Color on the Hills

I guess if ya want to see the beautiful leaves now is the time.  From last Sunday to this Sunday the change is amazing.  Every day or what seems like every hour more beauty is spattered across the hills, along the roadways, streams and ponds.  I left last Sunday morning with my friend Karen for Massachusetts.  What a beauty of a ride across central NY.  Hard to believe in all our travels I had never been past Albany.  Karen drove so I had the luxury of taking in all the scenery.  We chatted all the way out and back.  Odd isn't it that we never ran out of conversation?  Well we didn't and it was such a relaxing trip.  On the way home Karen took me to her families favorite barbecue restaurant, Brooks House of Barbecue  A great family eatery that had chicken, pork, ribs and beef, salad bar and many choices of sides, homemade desserts and ice cream.  Once we got to Worcester, Ma, Karen dropped me off at my grand daughters where I stayed until Thursday.   It was wonderful and quite a relief to see where lives, the area and UMass Medical School.  She gave me a tour of the school, the building is a few years old and beautiful, full length windows and even the elevators were glass.  The views were spectacular which surprised me.  I assumed it was all city but there are rolling hills and yes trees that were showing off their colors too.  We ate along a lake, fresh mussels to start the meal and chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella in  pesto sauce.  Another night we found the Smoke Stack Urban Barbecue in the "Old Town" of Worcester.  Again we sat outside and enjoyed people watching.  It's interesting for me since I only watch animals and the view at Cook'n by the Creek.  Young adults from work enjoying their time, older couples out to enjoy just because.  Then there was Kamrie and her gram.  There it is a simple pleasure of enjoying the time together.  We did "take out" a couple nights because she had studies to do.  During the day while she was in class or at clinical I worked on #7 quilt (all done) and picked out a pattern for a scarf to knit and got a pretty good start on it.  Four days flew by but it provided me with what I needed.  Back to Clara and all I enjoy.

Fire baked bread and bagels with hot pepper jelly.

Boiling bagels to be baked in the pizza oven.

♡My grand daughter♡

Enjoying the first pizza in the outdoor oven.  It's all
about family and sharing ♡

The busy season of garden has ended.  Today we actually sat in our lawn chairs with an afternoon cup of Jamaican Me Crazy enjoying the colors of the trees, watching the horses and chickens.  Along with a little talk on what we want to do this week.  One thing is get the garden ready for it's winter rest and the other work on flower beds.  I plan on going to Alma Pond, NY on Tuesday with a friend to see what kind of birds are there.  Hopefully we will see the pair of Eagles that live there and if lucky some birds migrating south.  It's a good place to see many birds and the bonus of the scenery.  Even in the winter I find it beautiful there.  When we lived in Shinglehouse it was our favorite spot to go and enjoy the peaceful solitude of the "wide open spaces".  We have our own "wide open spaces" now, we rarely go to Alma Pond.  I am looking forward to a few hours there.  I bet my friend will get some good pictures and maybe I can get a few to share.

It's been a learning weekend with the outdoor pizza oven.  Our first test run of pizza, bread, bagels and dry rub wings is a go.  Let's hope it is not beginners luck and continues.  I have been keeping a progress log with pictures and trying to organize a blog of it.  All my notes and ideas will be blogs now that I have time to do.  One thing I am good at, knowing when to say whoa Cheryl, time to step back, regroup my time and thoughts and "carry on"!  Sometimes I cut it close.

Take time, pass it on and enjoy the beautiful Fall days.