Much needed change of scenery

Mom and I took a vacation together this past week and I'd like to share a bit about it.  We had a marvelous time!  We went to the Traverse City, Michigan area and stayed in a quaint bed and breakfast near Torch Lake.  Most of our time was spent cruising around in Mom's convertible.  The weather was awesome staying mostly sunny and in the mid 70's.  I even got a little suntan on my face -- not bad for late September.  

The first image is of a little dirt road we took.  We love exploring -- especially in Mom's convertible.  

We spent some time wading in Torch Lake at this little beach.  It is supposed to be the third most beautiful lake in the world (I wonder where the 1st and 2nd place lakes are).  It was nice, but Lake Michigan is still my favorite.

We drove out on Old Mission Peninsula (just North of Traverse City).  It is one the most scenic drives I have ever been on.  It is covered in apple and cherry orchards and numerous vineyards all over the rolling hills.  Beyond that you have a great view of the bay.  

We stopped at a few wineries and sampled plenty of amazing wines.  In fact, besides one piece of artwork that I couldn't pass up, the only things I bought on vacation were fancy foodstuffs.  I got 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of cherry port, a local cheese, chocolate covered dried cherries, pear preserves, pumpkin butter, and hot masala (indian spice) chocolate.

We did much more than that, but I think you get the idea of how pleasant and relaxing our vacation together was.  I'm so happy that Mom and I have such a good relationship with each other.  

Officially Autumn

I guess it is official now.  Autumn is here.  Fall is my favorite season.  I love harvest time and the beautiful colors on the trees.  I like a cup of hot cider and a warm sweatshirt.  The only thing I dislike about Autumn is that Winter comes too quickly after it.  I got up this morning and took a few photos around the farm again.  Here are some soybeans...

And there goes Uncle Dave to pick some corn.  In the front of the image are decorative squash and pumpkins.  Then tomatoes and corn.  Then beyond that soybeans.
If the pigs only knew what was in store for them, they would figure out a way to hop the short fence.  They are getting big and it won't be long... : (  
And here is Mama cat (notice her extra toes - so cute) and her three babies.  They are still very shy.  They didn't know I had snuck up on them while they were eating the food I set out for them.  Mama seems to trust me quite a bit.  She went on the walk with me this morning around the farm - meowing the whole way.  She just wanted me to give her some real meat.  She persuaded me to give her something good.  I grabbed a bag of frozen shrimp that Charlie wasn't going to eat and thawed them and tossed them down to her and the babies.
Now I am going to clean the apartment up a bit.  Then the fun part of my day.  I have to pack my bags and get ready to go on vacation.  Charlie and I are taking separate vacations this year.  They just didn't line up right.  He went with his family to Minnesota for their family reunion (and a few casinos along the way).  I miss him and feel awfully lonely right now.  He gets back tomorrow night and then I leave Tuesday morning (after working 7AM-8PM on Monday - yuck).  I am going up north to Traverse City and Petoskey with my Mom.  We used to do these trips every summer when my Dad and brother went to Oshkosh, WI for an air show.  Since I got married, we haven't really done anything like that so this ought to be fun.  I will take lots of photos and blog when we get back.  

By the way, thanks to everyone who leaves comments on my blog.  I always appreciate your feedback on my photos or what I write about, even if I don't always reply to your comments.  Sometimes it is just nice to know who is reading this.  I hope you all enjoy Autumn as much as I do.  Have a great week!

Above are some scenes from the Farmer's Market that I go to when I can

Dave and Mary on their tractor... and some of their flowers.

These are two of the barn kitties we have this year.  The Mama has finally started to bring them around.  I believe there are three total.  This was shot in the upper storage area of the barn.  They ran and hid as soon as the flash on my camera went off.  They are too cute though, don't you think?