Happy Thanksgiving 2014

Our three daughters and their partners were all able to attend our Thanksgiving weekend get-together this year and we enjoyed their company from Friday night through Sunday. Here we are, assembled for a group portrait on Saturday afternoon. We had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and rutabaga, with pumpkin and grape pies for dessert. It has been a perfect fall weekend, with brisk, bright, sunny weather to set off the pleasure of spending time together.

Once all our visitors headed for home on Sunday afternoon, the house felt quiet and empty. We decided to take Pookie the corgi for a walk at Baxter Conservation Area to top off the weekend and soak up some more sun on this perfect fall day.

Baxter Conservation Area is located along the Rideau River, just north and east of the town of Kemptville, Ontario. The 68 hectare site offers five kilometers of trails through forest and wetland and peaceful views of the Rideau River.

It was a lovely spot to appreciate the last of the autumn leaves, now past their height and beginning to fall from the trees, but still colourful.

A boardwalk and elevated lookout viewing stand allow a closeup look at the marsh and wetlands.

The park was quiet, with just a few late-flying meadowhawk dragonflies to be seen. The walk was a perfect a way to wind down from a busy weekend, for both us and the dog! I hope you have been enjoying a pleasant Thanksgiving or Columbus day weekend too.

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Autumn Reverie

This weekend, the weather was intermittently rainy and blustery. Although there were still some pleasant sunny patches, and the temperature was not too cold, the wind and rain were enough to bring down a lot of the fall leaves, leaving many of the trees looking bare and wintry by this morning.

The fall colours are definitely past their best, and before they disappear completely for another year, I thought I’d post a few photographs taken over the last couple of weeks.

The colours seemed slow to take hold this year, perhaps a result of the dry weather we had this summer. However, in the last few days of peak season, there seemed to be a burst of brilliance and we were treated to a wonderful display.

In order to accommodate busy schedules, we celebrated Thanksgiving a week late and just had our family dinner this weekend. It was wonderful to have our three daughter and assorted beaus, not to mention dogs, here together.

We enjoyed the traditional turkey dinner, with our usual Brussels sprouts and turnip and squash. We topped it off with grape and pumpkin pies.

On television lately, there have been some very nice commercials produced for Maple Leaf Foods. They feature families and friends gathered together for an evening meal and are accompanied by a verse that captures the essence of sharing a Thanksgiving dinner together.

Here it is:

Sun heads west,
Smells get sweet.
Stop spinning world,
For now we eat!

Swapping tales,
Taking time,
With luscious feasts
And all that’s prime.

In quilts of memories,
Smiles are threads.
Not yet night!
We’re breaking bread.

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