Thanks-giving!

It doesn’t get much better than a crisp, sunny October day. We haven’t had that first frost yet, so there are still some roses and late autumn clematis blooming as well as the odd borage, some gentian sage, and, of course, purple asters and sedum spectabile, floral stars of the autumn garden. But flowers become a bit ho-hum by this time, in light of the leaf show. Of course, we get nowhere near the drama of our Easten Canadians, but still . . .
One of the first things I’ll do when I retire (still a few years away, at least) is take a photography course that will teach me how to capture light. I was mesmerized, the other day, by the quality of the early morning fall light, but suppressing the flash meant leaving the shutter open for longer. Which, of course, meant more blur unless I could hold the camera motionless for the required extra microseconds. And I often couldn’t. Still, I’ve got a hint of that light in the photo above and the one below. . .

We’ve got almost all our kids and their partners and our granddaughter over here for Thanksgiving dinner, which we like to have on Sunday, leaving the Monday for travel back home. Bronwen, Adam, and Nola arrived last night; Megan and Rob will arrive later today, Megan carrying tons of textbooks ’cause she can barely pry herself away from the studying (paying off, obviously, since she’s been picking up some impressive marks in tough classes); and Zach and Joey will arrive just at dinnertime, with Joey perhaps starting to cramp up a bit after running her Half Marathon this morning — she’ll surely bring a good appetite.

I’m going off for my own run now, then will spend as much time as possible playing with Nola, in between putting together some pumpkin pies (Pater will do most of the meal, although I usually do the stuffing, using my dad’s recipe). I’m unlikely to blog tomorrow after today’s busy-ness, so I’ll wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, even if I’m a day early.

7 Comments

  1. Puttermeister
    11 October 2009 / 8:22 pm

    Oh how I wish California had a fall. The temperature here just gets a bit lower, and the fog in the mornings sticks around a bit longer. I love to see the leaves change, but I'll have to see it through your blog!

  2. Duchesse
    11 October 2009 / 10:25 pm

    What's in your stuffing? We have glorious leaves here in s/w Ontario. Since both boys work on Sunday we'll have our dinner on Monday. Happy Thanksgiving!

  3. indigo16
    12 October 2009 / 10:55 am

    The colours in the landscapes in your previous ost are amazing. You certainly have an amazing view. I also like the fact your camera does not overegg the colour which my one does.
    I quite like the leaves falling at the moment creating some interesting skeletal shapes.
    Happy Thanksgiving. Wish I could grab a slice of that pumkin pie!

  4. Mardel
    12 October 2009 / 2:58 pm

    The leaves are off the trees in the hollows, and are just starting to turn on the higher ground of the hills. I love your photos. Happy Thanksgiving.

  5. La Belette Rouge
    12 October 2009 / 7:15 pm

    Your fauna, flora and family plans are all gorgeous! Stuffing and pumpkin pie sound fantastic. I would run all the way to Vancouver just to have some(okay, not really;-). Happy Thanksgiving!

  6. materfamilias
    12 October 2009 / 10:21 pm

    PM: Not sure which I like best, spring or fall, but I'm glad we spend so long in the transition seasons here. . . I'll try to post lots of fall colour just for you!
    Duchesse: It's a plebian stuffing — bread, pork sausage, onions, celery, sometimes apple, sometimes mushrooms, sometimes smoked oysters. But I always soak the bread in milk first, then squeeze it dry, just the way my dad made his. It's a very moist dressing and keeps the bird yummy and moist while keeping a family tradition going, so it pleases me. And yes, your Ontario leaves are fabulous — I've only seen them a few times, mostly in the Gatineau hills where I was mesmerized by their luminosity. Hard to believe if you haven't seen them in person.
    IndieAl: We have pie left — blackberry as well as pumpkin. C'mon over!
    Mardel: Enjoy the fall!
    LBR: Table's set . . . hurry, hurry!

  7. LPC
    13 October 2009 / 6:24 pm

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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