Last October we visited our friends, Gerry and Christie, who moved to a continuous care community in New Hampshire. The travel turned out to be a treat for us as we drove through Pennsylvania and New York ablaze with fall color. We had never been through that part of the US in the fall. Our autumn trips usually took us north to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, or west to Colorado. Hard wood forests put on quite the show.

Our friends love the outdoors, so of course we had to venture to a number of places during our visit. But the surprise was the trail on the grounds of the facility that bordered a stream. The day was gray and threatening rain, but when we turned a corner, the sun burst through the clouds and illuminated the scene before us. 

I'm always the slowpoke because I want to stop and take photos. And thankfully, our friends are never in a hurry. Christie is interested in everything she sees and wants to be able to identify it. And Gerry, the ever-present teacher, is so excited to share details from rocks to trees to little critters. Good friends to spend time with. 

We've been blessed with innumerable friends to share food, and books, and faith, and photos, and walks in the woods.

Cold nights forecast this week. Time to care for the tender flowers; Judy has already assembled quite a collection that will be wheeled into the garage for a couple of nights. The colorful flowerpots by the pool that have added blooms and foliage diversity all summer have been disassembled and the soil returned to the compost pile. A friend gathered her last tomatoes before frost would bring it all to an end. 

I love summer; well, all the seasons. But I swim in the summer. And we have fresh fruit from the produce stand south of Nolensville. It must come to an end, whether I like or not.  Surprise, I don't control the weather. I don't know anyone that does.

I was born in a railroad town, Peru, Indiana. And when I was little, my mother would take me to the railroad crossing just half a block from her parents' home, and we would watch the steam locomotive pass. What a sight and sound! A fellow would come out of a small building with a stop sign to halt the traffic.

I cut out photos from newspapers and magazines and pasted them into a scrapbook. I wish I still had that scrapbook, but I have the memories. 

I still enjoy trains, and steam is best. This shot is from the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.

Breath prayer from Cole Arthur Riley, "Black Liturgies":

Inhale: How long, O God?

Exhale: This is too much to hold.

Inhale: I am not okay.

Exhale: God, with you I am safe,

Inhale: I don't have to hold every pain at once.

Exhale: I can feel and not be consumed.

Inhale: I won't rush my grief.

Exhale: These tears are sacred.

An October scene in Conway, New Hampshire. This is one of those "almost" photos. Actually, I have hundreds or thousands of "almost" photos. I want to be in the right place at the right time with the right sky and the right light. Once in a while it happens, but I sure have a lot of "almost". The problem is with my expectations. And I see only imperfections. 

Life is imperfect. Except for fun with friends, and crisp air, and hot apple cider, and the wonder of fall color, and remembering past joy.

I rarely take a photo that could be described as a still-life, unless one's description of such a photo is rather broad. This one, however, probably fits. I did not rearrange any items. This is the scene as I saw it in Marcia's kitchen. She did ask what I was taking a picture of. I was just amazed to see what I saw. Looked like a picture to me. Could be "art"!!

I find peace as I photograph. Usually, it's a solitary activity. And when I'm serious, I take the big camera, big in terms of megapixels and not size. My Sony is smaller than the Yashica D that I mentioned in my blog yesterday.

This location is not far from the previous post. I got in my car and drove around the area, looking for color. Truth to tell, fall color is not difficult to find in northern Door County in October.

When I was ready to retire, I said to Judy, "We can live anywhere!" She said, "We're going to Nashville!" Other than Tennessee politics, it has been a wonderful decision. We have watched our granddaughter grow from a kindergartner to a high school graduate and now beyond. By extension we have been able to live within 20 minutes of Michael and Amy. Being this close has truly been a blessing.

And there are the fun moments, like this one when one evening Maddy was showing Amy something on her phone. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't help noticing the way the phone lit up their faces and snapped several photos. A daughter and her mom. Special time.

Faces lit by the screen of a phone can be a fun photo opportunity. Try it.