Most of the visit home involved getting Dad's garden ready for winter, weeding and spreading mulch. The japanese beetles decimated the roses this summer, and the blooms were just starting to bounce back (most of the foliage never recovered). A little late, I'm afraid.
Mom's hydrangea is hanging on. It was beautiful this summer, with blooms ranging from red to blue to dark purple all on the same bush.
What's a chilly fall weekend without a football game? My nephew (#82 -- 13 years old and already six feet tall) and his team performed valiantly, but lost their final game of the season.
I took dozens of pictures of him at his game...or so I thought. When I got home and looked at them on my computer, I discovered that most of the pictures were of #62, who is roughly the same size and whose jersey number was barely indistinguishable from my nephew's. At least in my aging eyes.
My youngest nephew loves these days because he gets to play tag and keepaway behind the stands with his friends. I don't think he watches his brother's games at all.
This pumpkin made an early appearance down the street.
This is Madison. He lives two blocks away, but hung out with me a lot this summer while I was in the yard. My mother hadn't seen him since I left in August, but the morning after I arrived home, he came trotting up the driveway. He's the sweetest boy, I think he has a crush on me. Or the treats. Can you see the love in those eyes?
This baby quilt got de-haired and washed while I was home. Lots of parallel stitching, mostly navy threads with some aqua thrown in for good measure. It was getting a little boring as I got out toward the edges. Not sure if those few brighter threads livens it up enough, but at this point, I'm just happy to have it finished and don't care to revisit.
I'm torn between which side I like the most. This picture of the back looks a little washed out -- perhaps because it'd started raining while I was shooting. It's an old Amy Butler print (maybe?) paired with teal Kanvas Palazzo Circles. They coordinate perfectly -- with each other, and with the intended's nursery decor.
On my way back to Chicago, I stopped at the beach in South Haven for a quick overnight, arriving just in time for another spectacular sunset. As the weather gets cooler, the colors get more breathtaking.
It's sad to see the harbor empty, but it'll be bustling again in just a few short (but extremely cold) months.
Lots of little treasures get revealed when the gardens around the beach start to wane.
One last look at the lake to say goodbye...
