Sometimes you have to get away

It has been an intense summer.

We needed a break.

Our usual summer holiday with cousins became a fall visit.

It was different to be in Northern Ohio in the fall,

 when buckeye trees are heavy with buckeyes.

 We explored a changing landscape, half late summer and half early fall.

 There were adventures,

some of which involved being really high up.

There were expeditions to see interesting things.

There were fine meals and euchre games on the porch of the lakehouse.

 But mostly there was the lake.

The early morning walk

 wandering wet-footed down the sand,

And the afternoon sitting on the beach 

being soothed by waves.

Moving up

Well, this is it, folks.

Father's Day and an absence of fathers... 

It's our first holiday without at least one of them.

We are the last ones left from this 1969 family picture.

It's official.

We are now the Older Generation.

A step behind

Yes, I wasn't finished with 2015 when 2016 came roaring in.

And the first quarter of the year has flown by.

I feel just like I'm standing backwards on an escalator going up.

Thanks to the Laramie Lass for providing the metaphor!

Cold January

Winter waited until now to arrive.

It caught the birds by surprise.

They were loafing in the unusual warmth of December, 

feasting on all the weeds we'd left to go to seed.

Then the snow came.

 I filled all the feeders.

Birds were flocking in before I'd even finished.

 They weren't all into sharing -- see the downy woodpeckers facing off?

 The gate froze shut.

Even when the sun came out today,

it was still a great time to spend inside looking out.

Looking Back: November 2015

The month of November began as it always does, with Granddad's birthday.

He celebrated 96 with balloons and company,

and complete disbelief that he was that old.

And he enjoyed the company and the celebration,

but the candy really got his attention!

Then there was the traditional Guy Fawkes bonfire,

with spectacular sparks flying high over our heads.

In fact, November is a month of traditional celebrations, isn't it?

We celebrated the Beaujolais Nouveau with a wine party,

a taste of the brash new wine and a glass of good old wine.

It's good to have traditions.

HoosierKitty added a new one to Thanksgiving: cranberry cordial.

It was a lovely addition to the usual feast,

which we enjoyed all the more for the Indy Duo who shared it with us.

There was even more storytelling, with PC at the IU Art Museum.

and snow, actual cold wet snow, made a very brief appearance.

But mostly November was bright and clear,

so busy and so full of parties and events and work

that I made little record of it beyond a few photos.

Looking back...October

I guess I didn't post the rest of Fall, after the important event of my birthday.  There really was more to the month:

 Storytelling.. in Indianapolis, at the Crown Hill Cemetery, to start the spooky story season.

 Cousins going on the artist studio tour in Brown County,

finding interesting and original places as well as art. 

 Hiking, admiring the leaves,

 and their reflections in the still lake.

 Happy to have family together.

 Then, the more mundane aspects of the month:

the house being painted,

 days downtown at work.

More storytelling, then--

Halloween.

a full October. 

The celebration ends...

I just have to accept it.

My birthday is over.

 The lovely roses have faded.

 The lovely chocolates are eaten.

 Birthday cards have given way to Halloween decorations.

 The traditional picnic has been enjoyed.

 Presents have been opened and put to use.

Oh wait...there's one more!

It isn't over yet!

Amazon.com, here I come.

Gaming the Garage

I've been playing all the usual driving games since I first learned to drive.  

We played "Dodge the Distracted Driver" even before cell phones.  

 My Dad taught me "Ride the Wave" as soon as the stoplights in Huntington were synchronized. 

When we moved to Bloomington, I played "Miss the Murmuration of Students" from both sides.  Certainly I've had plenty of opportunity to enjoy "Construction Zone Conga" over the past few years.  

But since June I've been playing something new and challenging: Gaming the Garage.

 The playing field is a poorly designed, tightly packed, heavily used parking garage.

Game play begins when you take a ticket --

and if the person in front of you can't manage to push the button and get the gate to go up, you get one point before you even begin.

Also a point for every car that piles up behind you.

If the person who can't manage the ticket/gate situation starts to back up

into the line of cars which now includes you

and you can't back up because the bumper-to-bumper line is out to the street,

you get at least 5 points.

This doesn't happen every day.

Most of the time you begin with 0 points,

and you want to end with as few points as possible.

 Your base score is the floor where you end up finding a parking place.

This is rarely below 7.

 As you negotiate the levels, you accumulate points based on the hazards you spot and miss.

Some of these are stationary, for example a truck bed that is actually longer than the parking space

and so sticks out into your lane.

If it has a trailer hitch or bike rack, add another point.

 Mostly you get points for moving hazards.

Here's the most frequent -- drivers swinging too far out on the turns.

If you're behind them it's only 1 point,

but if you are the car narrowly escaping a head-on collusion it's 2 points.

In fact, you can take a point for any driver driving in your lane.

This usually gives you at least 3 or 4 points right away.

You can also take a point for cars backing out in front of you.

Especially if it is someone who just pulled into a parking place

and backs out to adjust their angle

even though you are obviously right behind them and have been for the past five levels.

 The garage serves both a hotel and a student apartment building so there are lots of points from not hitting pedestrians.

Just walking in front of you = 1 point.

Opening their trunk and standing in your lane while they get stuff out = 2 points

Walking in your lane while dragging luggage and talking on their cell  (or texting) = 3 points

Groups oblivious to the fact that they are actually standing in the middle of a driving lane while carrying on animated conversations = 4 points

You can add extra points depending on how aggravating the pedestrian behavior might be.

After all, you are getting the points for NOT HITTING them.

That's the base game.

But every time you play there are new situations to consider.

For example: 

How many points do you get when the driver in front of you gets out and starts pushing his truck?

And how badly do you lose when you end up with paint scraped off your shiny new car?

Company

The old house had been sitting quietly in the summer sun, while weeds grew up around it and the only sound was the chip of the chipmunk and the call of the birds. 

The people had been away visiting.

Even when they were home, the house was quiet.

Then came August.

 Company came from clear across the country!

The old house woke up!

 There were people having breakfast in the kitchen,

 there was the sound of the old piano in the dining room.

 The old red rooster was rocking again!

The pretty ponies were prancing again!

Umbrellas were opened!

There were people around the picnic table,

there were cousins in the pool,

and the pool was full of splashes and action again.

There was the excitement of getting ready for a wedding

and a birthday.

Thank you to our company!

You brought the old house to life again!