Fall Happenings

I always look forward to the change in seasons, it's kind of like a new beginning. New smells, the change in weather, seasonal foods and all the different festivities. With fall, I look forward to warm drinks, pulling out cozy sweaters and coats, the crisp cool air after hot summer days, crunching leaves on walks, all the vibrant fall colors and the smell of autumn. Plus, there is Thanksgiving, gathering with family, and trips to Greenbluff to pick pumpkins and apples. This fall, I'm thankful to be living in a place with four distinct seasons, thankful for having my family nearby, and for having so many wonderful supportive people in our lives. Right now, I'm sitting out on my porch drinking a pumpkin spice latte and listening to the rain pattering on the patio and the X-Country race going on across the street.

Enough of the mushy stuff... I've had some time off work and it's been nice getting stuff done around our place. Of coarse the to do list is never completely finished and things always seem to take longer than expected. But none the less, it's nice to be crossing some things off! Did a goodwill run today and dropped off eight bags of no longer needed stuff, we've been trying to trim down around here, which also means exercising restraint in what I "find" and take home from thrift stores... Today, we mowed the lawn, weeded some of the backyard beds and got some new shrubs, on a side note Joe actually told the guy at Judy's we were looking for "a shrubbery" just like the guy says it in Monte Python. Epic. We rode the Hiawatha Trail on Saturday, then came home and had a lovely barbecue with friends, Joe made ribs! They were delicious! Yesterday, we had a family get together at my aunt's house, my great uncle was in town from California. We ended up having an "indoor picnic" instead of going to Arbor Crest since the weather was threatening to rain. Anyways, hoping to get a few more things scratched off before I go back to work in the next few days.

Some pictures from our ride on the Hiawatha Trail. The ride is on the route of an old train track near the Montana/Idaho border. It takes you through ten tunnels and over seven high trestles. The longest tunnel is 1.7 miles, and is absolutely pitch black inside so you need either a head lamp or a lamp on your bike. Its a gradual downhill grade so is a fairly easy ride, about ten miles long I think. Definitely far from hard core biking, but was a fun experience!