Autumn

The nights are cooling down and in the morning there is a crisp tangy feel in the air--like a bite of pumpkin spice milk shake. The tips of the trees are just beginning to trade in their summery green for the warm hues of fall. When I take Roy out in the morning I can see my breath and in the evenings my cheeks are rosy by the time we finish our walk. Autumn is definitely peeking his head around the door of summer.

This is my favorite time of year. It always has been, but this is the first time I've been able to experience firsthand the little changes that signal the end of summer. Yesterday after church Matt and I stopped in El Diablo to grab a latte and savor the warmth as we walked back to the car in the cool early afternoon. By midafternoon, however, it was warm enough to change into a t-shirt to take Roy for a walk. Every Seattlite in the city is complaining of the one day of rain we've had in weeks and dreads the impending cold. I think Matt and I are the only ones ready to pack away our shorts and break out the scarves and mittens...we love it! To those who said, "How are you going to handle the weather???" I say we miss the rain and can't wait for story nights!

That same day that Jamie called me about that horrific bug web site, I was at the farmer's market happily snapping pictures (until she called, that is). With the coming of harvest the tables are loaded with the fruits of the farmers labor--turnips and peas and pumpkins and squash. Even things like wool and shocks of corn added beauty to the display.

There's only two more weeks left, so you can bet I'll be there again this week, camera and cash in hand!

As for our Roy Boy, he has taken to chasing his tail lately. He's pretty keen to the sound of my camera turning on, however, and as soon as he hears that sound he stops running and lays down with a look on his face that says, "What? I wasn't doin' anythin..."

He, too, is ready for cooler weather.
Here he is practicing his part for the annual Christmas play--he's starring as Rudolph.

Yesterday we watched about 8 hours of football and in honor of the coming season I made a beef and stout pie. Oh. My. Gosh. SOOOO good. Here's the recipe if you ever care to try

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/recipedetail.cfm?objectid=A3F7E1DB%2DE41C%2DE23E%2DFBA1EA0EE6A953B1

I used blue cheese instead of stilton (stilton is stinkin' expensive) and it was DE-LISH. If only it had been about 20 degrees cooler.

Sadly both the Patriots and the Cowboys lost, and to Matt's chagrin the 49ers won. Boo. On to happier subjects.

For those of you not turned in to the latest northwest news, last week an insane murderer escaped during a field trip to the Spokane County Fair. Yes, that's what we do with killers in Washingont. We send them on field trips. They need fun too, don't they? I mean, who wouldn't want to ride next to this guy on the swings?

Did I mention it was Family Day at the fair? Oh, and it wasn't exactly a mad dash to freedom. He walked away. Just walked away! Hellooooo??? And he had ordered pre-packaged food and had all his clothes in his backpack. Last time I went to the fair they checked my purse...wouldn't you think that whoever was supposed to keep an eye on this crazy murderer would have taken a peek in his backpack? Nah.

After he walked away he went to a friend's house who gave him a guitar (insane people need music, too) and a sleeping bag and drove him out of town. Nice. People, I love you but if you ever murder an elderly lady and soak her body in gasoline to throw off the scent for dogs and you showed up on my doorstep, I'd have your butt hauled away. Apparently he had duped the friend into thinking he had just been released. You gotta give the crazy some credit.

The happy part of this story is that he has been captured. And the especially sweet part? When this convict made his first escape, he assaulted the officer who arrested him, separated his shoulder and knocked him unconscious. The same guy was the detective who nabbed him the second time. Revenge is sweet.

So, Mom, you can take a big deep breath that he's back in custody.

Until its Family Fun Day at Bullwinkle's.

Ok I've dwadled long enough. Love to you all and more adventures to come later. Until then, here is a site I've recently discovered and am now addicted to.
http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/


Ohhhh so awkward.

Happy thoughts everyone.