BOO!!

Day 305 - Aack... leftovers!

Oh nooooo, I wasn't expecting to be taking another picture of candy! Usually, I'm rather fond of leftovers, but in this case... not so much. The little (and big) ones weren't as numerous tonight as they've been in past years -- only about 65 compared to about 100. *sigh*

Whatever shall we do with allll this sweet stuff? Dear me, we may just have to, uhmmm... cougheatitcough. ;D

Day 304 - Quiet stroll

Not a terribly exciting picture, but I'm glad to have my treadmill working right again. It had developed a most obnoxious thunk/squeal kind of noise and had made what little exercise I get a very unpleasant experience. The fix-it man came yesterday and did... fix it, that is.

Day 303 - Electric pumpkins

Some folks in our neighborhood really get into the spirit of Halloween. This was a clever decoration -- the head (with two faces) on the big one turns around and the lid on the smaller one lifts as a black cat rises up -- cute.

I'm still not too good with nightime photos so these aren't the best quality, but I couldn't resist -- with and without flash.

Day 302 - Chawwwklit

The little munchkins will be getting chocolate goodies on Halloween... minus a few Snickers and a Milky Way or two... or three. ;)

Day 301 - Intense

The blue jays were fighting over acorns in the yard and my beastie girl Zoey went into attack mode. 'Course, having a glass door between them presented the birdies with not a whole lot to worry about.

Day 300 - Majestic maple

Our maple is finally glowing in all its autumn majesty. If the weather stays clear and relatively calm, in another few days it will canopy the front yard in a beautiful golden shade.

Lew's Pics has another lovely view.

Day 299 - You talkin' to me?

Though much needed, this gray and rainy day wasn't the best for outdoor autumn photos. I was trying for the rabbit that at one point scampered onto the patio and yep, stopped to look at me through the patio door. Of course, I couldn't get the camera on quick enough before it hopped on its merry way leaving me to once again settle for yet another squirrel shot. *sigh*

Day 298 - Decadence

I.Love.This.Stuff. Totally love it. From Macaroni Grill, it's called Lemon Passion... a lemon cake soaked in sweet cream then topped with lemon mousse and whipped cream and served with tres leche sauce. Pure decadence. :)

Day 297 - Leaves

Seeing as I didn't venture far from the house today, these leaves on the deck were as autumnal as I got. :)

Day 296 - SSDD

Now, now... be nice. I'm talking about Same SPOT, Different Day. ;)

I took several photos of squirrels and bluejays today, but they all turned out crappy so I deleted them but I did fulfill my project duties of taking a photo a day. Instead, I'm posting a couple I took recently when we were at Cunningham Falls State Park.

These were taken at the same spot but a week apart at different times of the day and under different weather conditions. Note the change in foliage color.

Hunting Creek Lake, Cunningham Falls State Park
October 11, 2008 on a crisp, clear and still day

Hunting Creek Lake, Cunningham Falls State Park
October 17, 2008 on a crisp, partly cloudy and windy day

Day 295 - Benches

We enjoyed another crisp, clear, and windy day with a drive to what's become one of our favorite spots, Baker Park. The bench among the fallen leaves in front of the Schifferstadt Museum made a pretty autumn scene...

as did the color-changing foliage of this little tree on the side of the building.

The chilly winds didn't deter the geese from taking their afternoon swim,

but the park wasn't as populated with sitters and strollers like it usually is on such a beautiful day.

The focal point of the park, Culler Lake, was named in honor of Lloyd C. Culler, who served seven terms as mayor of Frederick in the 20's, 30's, and 40's.

Day 294 - Autumn leaves

Whew! Glad Karin chose Autumn for this week's theme because as much as we've waited for fall to finally explode with color in our parts, it just hasn't cooperated. Last week was probably the best for color as the winds are leaving the trees barer this week.

However, our sugar maple, though not the gorgeous golden color it usually is, is still holding on to most of its leaves. Karin, this one's for you! :)

Day 293 - In the shadows

Apparently the critters are enjoying the dogwood berries. The big tree is almost berry-less and the smaller one looks to be following suit but I found some hiding for today's photo.

It's a blessing... at least they're not eating mulberries and pooping purple all over the place! ;)

Day 292 - Chasing colors

We took advantage of another glorious day -- chilly and windy, but beautiful -- and drove up to Greenbrier State Park on South Mountain looking for more fall colors.

There are patches of beautiful color throughout the park, but a lot is muted and there's still a good bit of green showing. I think what we're seeing is what we're going to get this year rather than the vivid panoramic views we had hoped for.

