Thanksgiving 2012

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!  It was a quiet Thanksgiving for us; we had no visitors nor did we go anywhere, so we decided to make the most of it and cook anyway.  We had a very traditional meal:  roasted turkey (that was brined), creamed peas, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pies for dessert.  It was a lot of work, but worth it.  We followed up our meal with a walk with Indy.  We lucked out and had a dry day, so it was perfect -- eat a large meal and then go for a long walk.  When we got back from the walk, Kristina had some homemade coconut cream pie and Jared had some homemade pumpkin pie.  The coconut cream pie was a new recipe and definitely a winner.

All in all, it was a good day!  Next up...Christmas!  Can you believe we are that close to the end of 2012?

The End is Near...for the LEAVES!

My oh my what a difference a week makes!  Last weekend was WET and while a lot of leaves had fallen, the trees seemed to have most of their leaves in tact.  But, we have had some colder weather push through and it seems like most of the leaves have now fallen.   Today was a SUNNY and DRY day, but VERY brisk.  When we woke up this morning it was 30 degrees, and it took a WHILE before it warmed up above freezing!  The high was only supposed to be mid-40's today, and we're sure it didn't exceed that by any means.

Look at all of those leaves on the ground.  You can see most of the leaves are on the ground ready for raking!

This shot shows you that the trees near the trail have lost all of their leaves too! 

And of course, here's Indy -- laying down on the job.  It figures!  She is supposed to be helping!  At least she is being a good dog and just hanging out with us!

Jared with the "ain't this just loads of fun" look on his face!  He is really making those leaves pay!

Fall Colors

Once fall arrives in Western Washington...it REALLY arrives.  We have been combating the leaves for a few weeks now, but they have really begun to fall now.  It is amazing how the weather turns and nature goes at it preparing for the upcoming colder weather.  However, before all of the leaves fall off of our trees, we thought we would share some of our wonderful fall colors.  Enjoy!

Here's a shot of the backyard.  The main tree there is the one with the bird feeder!

Here's a shot in the direction of Cottonwood stump.  As you can see, leaves every where! 

A close-up of some of the Big Leaf Maple Leaves...they are BIG. 

Beautiful yellow color...look at all of that work to come our way!

We're not the only ones with great fall colors.  The Tolt Pipeline Trail is just splendid! 

Indy checking things out and wondering why she can't be in the backyard too.  The answer would be that if one of us can't watch her, she likes to go explore.  So we keep her contained when we are busy and let her out when we can keep a close eye on her.  Regardless, she is happy! 

Pretty red...this is a smaller Japanese Maple on the side of our house.  We can't wait for it to get BIG!