Thanksgiving 2016

First off, I am so thankful for Sara, who accompanied me on my forays into the mountains for our Christmas trees, which made me brave and offered me friendship and cheer so that I could find what I wanted, and find my way back out of the tangle of logging roads.
I'm also thankful for all my loved ones.  Family is good, and that doesn't just mean blood-related.  I am blessed to share love with many.  Here is some of my good fortune in photos.

Sara with G-ma's tree.  The frozen snow kept us from going higher up for G-ma's and my trees

Sun-bow

Santa's sleigh with G-ma's tree on top, and more inside.  Ho ho ho!

Have to stop at Doerring's for the traditional mandarins!

I went across Hwy 162 to see the migrating birds on the water

Mr. Wilson!!!!!  The smallest mountain range in the world; the Sutter Buttes

Mr. Wilson!  Sutter Buttes seen from Hwy 5 rest stop.

The Coastal Range from the rest stop.  Snow on the mountains!

The country mouse hits traffic

Decoration at Safeway; sure to capture my girlish heart.

Thanksgiving morning sunrise over the Bay from Hamilton field

close-up

Looking west toward the Control Tower of Hamilton Field

After my Bay walk, I went up Reservoir Hill to see the panorama

One view from the summit, looking toward Novato

I really loved the gnarly oak trees

Santa has arrived at the Fewell Home

The table is all laid for the feast, using fabulous heirloom dishes

Our hostess, Liana

The "kids" aren't kids any more, eh?

Ian created these Oreo-candy turkeys

I am thrilled to meet young Elizabeth Joann Fewell, Liana and Jim's first grandchild.  Isn't she tiny?  She is 5 weeks old.

Four generations 

Great Grandma and Elizabeth

Aimee stirs the mulled wine

The Thanksgiving Turkey (and our host, Jim!)

Matt lashes down the tree I brought for him and Wendie

An attempt at a group shot: Jim, me, and Hannah are not in it, and Riley and Julia had already departed for another feast.  And Uncle Jeffery is in Texas, while Casey was working.

Cousins

Silly sisters

Thirteen for dinner, and we all survived to tell the tale.

The Yolo causeway

a sign

Equipment at the ready

art shot of the wetlands

colorful grasses

Farm

Home was next on the list.

November

Here is a smattering, or a scattering, of various good times or pretty sights that have been enjoyed in November.  I put Jeffery on a plane to Texas at the end of October, so life slowed down, and Autumn doin's took control.  Of course, there was The Election to pin us to our chairs and screens, and I think that's part of what made November less photogenic.  Raking, peeling apples, doing housework, and reading just don't make for good photography, eh?  Plus it rained.
But I DID get my internet working better, so here I am now.

Before Jeffery left, we had a visit from Kathy, Pep, and Andrea!!!

Put Jeffery out at the Reno Airport, and headed home into the storm, which made it hard for a day or two to adjust to Jeffery's absence.

Halloween trick or treaters cheered me up a lot!

Brought out the Scrap End Row village.  There are enough houses to fill the top of this cabinet, and also to line the window-sill above the dining table.

The rock "blade" above the Caribou reservoir - Autumn colors

Persimmons on the trees at Caribou Camp

A bear print

Wendie caught these two fine trout, and shared them with us when I got together with Kyria, Wendie and Matt

Me, and my beautiful kids

Kyria and Tom

Found a vista overlook as I approached Richmond on the way home from Kyria's

Not the most beautiful of vistas, eh?

Industry

View of the Tobin Ridge fire remains on a walk with Brenda

See, there's still something left to burn, even after the fire.

At home in Dunedin, I found a hidden delight

Do you like our new highway sign?

Up on Chipps Creek, the Emerald Pool has more water in it.

Dick and I got the Christmas Tree assembled and lit up for our holiday cheer.  Yes, it's early, but we needed it.

This apple represents all the apples I've picked, peeled, stewed, put up, shared, and eaten.  

Sara and I went to hunt the noble Red Fir up above Quincy.  She was the navigator, and we did not get lost!

Sara with the SFJ tree

Me carrying the SFJ tree, singing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland".

this was supposed to be a shadow of us carrying the Matt and Wendie tree home.

Sara zens at the little pond we found, and this photo is meant to match the one I took of sister Lucy while I was back east.

frozen pond water

This deer stood perfectly still in this position for a good 5 minutes while we got our cameras out.  I thought it might be a stuffed deer, but eventually, he did move.  It was kinda weird, how still he stayed.

Art shot of a frozen puddle

and another, this one with bits of grass in it.

and another, just because.....

View of Dick's tree, with my new acquisition, the little wooden tree that I got when I went to the Crescent Country Christmas open house up in Crescent Mills - an annual tradition!

Now that my computer is working faster, I hope not to stay away from the blog for so long.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all!