I made it to the last day! It's October 31st. This afternoon my daughter-in-law Jennifer and I hiked at Dawes Arboretum again. Almost four miles. We tromped through the fallen leaves and followed the main trail to the gorge overlook trail. Two of my favorite photos from today.
And tomorrow is November first. All Saints Day. And now, here comes Thanksgiving!
On your last day in a lovely Alaskan town, what do you do? You go for a hike! (Isn't that normal? Doesn't everyone do that?)
A word about the hiking sticks we used. Evidently, people find the sticks in the woods and fix them up as hiking sticks and leave them at trail heads for whoever needs a pole for their hike. We found these two sticks and used them as we hiked. Then at the end of trail, we left them where we found them for the next hikers to use.
Truthfully, if we had known just how steep and rugged this trail was, we might not have done this hike.
Fortified by our coffee and cinnamon rolls, we decided to take a hike. The weather was amazingly clear and the sky was blue and cloudless (unusual for Alaska).
We crossed the Skagway River and hiked up and down the hills to Smugglers Cove.
Yes, the terrain was hilly and steep.
Now I'm convinced that Fall is truly here. It's October! And it's Friday. It has been an active week and I have hardly even been on my computer much. Time to hit a pause button and relax a bit and think about the blessings of this week. Friday Faves Fives is my way to do that.
1. I am thankful for sunrises and sunsets. In a book that my Art Girls friends and I are reading, the author reminds us to notice how God shows us every day the beauty of His creation. We have decided to share our sunrise and sunset photos with each other. I sent them this one which I know I have posted here before.
2. I am also thankful for rainy days. Like today. The rain replenishes our ground and garden so I don't have to water it. There is something about rainy days that makes me feel it is okay to relax a bit. Tea and a book and my knitting.
3. I am thankful for my Art Girls friends. Years ago, we all five lived in the same town in California and enjoyed our times together painting, knitting, discussing books, visiting art museums. Then three of us moved away. But we still maintain our friendships via texts and zoom meetings
4. Two hikes this week with Mia and the dogs. One of the hikes was at the county park Infirmary Mound. The area is quite hilly and much is covered with forest. There's a lake which we walked around. Two or three miles here is definitely a workout. This photo doesn't show just how high the hill was where we were standing.
5. I am thankful that my daughter-in-law Jennifer (PAL's mom) encouraged me to join Well Read Mom book club. I am reading books that I would never have added to my list. This month's read is So Big by Edna Ferber. I am enjoying it and I don't think I would have ever read this book if the book club hadn't chosen it for the October read.
I hope you have found time this week to relax and remind yourself of the beauty around you.
I am late to the Friday Fave Fives party this week. I have been having difficulties posting. After writing up my whole FFF post, it has disappeared. No idea why. But anyway, I am back, endeavoring to try again.
I am truly thankful for Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for hosting Friday Fave Fives every week and encouraging us to remember to be thankful for all the good things that have happened to us. So, here are mine.
1. Another reason I am late posting is that yesterday, Friday, I had an outpatient medical procedure (planned). Results are good, as far as I know. The Professor provided transportation and took excellent care of me.
2. Last Saturday, I attended TWO knit group activities. One was in the morning and is the group I host with my daughter Nurse Girl. In the afternoon, I spent a few hours with another group that meets occasionally at a friend's home in a town south of me. A good time was had by all at both meet ups. I mean, what could be better than knitting and snacking all day?
3. A fun three mile walk with my daughter and the granddogs. We walked, talked and sipped on hot teas while wrestling the dogs who are called The Mongrels by her. The weather was perfect.
4. Another wonderful hike with our daughter-in-law this afternoon. We hiked a trail we usually don't take. It was a new one for them, and I have only done it once. The path follows the river along the canal that once helped link Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
5. My new laptop is becoming more familiar now to me and I am able to transfer photos from my camera to the computer. Here's proof:
Come back for more!!
I hope your week has been wonderful and full of blessings!
Happy Friday! And Happy Fave Fives! I hope you have had a productive and joyful week. I'm here on Day 21 to share my Friday Fave Fives. (the link takes you to Susanne's blog so you can read more and join in)
Every morning is a fresh start.
Wake up with a thankful heart.
1. I noticed this statement on a facebook post this week. It struck me with its truth. Yes, we need to begin each day being thankful.
2. I am making good progress on some knitting projects. More miniature Christmas mittens (I have a decorating plan). Gloves for myself. A sweater for newborn baby boy.
3. A good visit with my dermatologist. And maybe a plan moving forward to help with the remaining issues.
4. Some warmish days. I was able to be outside a bit to continue to work in the garden, putting the beds to sleep for the winter.
5. I am always thankful for hikes in the the woods, especially with my family. This week's hike was at Infirmary Mound Park, a large county park that has many many trails including the fairy trail. This week as we were walking through a dense forested area, I told Nurse Girl, "This looks like where we hiked up to Hadrian's Wall." What a beautiful world we live in!