I'll enjoy it while we can though before the winds blow it all away. Lew's Pics has more pretty views of our day's doings.

Day 291 - Old Man and the Lake

Initially, I was frustrated that the elderly gentleman was "in my way" for a clear shot of the lake, but after looking at the photos, I really liked those with him better than those without. He added a sense of pleasing tranquility to the already peaceful scene.

Day 290 - Light, lamp... whatever

Complete with dust, the speed light* from Lew's old film SLR camera accounts for my word discovery of the day. (I'm sure grateful for digital cameras -- I can't imagine going back to film!)

*electronic flash, also referred to as speed lamp

Day 289 - Prehistoric plaything

While perusing the page between "dinarchy" and "diorthosis," I discovered "dinosaur." Slightly above that I found "dinky." So, I had Lew rummage through the kid's toybox to find...a dinky dinosaur! :)

Day 288 - Politics

My discovery word from the dictionary today could have been "policeman" or even "polka dot" but since I don't have anything dotted and couldn't quite see myself convincing the local constabulary to strike a pose for me, I chose the timely "political" instead. Definitely no shortage of political anything around nowadays... ad nauseam!

Day 287 - Discovering the beauty

Oh boy, this week's theme of discovery is going to be fun! Per Karin's instructions, I randomly opened the dictionary and discovered, believe it or not, the word kaleidoscope. Well, those who know me know that I just happen to collect kaleidoscopes! How's that for karma?? It was meant to be. ;)

This recent addition to my collection was a most thoughtful Christmas gift from my wonderful son and daughter-in-law.

Day 286 - Season's end

"Corn and grain, corn and grain
All that falls shall rise again."
Wiccan harvest chant

Day 285 - Standing out

We drove back up to Cunningham Falls State Park today to check out the Hunting Creek lake area -- we want to make sure we don't miss the peak color season. There's still a lot of green but the leaves are slowly changing and we found patches of color here and there. This orange beauty caught my eye as soon as we got to the lake parking area...

... another view from the side.

Day 284 - Bits of fall color

Little by little the colors of fall are starting to appear. This branch on our backyard oak shows off a pretty array of green, yellow, brown, and rusty orange.

Day 283 - Stripes

I'm really grasping for photos lately and this throw pillow close-up is the best I could come up with today. At least it's an orange stripe.

Day 282 - Simple sauce

Ever have one of those nights when you want some pasta but just don't feel like messing with spaghetti and meatballs or even a meat sauce?? Try this ridiculously simple but tasty tomato sauce from Marcella Hazan.*

All it takes is 2 cups of good canned Italian tomatoes w/juice (San Marzano are recommended), a medium onion, peeled and cut in half, 5 tablespoons of butter (not margarine,) and a bit of salt if you like. Put it all in an uncovered pot, bring to a boil, let simmer for 45 minutes or so, remove the onion, and there you have it... a pure and simple red-orange sauce for your pasta. Oh, and serve with generous amount of paremsan reggiano. :)

*Marcella Hazan is a noted Italian cookbook writer and authority on Italian cuisine.

Day 281 - Basket o' gourds

More orange color spills out from a fall basket decoration on the porch bench.

Day 280 - Splash of orange

Our front porch fall decorations, (relocated to the new bench,) abound with splashes of orange for this week's theme.

Day 279 - Evening light

Couldn't resist yet another shot of the bench and flowers in the evening glow of sunlight and shadow... it's just so peaceful.

Day 278 - Feeble falls

Even though it's a little early, we went for a drive up to Cunningham Falls in the Catoctin Mountains to see if we could catch some fall color. The falls are almost as scant as they were when Lew took the boys in July, and the leaves are still pretty green. Looks like it'll be another couple of weeks or so before they put on their display.

Day 277 - Matching set

Oh joy! We were so pleased with the bench we got last year, that we decided to get some matching pieces -- a small table and another, slightly shorter (3 ft instead of 4 ft) bench. They came yesterday so Lew spent this afternoon sanding the rough spots and putting them together. Tomorrow he'll put the water seal on and they'll be good to go.

Dayy 276 - Ooops, I did it again...

Another quickie last minute shot before the stroke of midnight. Lew watching the news as Buster poked open his eyes to see what I was up to.

Day 275 - Pots of pretty

When we finished decorating the front porch, we thought a little fall color on the patio would look nice.

After taking a picture of the dogwood branch yesterday, the bright yellow of this leaf lying in the grass caught my eye as I walked back to the house.