Earlier today I spied snow that had dusted the mountaintops last night. None on the ground here, though maybe tonight or tomorrow night...

Last month I had returned home for some family birthdays. Our family went up to Niagara Falls for the day. The American Falls are in the foreground, the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls in the background. They're 150' - 180' high.

picture by: my bro.

the 'rents.

(behind them is a large rapid upriver. this area would probably be underwater if both countries weren't diverting water for the hydro plants. remember those small islands we went walking on, marv?) 

the fam. 

Mystery Fruit

Walking this fall, I took notice of a very bushy tree in a neighbor's yard. It was about eight feet tall and had small green fruits all over it, which ripened to yellow in the heat of September. Since this is Virginia, I wasn't sure what it could be. Tonight I snuck into their yard and picked up a few of the fallen fruits. They're a bit fuzzy, as you can see in the picture. What do you think?

(BTW, I also picked up Proust again, which is at the top of this pic.) 

Is lemon too obvious an answer? In VA?

Homemade granola. Can you say....yummy?! Perfect for cool fall days or nights with warm soymilk. 

I was lucky enough this week to take off at the last minute with a friend to The Homestead resort, which is a national historic landmark tucked in the Virginia mountains close to the WV line. It's an amazing place...prepared to be pampered like you wouldn't believe! The only reason I was able to stay is because a friend had a conference there. These peeps have mad money, yo.

the east wing.

this is only two-thirds of it.

i sat out here for a while reading and waiting for my friend to finish his seminar.

the great hall. no jeans, please.

the spa entrance. the steaming pool to the right are some of the hot springs bubbling up.

a classic sign on the drive out.

yes, more foliage pics! these guys weren't too thrilled either...

the reds and yellows were spectacular this year...we were afraid everything was going to be brown because of a slight drought this fall.

syria valley

hebron valley

there are a lot of these small roads snaking up into the mountains.

Get out and VOTE! Tuesday, Nov 8th.

Let's turn this sinking ship around... It's obvious that those currently in power are not capable of leading.

god bless small town amerika.

Coming soon to a town near you!

Buzz!

The best coffee shop anywhere is in my little town. On the left side are some remnants of the old freight elevator. Beefcake on the right. Watchout: Starbucks invades next year! (yes, in a town with population: 13,500.)

I think this weekend is peak leaf season for us. Since we're having Indian summer right now, a topless drive along the mountains is in order.

Mountain Run Lake. It was a beautiful view before they started building houses here--hence, pre-dumpster. Since it's part of our drinking water supply, I'm surprised they're allowing development. Most lakes in Virginia and Maryland are man-made.

a lunchtime break

sparkle sparkle

From the office window

 

 

Not too many sugar maples in these parts, but they're offering the best color so far. We had snow on the mountains a few days ago, but right now I'm enjoying our 70 degree day temps of late.

Still waiting for some color on top of Old Rag. The trees might just turn brown this year due to the slight drought we had.

Dirt road