Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Autumn Days


Ah Autumn. I do love these days. They were almost perfect for a road trip to Fort Worth. We didn't see much autumn color but the prairie skies were at their best. We drove south at a leisurely pace, taking two days. We visited Watermark, one of my favorite independent bookstores in Wichita. Breaking up the trip allowed us to arrive in good time for our grandson's Thursday evening junior varsity football game. We knew rain was in the forecast but hoped that it would either blow through quickly or hold off. No luck. As we pulled into the parking lot, the sky darkened and a strong thunderstorm with a little hail and a lot of lightning poured rain. The game was called, as it should be, because of the continuing lightning. Other than that we had a perfectly lovely visit.

Friday we took our grandson to breakfast and dropped him at school. Then my husband and I toured the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. We enjoyed several collections including an exhibit of photography by Gordon Parks. Parks, an African American (1912- 2006) born in Kansas was a remarkable photojournalist of wide ranging subjects. He understood photography was a way to fight racism and discrimination and had his work published in Life Magazine. That evening we all went out to dinner together at a favorite local Italian restaurant. We spent Saturday together, trying to cheer on the Huskers. Evidently we didn't cheer hard enough. No matter, the soups and hard rolls were delicious and the company even better. We drove home in one beautiful autumn day. Deer grazed in a tawny Kansas wheat field and we were fortunate to avoid hitting another on the highway just south of town. They are hard to see at dusk. We arrived home as a gorgeous harvest (full) moon rose in the sky. I didn't take many photos. I just enjoyed the days with family and watched the sky. My husband drove most of the miles so I knit on hats and mittens for the Connecticut kids.


Since I am linking with Kat and the Unravelers today, I'll update my same-old knitting projects. I finished Kate's Christmas Socks. She helped pick out the yarn so I am not spoiling any surprise here. I've been chugging along with this sweater. Stockinette in the round has a nice quiet rhythm and I have another two-three inches to the ribbing. I tried the sweater on again and I like the fit. I cast on Norah's hat yesterday.


This morning I am at my desk thankful to see a flicker, several chickadees, and a female downy woodpecker in and out of the birch. A few robins enjoy the small berries in the ornamental pear tree. With all the bad news about the demise of birds, I am encouraged to see these species in my yard.

I thoroughly enjoyed Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss  by Margaret Renkl. She muses thoughtfully about family stories and the natural world in Tennessee where she lives. The book is beautifully illustrated with renderings of plants and wildlife by her brother. Who doesn't like a book with illustrations? I am reading a so-so historical novel, The White Garden: A Novel of Virginia Woolf that I plan to finish. It isn't a great read but was available as an electronic library loan and I wanted something in that format for the Texas trip. 

Until next time, may the autumn sun warm your back and your heart. 

 

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like a wonderful trip! And that moon was fantastic! Your knits are lovely, love the colors you chose. Happy fall, may it last awhile longer.

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  2. Ah Fall/Autumn. My most favorite time. Your visit to Fort Worth sounds just so nice and family time is the best. Love the color of your sweater - so pretty. I, too, enjoyed Late Migrations a lot. We have noticed that the birds appearing in our yard have changed a bit from just several weeks ago - the cat birds are gone, the flickers have arrived. We still have a few robins as well. Nuthatches and chickadees are back. We have started filling feeders again.

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  3. This is truly my favorite time of the entire year, and I am sad that it can be so short-lived! Cooking dinner tonight I saw a feisty blue jay in the bush by the back door - he made me smile as he sat there on his perch out of the day long rains we have had. I am glad that your trip was so lovely!

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  4. Glad you had a wonderful trip.

    Beautiful socks.

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  5. Taking two days and stopping by an independent book store help make a road trip even more fun! I'm glad you had such a nice trip, got some knitting done, visited with family, and appreciated fall on the prairie. Those socks are beautiful, and your sweater just says juicy raspberries to me.

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  6. I love your description of the prairies in fall ... where I live, fall is all about cooling temperatures and leaves changing colors - it's nice to learn about the seasons that others experience, too. Glad your trip was a success!

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  7. Fall is such a beautiful time of year! I'm so glad you're able to enjoy the cool and the colors of fall! Lovely knitting -- and it sounds like a great road trip. :-)

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  8. so glad you had a good trip and I love your current knits.

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  9. The socks are great. The sweater is just beautiful!!!!!

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