Well, it's the first day of Fall, which basically means less humidity here on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I like the slightly cooler, gentle breezes and the sunshine here in September. October through December are absolute perfection, and, in my humble opinion, you just can't beat a winter spent in Florida. I love the Tampa Bay area, it feels like home now, and I can't image living anywhere else.
Having said that ... I can't help but to get homesick in the Fall, when the leaves are about to change up north, and the air is getting crisp, and people are bringing their sweaters out of storage. For me, "home" is Adah/German Township, Pennsylvania, where I grew up - and also Morgantown, West Virginia, where I lived. twice. for a total of 10 years. The leaves are about to change and it'll soon be cold. I'd love to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and have a long talk with my sister. Or go for a walk with my mom at Brown's Run trail or Friendship Hill and hear nothing but the birds and the crunch of fall leaves under our feet.
It hasn't worked out for me to make a trip home this Fall, so I'm going to take a little trip through this little blog of mine. So, here a few random photos that remind me of home ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friendship Hill, Point Marion, PA.
My sister Cheryl's cat, Bella, in the garden...
Tomatoes fresh from the garden.
Cheryl's flowers...
Here's a shot of my son, Justin, and my nieces Laura and Amber several years ago, walking on my sister's property in Morgantown. They were teenagers here. Now they're all grown up.
Where does the time go?
Bella looking very comfortable on the back porch.
Tygart Lake
A sweet little visitor ...
Mom's home made apple pie, ready to go in the oven.
Morgantown. The courthouse is in the background.
Cooper's Rock State Forest
Mom's shell stitch.
Daisies...
On the porch...
Mom's peonies.
The small town charm of Point Marion in the Fall.
My niece and her husband in front of the Monongalia County
Arts Center, in Morgantown.
When I go home, I'm always putting things in my mother's kitchen window to photograph them,
which she thinks is strange, lol! I can't help myself - there's some sweet light there :-)
This one reminds me of a line in one of my favorite scenes in Anne of Green Gables,
"This is the last of the Queen Anne's Lace for the summer."
Ok, so this isn't my mom's kitchen window, it's my niece's kitchen window... she has sweet light, too!
So, I'm ashamed to say, I took the below photo with my cell phone... while driving (eeek!) ... it's not great quality, but it sure does remind me of home. My grandparents used to live right up the street from this house, and my mother grew up with the people who still live there. I always loved the view coming down this hill. When all the aunts, uncles and cousins would come for family reunions, we would take long walks in these woods.
Well, in going through my old photos, I've decided that I need to take a lot more photographs the next time I go home!
Happy Fall everyone, wherever you may be!
