Family and Fall Colors

Wednesday night we returned from a 10-day trip back east to visit family and friends before heading to New Hampshire to hopefully see some signs of fall. We had fun in Pittsburgh with Aunt Del and family as well as our friends Marv and Nona. Then we headed to Forest Hill, MD, and a nice evening with our nephew Mark, Pia and their daughters. From there we headed to Martinsville, NJ, to meet our newest grand nephew, who's about 18 months old and extremely cute. It was the first time we'd seen either family since Jon and Wendy's wedding in March of 2004.
Matt
Next we headed north to Nashua, NH, for three days of exploring the beautiful countryside. The leaves were just turning, and to us it seemed, each day brought a little more color. The weather was just perfect for sightseeing and even a little bit of hiking.Fall Colors
We were quite intrigued with the "Moose Crossing" and "Brake for Moose" signs but didn't see any of the real thing. We did, however, see a number of dead deer and other little critters that had met their end on the roads. Dick accidentally caught this sign while photographing the house on the mountainside. Don't you wonder how the owners get to it?
Moose Country
Dick had found an "easy" hike in our guidebook, so since the weather was great, we decided to find Arathusa Falls. An easy stretch
Well, that author, has a different idea of easy than I do....the trail was mostly up what appeared to be a very rocky streambed, but seeing the falls was definitely worth the effort and the sore muscles.
We made it!
We also saw a much more accessible waterfall on the road, this time with no hiking required!
Easy Access!
This isn't really the season for wild flowers, but we did see a few interesting things besides the pretty trees.
Turkey Tail Fungus
A spot of color
We've done a lot of traveling this summer, much more than usual, but this is because last summer was pretty much of a wash, and we were making up for being on a short leash while I recuperated from surgery and radiation treatments. Believe me, we both prefer this summer's agenda!
Serenity
Remember to double click on the photos for more details!

Our Yellowstone Adventure

Last month, we took a short trip to Yellowstone and had a wonderful time visiting this unique area. All the while we were there, I kept thinking what it must have been like for the explorers who discovered this place. The scenery and weather were wonderful, and we especially enjoyed the wildlife. I just had to share a few of Dick's photos. Here is the lower falls of the Yellowstone River. In some spots the river is very placid and in others it rages downstream.
Lower Yellowstone Falls
We purposely avoided Old Faithful and went instead to the Norris Geyser Basin which isn't as crowded. Steamboat Geyser was very active that day; the sign said that it erupts every 4 days or 3 months....not real predictable!
Steamboat Geyser
We also saw lots of bubbling pools with many signs that warned visitors to remain on the paths as the ground is very unstable and the water is boiling hot.
Mud Pots
This was an intriquing sign, at least to me.
45th Parallel
We also had great fun watching the elk and bison. One day the elk were lounging at the lodge and post office at Mammoth Springs, but this photo was taken as we were leaving the park to come home. Only later did we notice the rather large collar on the mama elk.
Mama Elk
We also saw 5-6 wolves running free across a meadow, thanks to a ranger's spotting scope. Later that same day, we had to wait for several bison to amble across the road. Fortunately, no one seems to speed through this park! We also saw antelope and coyotes as well as a few interesting birds.
Why'd the bison cross the road?
Many summers ago when Dick worked in the Wyoming oil fields, he discovered Dead Indian Pass and Sunlight Basin. He's wanted to return there again to see if it's still as beautiful as he remembered. It is and is also much more easily accessible. Isn't that an interesting metal sculpture?
Sunlight Basin
Gosh, just looking at these photos makes me want to go back again for a second look!

A Different Kind of Dumpling

Before we went on our most recent trip, I finished a felted purse. The pattern is in the fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits, and as soon as I saw it, I had to try it. (The designer, Sharon Dreifuss,lives in Chicago and has her own blog.) Here is the way it looked before the trip to the washing machine for felting.
Unfelted Dumpling
And here is the felted version. I was quite intriqued with the way felting softened the look of the embroidery and can see a few more of these little purses in my knitting future! This is a fun pattern with endless embellishing potential.
Voila!