Unmaintained

There's a seasonal road near us that links our house to the highway. It's unmaintained in the winter so from November through May it's virtually impassable. The road hugs a steep mossy hill on one side and falls off into a cavernous gorge on the other.

From our house the ride is completely down hill.

At the bottom of the hill is large stone house. The first time I ventured down this road I stared amazed for some time. The structure was once used a dance hall for the Finns who settled this area long ago.

Just beyond a small rickety bridge

crosses a rock strewn creek.

This is the view looking back from the other side.

This time of yearyou can see well into the bones of the forest.

It is magical,

inspiring,

and healing.

The View From Here

It is so good to be home. I know I was only away for four days, but what can I say - I am a confirmed home body these days.

The fall colors are hanging on,

and the view from inside the house is stunning from almost every window!

Take a look...

from the living room,

the dining room,

my office,
and our bedroom.

From the kitchen. Now with a view like this who wouldn't beg to wash dishes?

Note the temperature!

Brrrrr....

'Tis the season for hot breakfasts already.Welcome to cozy.

On the Road Again

Back in the day I used to love going on tour even if the list of musical luminaries I traveled with were just a little bit past their prime. Maybe you remember some of these folks...Henry Mancini, Ferrante and Teicher, Librace, Anne Murray and the Lettermen. I'm sure the main reason we were asked to play these gigs was because as poor starving students we were willing to work for less than union wages and we didn't balk at the thought of sharing a two-person room with two or three or four other people. Oh those were the days...the "we need to pay our rent so we'll take almost any gig" days...the days of 10 cent Mac n' cheese in a box, ramen noodles $1 a case and chicken pot pies two for a dollar. Yikes.

The reason I'm waxing poetic about my touring days is because I'm sitting on a greyhound bus (equipped with wi-fi no less) at this very moment on my way to Washington, D.C. to play the Bach B minor Mass with
the college choir and a chamber orchestra made of students and faculty.
We are most definitely on the choir tour!

First stop, Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, MD.
The hall sounds as beautiful as it looks.

Now that rehearsals, packing and general scurrying are over and we are actually on our way, I think I'll actually be able to relax a bit. The best news...we get our own rooms now and they have room service. Ahhhh. I'm happy to be here now. Guess I paid my dues.

Perfect 10's

It's 10/10/10! Back when I was ten years old I did a little math to figure out how old I'd be in the unimaginable year of the future - 2000. I remember debating how we would say the date out loud - would it two-thousand something or would it be twenty-something. Most of us decided it didn't matter because when you're 43 years old that's too old to be worrying about that sort of thing anyway...In the coming year I can now look forward to my birthday being 9/10/11. I'm glad I'm not too old to think this is pretty cool.

Here are some photos and a couple of videos to commemorate the picture perfect fall day. These pics were all taken on our property (except for the one where I'm obviously standing in the middle of the road!).

Could be the last vinca flower of the season.

As I get nearer the woods' edge, the chipmunk chorus goes into high gear!

Danger, danger, warning, warning!

I could've gazed at this all afternoon...

Wild asters.

There are only a few acorns this year.

Last of the feverfew.

I've been using the area at the end of our driveway as depository for
furniture we get from auction that isn't really repairable
(at least not by me with my very limited skills). Though the pieces are rather beaten up I find them poetic
sitting there in the late afternoon light. Perhaps I should've
put a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses on the stand.
Maybe then they'd go away.

Time and Space

There is precious little free time around our neck of the woods these days, but somehow I managed to find time to squeak in a little walk this morning. I even managed to snap a few photos.

The sky is so blue it almost defies description.

The leaves and the grass are far more verdant and lush than the photos let on.

The sun is warm and the air is cool.
I can smell the faint scent of wood stove smoke on the breeze.
Tonight widespread frost is predicted. My timing is fortunate.

Tomorrow many of the late summer blooms will be history.

We had a fair amount of wind and rain earlier this
week and it knocked off many of the colorful leaves prematurely. Still the show is totally inspiring and I couldn't venture into winter
without experiencing this transition.


This small tree toppled over in the last wind and rain storm.
At least we think that's when it happened. We're not quite sure...
It missed our little barn by inches.

I am grateful for the late bloomers who are just now starting to turn.

The woods are incredibly noisy today.From the sound of the chipmunk chorus I am
most definitely an unwelcome presence.

The 150 year old sugar maple that anchors our house
is putting on quite a show this year.

The trunk is fully covered with lichen - it is not long for this world.

It is the end of wild grape season,and this year's crop was especially tasty (yep mom, I ate some).

I did not however try these large mushrooms...(though I was tempted).

The cows are soaking in the sun

and the trees almost seem to be enjoying the breeze.

Seems will may have roses in mid-October,

along with a few more morning glories

and some lovely late blooming monkshood.

I can imagine no place on earth I'd rather be.