First Week of Autumn

Autumn began late Sunday evening and it is time for me to do some fall decorating.

Mums are 3/$15 at Big Y, our local supermarket--they are a good size and just coming into bloom, so I picked a yellow, a creamy white, and a rusty red to put with the faux pumpkins from Michael's. 

I just love the look of sunflowers in this old green earthenware pitcher.  The tablecloth has a pattern of colorful autumn leaves.

 

The cooler weather inspired me to make the Mushroom and Leek Lasagna recipe from Flour, Too by Joanne Chang, one of the cookbooks that Dawn got me for my birthday.  I served it to book group and Laurel kindly took this photo.  Everyone enjoyed it, and Mark said he likes the roasted tomatoes better than the tomato sauce that most lasagnas have.  While it wasn't difficult to make, it did have many steps and took several hours to prepare and assemble for baking.  Worth the effort!  I think I'll try one of the soup recipes next.

 

 

We brought Kita home on September 23, 2008--hard to believe she's been with us for 5 years now and will be turning 9 next month.  I sure love that little doggie!  Hmmm, I wore that same blouse yesterday...



NY Maker Faire

On Sunday, we headed to New York City to attend Maker Faire.  The weather cleared and we had a beautiful crisp day.  First on our agenda was attending a talk Dawn gave, entitled "When Makers Apply for College".  You can see the talk in its entirety at:
http://fora.tv/2013/09/22/when_makers_apply_for_college

After a long Q & A session, we explored Maker Faire.  Some exhibits were in the New York Hall of Science, and many more were set up outside under tents on the grounds of the 1965 World's Fair. There was sooo much to see--lots of techie things but also a large crafts area.

Here's Dawn standing next to the Maker mascot!

 

This is the first time I've ever seen the World's Fair globe up close--we've seen it from the road when going to JFK International Airport and even from the air upon takeoff.  Mark remembers going to the Fair but doesn't really remember what he saw.  My Girl Scout troop discussed taking a field trip to the Fair but never went beyond the planning stage.  I think my sister went--I'll have to ask her about it!

 

Of course the globe and the observation towers were featured prominently in one of our favorite movies, Men in Black.

Traffic on the way home was crazier and much more congested--reminding me why we rarely drive to NYC even though it's only two hours away (in perfect conditions) from where we live.  It was a long but very enjoyable day.



Annual Family Reunion

Despite a few sprinkles, we managed to spend a lot of time outside in Otis on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, our traditional family reunion.

 

After Ross took Fab for a ride on the jet ski, Fab returned the favor.

 

 

Yann had fun with the paddleboard.

 

Malima and Dawn enjoyed swimming.

 

 

Here's Dana during a rare quiet moment (OK, I asked her to pose there).

 

 

 

At six months, Kate is the youngest member of our clan.  She watched everything very closely!

 

On the way home, Dawn picked up pizza from Naples to share with her Parisian friends. And then we watched a movie (I guess the weekend really went by quickly--in my last post I stated we watched one on Saturday but I think it was actually on Sunday!)  And on Labor Day everyone had to pack up and return to Boston...but what a great weekend!

 





 

 



Labor Day Weekend

The weekend celebrations started Friday evening with the arrival of Dawn and her two French friends, followed by Malima and Ross on Saturday morning.  We tried to plan some American activities for Yann and Fabien so we headed to minigolf.

 

Of course we ate hot dogs at the snack bar first, played golf, and then headed back into the snack bar for ice cream--it's tradition!  On the way home we stopped at a farm stand to buy corn on the cob to go with the salad and steaks we were planning for dinner--another first for Yann and Fab.  I just read an article in today's WSJ that mentioned corn is more typically used for animal feed in France than for human consumption.  They were such good sports--they ate everything we served them!

We also had to prepare some food for the annual family reunion in Otis on Sunday of Labor Day weekend.  Our contribution was quinoa salad, Malima made cone sushi, and Dawn helped her French friends make some fabulous desserts. (Fabulous is too mild a compliment, they were incredible--and I've never seen desserts vanish so quickly during one of our reunions.) We enjoyed singing along with the player piano and finished our evening watching a classic American movie:  Animal House!

Whew, that was Saturday!  My next post will be about fun in Otis on Sunday.

 

New Birthday Toys

I have been looking for a new purse for quite a long time without any luck, mostly because I love the one I have been using daily for the past several years.  It's the perfect size, goes with everything, and I love the way it hangs securely under my arm without being stuck in my armpit.  However it's worn and faded past redemption so it's time to move on.

At the last possible store I could think of visiting, Marshalls in Avon, I found one that will work!  The size is right, it's a rich shade of teal (my preferred color), and the shoulder strap can be adjusted to fit the same way as my previous purse.  I may even use it as a satchel (those darn handbag handles are everywhere).  The major drawback for me is the large gold-tone MK, but it will be easy enough to wear against my body so it's not so noticeable.  And the best part is the price--half off retail! 

Since we were out and about looking at purses, we stopped at Farmington Valley Equipment to buy something Mark had been eyeing for a long time.  He used it this past weekend.

It's a new Stihl chain saw!  After several years of struggling with cheap ones from big box stores that needed constant repairs, Mark decided to upgrade.  Normally I would probably try to convince him that he should consider retiring from chainsawing at this point in his life, but after two consecutive years with two hurricanes and that freak October snowstorm, I realize that a working chainsaw can come in handy when trees and branches are down everywhere.

On Saturday Mark chopped down the dying birch and by Sunday afternoon we had a nice stack of firewood in the driveway!  I think the new saw helped us make quick work of a big job, and the nice weather didn't hurt either.  With luck the wood will dry out more and be ready to use in the little woodstove by January.

Although they are not really birthday presents, I am thoroughly enjoying my new washer and dryer!

I love the touchscreen controls!  So easy to use!  And the clothes come out nice and clean!  Between the new toys and family time over Labor Day weekend, I had a wonderful extended birthday celebration.