Gramma time

I have just returned from a few days holding and cuddling the most adorable and chubby baby, Ryan James.  Just a few photos from a very biased gramma!!

Barn Concert

This past weekend we hosted another in our Barn Concert series.  Alicia and her pianist Kevin Garnica performed in our barn Friday night and Saturday afternoon and again Sunday in the historic Opera House in Harrington. 

Kevin flew in from Los Angeles Thursday afternoon and the kiddos set right to work rehearsing.  It's such a treat to get to hear these two collaborate.  Wish is happened more than once a year!

I love the intensity of this photo.  You can almost hear the music!

 Our friends Stephen and Rebecca offered to lend their recording expertise and equipment so that we would have a record of the Friday night performance to send to family and friends that were not able to attend.

Stephen setting up one of the microphones.....

and Rebecca setting the other.  

Doing a sound check in comfy shoes!!!

One of the things audience members say they love and appreciate is Alicia's explanation of the pieces that they are playing.  

Not only did Rebecca help with recording the performance, she turned pages Friday night as well.  

I really love these events.  Looking forward to the next one!

Fall Quilt Retreat

This past weekend the Stitchin' Chicks gathered in our barn for our fall retreat.  This truly is a retreat and we all love being together to laugh and talk and create and support one one another.

I always regret that I haven't taken more photos.  I just get caught up in the moment, and forget that I have a camera at the ready at all times with my phone.  Anyway, here are a few images from the weekend.

 The sunset Friday night was spectacular.

Each retreat Beth makes up "food groups" which is to say that she gathers four or five of our clan in to a group and puts them in charge of a meal for the weekend.  It's always so interesting to see (and consume) the wonderful meals presented.

Saturday night our group was in for a surprise when old school lunch ladies showed up to prepare and serve a school lunch!  Oh my goodness......what a good laugh we all had.

Apple picking

For the last few years we have been able to glean apples from an orchard near Othello that is owned by a friend of our friend Larry.  As these things go, each year we pick a few more, then a few more, then a few more until we are pretty much out of control.  This year we hit the an all time "out of control" mark!

This is one my favorite days of the entire year.  And the reason that we let things get out of control is that we all have so much fun picking and visiting and then processing apples for ourselves and sharing with neighbors and friends.

Sadly, there is so much food that goes to waste in our country.  However, our little crew is making sure that we take care of at least a tiny bit of that with our fall apple pick.

The diggin'ist dog

When I was a little kid we had a book (I still have it!) called, The Diggin'ist Dog.  It's about a dog that didn't know how to dig.  Suddenly, one day after trying and trying he figured it out, and he dug and dug and dug until he finally ran in to a barrier that stopped him.

Charlie is our Diggin'ist Dog.  He has excavated several plants in my yard, and this fall his is working on one of our fields of wheat!  Baxter, Charlie and I often go for walks in the late afternoon.  Almost every time, Charlie discovers the scent of a mole and is determined to oust it.  Often times he does!!!

October Sunsets

It seems like after the autumnal equinox, the sunsets get more vivid.  Almost every night we get a beautiful display.  I never get tired of this.

October 1st.

And the sliver moon in addition to the sunset!

A few days later, even the eastern sky had a lot of sunset color.

September Snow

So this happened on the 29th of September! We woke up to a blanket of snow!