Fall has been full of activity. From a week at Pingree, Colorado to an evening of drumming with artist friends to a visit from Maggie for a color workshop, we've packed the season full of fun and color.

Hillary's been traveling the country and we vicariously enjoy her Burning Man sojourn each year. David's entering his last year at CMU and Tessa's teaching there. Tessa's also got a full schedule of impressive shows in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and the Toronto area this fall and winter.

Blair's drumming has taken a more serious turn with the group often requested to perform at a wide variety of functions.

We continue to work our day jobs with the election having a significant impact on Cynthia's job what with lots of folks retiring and the administration changing.

And today Carol and I went to lunch with Aunt Mary and Rosemary who are here on a visit from Florida. At nearly 101, Aunt Mary kept me laughing with her stories about her continuing search for the perfect man. She certainly is a role model for aging well.

November includes a trip to Santa Fe for a week with friends and then the gathering of the family for Thanksgiving dinner.

Glenda Ferrenbach was here for a visit from France recently and we spruced up the site for her home in France. Take a look. 

We had a great time in Whistler, Vancouver and Seattle. Thanks to Mike and Min for the use of the condo and to Grace and Adolph's continuing hospitality.

You can see some additional vacation pictures here, including the incriminating one that shows us all relaxing with our laptops. Our hiking jaunts were interspersed with web surfing. Watching the mountain bikers careen down the ski slopes was something to behold.

It was a glimpse at another world and lovely chance to get away from it all.

First there was the ear operation…hearing's much improved thanks to medical science. Blair drummed in the Arlington parade this year. What a treat and a paying gig! The bedroom's done and lovely. On to the next project.

David's back from Serbia and Tessa's returned from her travels. Hillary leaves NYC in August for some new adventures.

We're having way too much fun this summer. Back from a week's visit with his parents in Florida, Blair's drumming and recording and working more than he'd like.

A group of us girls took a road trip to NYC to visit Hillary and Grace and Patsy and others.

We've puttered around with the upstairs bedroom for months. Blair was lamenting the ease with which one can draw these designs and the difficulty in executing them. There are more cabinets and glass and lights in this room than you can imagine. Carpeting is next. Then the dreaded cleaning of the glass and dusting of the collections. With any luck, we'll move into it this month.

The neighborhood is filled with kids who love to come and swing in our front yard.

Breakfast Club out on the patio at La Chatelaine is a Saturday morning ritual that we thoroughly enjoy with our friends.

David's back from an trip with his CMU class to Serbia and Tessa finished her art residency in Virginia.

Life is good.

We got dressed up and looked presentable so naturally I took a picture. Carol Hershey invited the Breakfast Club women to a styleshow at the country club which proves that we can still pass as normal suburban matrons when the occasion requires. I don't think any of us will be fitting into the little Ann Taylor togs on display but it was fun to look. Thanks Carol.

Blair turned a wooden frame for a stained glass piece to be installed at our local French restaurant, La Chatelaine. He was proud of its size and that it survived the process intact.

Blair continues to work with Dorothy Barnes (see examples of her work here or scroll way down on this page) and I love the pieces of wood strewn about the basement in various stages of completion. Even in the initial stages, we enjoy viewing the wood through Dorothy's eyes and following where her creative genius leads.

The bedroom renovation is coming along well and we're adjusting to the idea that we will soon be "sleeping with the fishes" and bones and mechanical toys and other collections of Blair's.

The pear tree's going too. Seems a shame when it's just blooming but it's either that or let its roots heave up the driveway and wait for another storm to take it down.

Let's hope the ladder holds.

New sofa	Museum/bedroom upstairs

When we added that 8′ of width to the basement and first floor, we got an extra addition upstairs as well. With everything else finished, Blair is turning his skills to that room.

What was the museum for Blair’s mechanical toys, quack medical devices and other esoterica will now also house the near-fossilized owners.

That box in the foreground is the bed base and the grid on the far wall is the beginning of lighted glass cabinet. Meanwhile downstairs I replaced the aging leather furniture with new.

I’m having a grand time out on Whidbey with friends. This afternoon we took a tour of a magical cottage deep in the woods. Here are a few pics of various sites. More later.