dia de los muertos

A small altar this year, but I did pull out some of my collection of skulls. I think this may be my favorite holiday of the year, definitely not Hallmark, no gifts needed, nor big meals.
We are back from a week in the "land of enchantment" and enchanting it was. New Mexico never fails to show it's beauty in the month of October. We visited weavers, rivers, and the Penitentes and learned how to pronounce acequias .

Illahe Lodge, Agness, Oregon

Three days of paradise on the Rogue River, steelhead, osprey, alders, bay, and home cooking.

We awoke to fog on the river, Illahe being 32 miles inland from Gold Beach on the Oregon coast.

A half mile walk down a dirt road leads to a full view of the river where the guests staying at the lodge depart for a day of fishing.

The scent of damp leaves will remove most of the tensions of the outside world. Not to mention no cell service and when the wifi goes down life is even better.

78 year old Ernie Rutledge is 4th generation southwest Oregonian, his grandfather built the lodge. Ernie's daughter, Coleen runs the lodge today.
We made reservations for next year, four days, three was not enough.

yin/yang, the equinox

In Chinese medicine yin is associated with dark and grounding into the earth, while yang is associated with light and the skies. But it is important to balance the two. That is my lesson from today's qigong class, where I was fortunate to have a private session with my instructor due to lack of other participants. Today being the last day of summer for 2017 we can feel the pull towards winter as tomorrow marks the equinox. And while I enjoy the seasonal change, and find it quieting and reflective, I also find it it sad. The garden has lost it's summer brilliance, and yet there needs to be a time for quiet and renewal. Hopefully the fall will bring the rain again and cleanse the leaves that remain evergreen. The shortening days will bring us inside earlier, but living in the California bay area we are spoiled by the lack of extremes in our seasons, something I celebrate rather than long for.
I do look forward to wearing all of the products from my knitting needles, and crab season, more soups and quiches for dinner.

reflections on life

The temperature has finally cooled and I retreated to my special corner for a few minutes this morning. After a period of social insanity and heat, 15 minutes of knitting were comforting. One of the reasons I enjoy knitting is that it gives you time to think as you endlessly circle the stitches of a sweater sleeve. I was thinking of my father who never wanted to go anywhere other than Camp Taylor (Samuel P Taylor State Park). I often think that perhaps he had the right idea, he had found a special place and didn't have the means, time, or desire to seek out other locations. I consider myself lucky, that I have a special place I only need to walk out the back door to enjoy.

the five Mikes

 

Finally I have captured all of the Mikes in one spot. Unfortunately the occasion was a send off paella bbq for the tallest and the shortest (although not for long) also the two youngest of them. Michael (in purple shirt) and Mikey (top right) are moving along with mother/grandmother Denise who has been our neighbor for 22 years. But thanks to Michael T (bottom right) organizing a neighborhood group dinner with my Mike (blue t-shirt) and his Mike (tan shirt) and our neighbors who are not Mikes, Johanna and Cheryl we enjoyed a warm evening along with Denise's sister Mary. It's quite a challenge to ask "Mike will you pass the salad" at a dinner table with five who will answer to that name. A good time was had by all.

eclipses, mercury, and hats

 

I think this hat may be a reaction to sun, moon, and stars. I'm really not a glitzy sort of person but somehow I found myself in the plastic box with my ribbon yarn. Make note of the year on the hat form. Was 1967 really 50 years ago?
I had to add this photo of my collection of the usual wool tams.

summer in the mountains

This lovely brown trout came out of McGee Creek. The proud fisherman called to me just in hopes I would see this fish and I happened to have my camera at the ready.
This is quite a year for the Sierra, the streams at levels that you usually see in June, and the wildflowers in full bloom. We even caught a thunder shower on our walk out of Rock Creek.

Now we are home and you can feel fall creeping in on us.