This hawk was trying to get the little birds in the front yard and then flew to this tree in the back yard. After nonchalantly eyeing me he dove down into the thicket of shrubs where a hundred small birds exploded into flight. I don't know if the hawk got his dinner. He didn't fly away and I chose not to explore further.

Autumn Sunrise over the pond...

Manisha and Vidhya

We had the pleasure of having Manisha and Vidhya come to our home. Together they created a feast of Indian food. We had a lovely evening filled with cooking lessons, laughter and fine dining.

Some of the ingredients.....

Dinner time !!

The butter chicken had a depth of flavor that one can only experience. Spicy, tomatoey (new word) and addictive. The paneer was also spicy and delicious and the chapati kept the tongue from catching fire. Wonderful meal. I have no doubt that I could not replicate it in this lifetime:) I think you have to be born in India to achieve these dishes.

Morning Glories...give over their seed for next year.

Our very own Ogre :)

Out our kitchen door.....

Waiting for Spring

Sycamore Tree in Autumn

This Sycamore Tree is well over a hundred feet tall. Sycamore trees can grow up to one hundred seventy feet and live for up to five hundred years. This nest is so high up in this tree....all the babies had to do was fall out as they would have plenty of time to learn how to fly before they reached the ground.

Ginkgo in Autumn...Ginkgo trees can live for over a thousand years.

Autumn sunset....

Morning Glories still trying....

Autumn flowers....

Last Rose of Summer.....

Autumn in Indiana

The Pond and fields in Autumn.....

And now presenting, "The Pergola at the Pond" To see more details go to Bruce's new blog http://www.havetablewilltravelbruce.blogspot.com/?view=classic

The Pergola....Bruce estimated it would take twenty to thirty hours to make...So, how long?? Well, we all know you double your guesstimate, sixty hours was about what it took to complete.

Leveling the pergola required much pushing, pulling, rocking and coaxing. With a final pull of a come along, ok many pulls of a come along, the pergola is now level and standing proudly in the field.

We will transplant the Wisteria plant and next summer will have it climbing agressively over the pergola, giving shade to whomever sits below it's canopy.

Morgan and Quinn helped to dig the four foot holes where the posts were planted. I had helped to dig two holes with Bruce...I have to say I was amazed with how quickly and easily Morgan and Quinn dug the final two holes....with energy left over to jump in and out of their work.

"Hope Ride"-this is a bike ride that runs every year to support the food shelf in Hope Indiana. This year there was twenty three hundred riders. We rode twenty five miles you could take routes that went as high as one hundred miles. It was a beautiful day on the mostly empty roads. Morgan joined us on her first twenty five mile bike ride. Clearly her fitness developed through her hockey training works for biking also. The day was supported by bands at each rest stop and an amazing meal donated by the "Chipolte Grill".