.

Our friends Dave and Robin will be visiting later this week. It is always a good time when they come -- not raucus laughter but good, comfortable friends. We are looking forward to the visit and their tour of the local brewery (more to come in a couple of weeks).

Once again this past week I was reminded of how fragile life is when I learned of the death of a high school friend. He was lost his life in a motorcycle accident. We are not that old but there are fewer and fewer of us.

Then, on a happier note, one of my childhood friends is with her husband, her two dogs and her two cats on their first extended trip in their new RV. The wonder of the internet keeps her touch with the rest of the world. We have heard from them from Northern Idaho, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia and now Lake Chelan in the Northern Cascades. They plan to be out for about six more weeks. Today I received an email asking to keep her up on the news since television and radio reception has been so intermittant. How fun is that? Note: She has internet but wants me to send the news. Must be the same as me. It is hard to read on the computer screen.

A Few Days Away

Mother's Day weekend was a busy one. We drove over to Washington, D. C. on Saturday and went with Geoff and Erica and Geoff's family on what was to be a tour of a couple of the EU Embassies. The event was so popular that we could not get into the Danish Embassy until later than we could stay. We then went to the French Embassy where we had an excellent lunch. It was a very warm day but it was enjoyable seeing parts of Washington we had not seen before. It really is a beautiful city. Sure there are real trouble spots and falling down areas but it seems to be improving in those areas also. Still, it is a wonderful place to visit.

Saturday night we went to a concert by the band that Erica plays in. This was the second concert we have attended of DCDD's Capitol Pride Symphonic Band. It is a great band and was an enjoyable evening. When Erica first started playing with this band we asked her why? She told us because she didn't have to audition and they played awesome music.

Erica and Geoff took us to brunch on Mother's Day. We went to the Mansion on O. What an eclectic place!! What excellent food!! This is the place where E & G got married three years ago now. It is such and adventure going to the O. All in all, a great day.

We headed home Sunday afternoon and Monday we took the Cape May -- Lewes Ferry to Cape May, New Jersey. We spent the next two days in Avalon, New Jersey with our dear friends Dave and Robin and Dave's brother Dan and his wife Pam. We stayed in a house right at the beach and enjoyed the down time immensely. You caught that I said beach somewhere in this paragraph? Yes, Bill was in 7th Heaven. He went on several walks and collected shells we didn't need.

We took the ferry back home yesterday and now are settling in for our next period of "not much going on."

Here are some pictures we took of the trip to New Jersey. I did not get any embassy or other DC shots (just a couple of Bill and Hillary's house).

Delaware Breakwater Light from Harbor Side

Ferry Coming In from New Jersey

A View of the Beach from the Deck

Sunrise at the Beach