Thankful for Travel

This will be short and sweet because I have been traveling this week.  On the weekend, I will be able to catch up.  What am I thankful for this week?  Willow's Week in Friday Fave Fives (follow the link if you want to join in)

1.  The opportunity to travel.  It really is a privilege to be able to get into your car, drive away and enjoy a new experience.

2.  Beautiful scenery!  Autumn is a great season to travel as the colors are amazing.

3.  There is so much history to experience!  Colonial Williamsburg.  Jamestown.  (lots of photos will be posted as soon as I can sort them out).

4.  Sometimes it works out to visit long time friends.  One evening, we were able to have dinner with a young man and his two daughters who we have known all their lives.  They came to where we were staying and we had the best time.  His wife and the two little ones weren't available for the longer evening travel, so we didn't see them.  But it was a privilege to have those hours with the ones who could come (especially since he is a busy naval officer).

5.  It is wonderful to know you can return home.

Gratitude in Autumn

What made you smile and be thankful this week?  Some weeks, it is just the small things.  Other weeks, it is huge, amazing things.  Whatever God brings in to your life will have ways for you to be grateful.  Here are FRIDAY FAVE FIVES from Willow's Week.  (the link takes you to more!)

1.  When I was at Costco this week, I wandered into the fresh veggies and fruits area where I don't usually go.  Imagine my delight to find RAMBUTAN!  What's rambutan, you ask?  It's a tropical fruit, similar to lychee, that we loved eating when we lived in Indonesia.  The name mean 'hair'.  The reason is obvious when you see the photo.

2.  What's not to love about finding a package on your front porch that you weren't expecting?  And it contained BOOKS!  My beautiful, thoughtful, book loving, librarian daughter-in-law sent me some books by a new to me author.  D.E. Stevenson.  I love anything British, and this author reminds me of Elizabeth Goudge.

3.  The weather has changed.  Time to pull out my warm snuggly AFGHANS!  And one more is almost finished, just in time.

4.  Last night our family drove into the city to attend a showing of the MOVIE Ends of the Earth.  It is produced by Mission Aviation Fellowship, the group of aviators who provided our only means of transportation into the villages where we lived when we were missionaries in Papua, Indonesia.  As you can imagine, we were all so excited to 'see' the places we knew so well.  There was even a clip of one of the national missionaries preaching in OUR little village church.  PLEASE, if you have an opportunity to see this film, GO!

5.  To add joy to our evening, we met a family as we were walking out of the theatre.  Their family member lives in PAPUA!  So we chatted and exchanged information.  The sister even texted her brother--obviously we know the same people and he lives in the town where our children attended boarding school.  What a small and wonderful world!

And here is some fun for you to enjoy...a sign I noticed recently in a local park.  I don't think it is correct...

Best Blessings

FRIDAY FAVE FIVES. (follow the link to read more friends posting their faves)  This is Willow's Week condensed into FIVE BEST BLESSINGS.

1.  Saturday provided opportunities to have a great deal of fun and to show a great deal of patience.  Let me explain.  All the family here decided to drive about two hours south to attend the Renaissance Faire.  It was Viking weekend and we have been excited about enjoying the bagpipes playing and the knights jousting.  All went well with costumes and caravanning. Until.  The last THREE MILES took us THREE HOURS to drive.  Evidently, waaay more people than anyone thought wanted to attend on Saturday.  After two hours of going two miles, The Professor and all the kids jumped out of the two cars and walked the rest of the way.   I'm thankful for finally arriving safely, for good attitudes from everyone, and a fun time at the Ren Faire.

2.  Warm days this week has meant that I have spent hours and hours in my garden.  Mostly I am cleaning and cutting back although we are still eating tomatoes, lettuce and kale daily.  I am so very thankful to have a place to make a garden.

3.  I had a dermatology appointment this week.  Fortunately, there was only one spot that caused the PA to stop and take a small biopsy--just to be sure.

4.  During the evenings this week, we watched some documentaries about Walking Through History with Sir Tony Robinson on Hoopla.  These just made us want to return to England and explore that wonderful countryside and ALL THE HISTORY!

5.  I am so thankful for the wonderful friends we are making in our now home place.  I know I've mentioned our coffee friends.  Every Friday morning we try to meet up and try a new coffee shop around the county.  Good coffee.  Best friends.  You know what I love the most?  Watching the two guys talk nonstop.

BONUS!  Our PAL (youngest granddaughter turned seven (!) this week!  Happy Birthday, PAL!  We love you!

These are just Five Blessings I am thankful for this week.  How about you?

Better Late Than Not At All

 Oh wow!  It's Friday night!  I've had a busy day and am just now sitting down to relax a bit and share my Friday Fave Fives, my weekly discipline of looking back and focusing on the wonderful blessings of my week. (follow that link to join and read of others' thankfulness.)

1.  It doesn't happen often, but Saturday morning all the grandkids are busy and the adults weren't.  So...we took the dogs and enjoyed a morning at a wonderful coffee shop in a neighboring town and then took a long walk on part of the county bike path that we hadn't yet explored.

2.   The leaves are finally just barely turning on the trees.  Maybe autumn is really here.  So much beauty all over the landscape!

3.   Can you believe that this girl is FIFTEEN?  Happy Birthday to our beautiful ZG!  We celebrated with a large group of family at a downtown Columbus restaurant.  (I had to sneak this candid of her as she isn't big on having her photo taken.)

4.  I just have to share this fun photo.  As we were driving New Boy home after school at our house, we noticed this:

What is it???  A UAP? A UFO?  Answer below :)

5.  My brother had a rather major surgery this week.  All is well.  We are so very thankful for excellent healthcare!

That wraps up Willow's Week of many many blessings.  I hope you have a joyful weekend.  Watch for those blessings!

Answer for that UFO?  Did you guess it?  It's a ladybug that landed on our windshield.  It was so cute and I tried to take a picture of it.  The picture didn't turn out so well, but it made a great 'impression'.

October!

 October?  How is it possible?  I know the daylight hours are a bit shorter but it just doesn't feel like October yet.  We've been able to be outside enjoying hikes and bike rides and the weather has been perfect.  There is so much to be thankful for all the time, but this first day of October is just full of blessings.  Here are Five from this week.  I'm sharing with Friday Fave Fives (follow the link).

1.  A new mystery series.  Father Dowling mysteries are set in small town Illinois in the 1970s-80s and center around a Catholic priest who is friends with the chief detective.  Written by Ralph McInerny, they have captivated The Professor and me. They somewhat remind us of Brother Cadfael books.  I admit I love murder mysteries and am glad to have found a new series.

2.  We try to get New Boy (grandson we are homeschooling) out on daily walks for PE.  One day this week we found this little guy hopping across our path.  Can this count as biology too?  I love the diversity of nature!

And here he is in camo...

3.  Garage sale score.  Again.  This week we found a standing lamp for $5!  Perfect for our living room which until now has had NO lights.

4.  On Sunday afternoon, The Professor and I drove to a town about an hour from us where the Frontier Spirit group was doing a weekend of demonstrations about life in 1799-1800.  Our friend is a blacksmith and was making hooks over his fire.  We were equally fascinated by the old surveying equipment and maps in a presentation booth.

5.  My younger girl had a free evening this week, and so did I.  So we enjoyed a yummy dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.  Then we spent about an hour finally hanging some pictures on the wall in my house.  Yeah, I know. I've lived here for a year.  I'm really happy with where we chose to display them. (Still have a few to do...)

I hope you enter this new month with joy and gratitude!