Bits and Pieces

Tomorrow the trek home begins – one day spent on 4 planes on a roundabout trip home, from Newburgh, NY to Charlotte, NC to Phoenix, AZ to Portland, OR – don’t ask me, the airlines decided this! Then the next day on Amtrak for an arrival home at dark time. Rain is in the forecast, and I’m hoping it will be gentle and not rain on me during those periods of time when I must be outside. But now, a few highlights from the past several days.

The first, a day spent with family that I have not seen for many, many years. They are family from a previous marriage and I fear I allowed the ending of that marriage to end contact with this part of the family. So here they are – my niece’s daughter (my great niece,would that be?), her mother (my niece), me and my former sister-in-law who, by the way, has changed not at all except her hair is not quite as dark as it was.

It was a really nice day and I am so happy I had the opportunity to spend some time with them. It is now up to them to come visit me.

From a day The Author and I went to visit her son and his family, a quick stop we made at Boscobel, a historic mansion, for a couple of quick photos in the rain – the fountain in the pond on the grounds and the mansion, framed by a walkway of big old trees.

A horse standing in the meadow of the Stonecrop Gardens where we visited one morning

and a flower from that garden with one of the many bees that were very busy gathering the last of the nectar available before winter sets in.

After the gardens and a stop for lunch we ventured towards a winery, passing this red barn just beyond the stone fence – one of many in this neck of the woods.

While at the winery, we made the supreme sacrifice of participating in the tasting, followed by the supreme sacrifice of buying some wine to take home with us.

There was artwork on the side of the library in Beacon

the colors of fall

and a wonderful sunset.

There will be more of this adventure to follow, gradually, as the urge strikes me once I am home.