Well this past weekend we packed up our little old car for a short trip with the dogs to see family.  Other than the massive amount of construction and wind, it was a pleasant drive. I was tired so C drove the entire time. We listened to a Sherlock story as we ventured south.  The dogs settled down and the storytelling made for a nice time.

Seeing as we live in the Midwest, driving through corn and soybean fields is inevitable. The beginning of our trip was deciduous trees just starting to change from green to yellows, golds, and reds. I’m a science nerd so I instantly think – chlorophyll A to chlorophyll B is the change that takes place. Okay, maybe that is a bit simplistic for an explanation. Soon after the brown fields of not yet harvested corn and soybeans surrounded us. The skies were overcast, but expansive. If there was a sunset that day, it would feel like it enveloped you inside. Sunsets in the Midwest farming areas are beautiful.

Seeing family was a nice relaxed time. One thing I wanted to do was to walk around one of my favorite quarry lakes, so we met family and had a chilly and short stroll around the short loop of the lake. The cool breeze was brisk. At the lake, this rock formation, an Inuksuk, by Peter Irniq, was standing guard.

Speaking of chilly and breezy, I grew up in a family the likes to feed birds especially when Autumn sends its chilly warnings of winter our way. Turns out C’s family likes wild garden birds too. However, feeding the birds can cause for some spills from the feeding stands. The millet, a tiny seed, seems to escape quickly from the feeders. Seeing the small millet plant was exciting. I had no idea how short millet grew. It was really pretty and maybe a good idea for landscaping for the birds near us.

We drove home in some rain, and figured how to avoid that massive construction zone with some peace. We continued to listen to the 8 disk book on tape. All in all Spotty and Stripes, our dogs, had a good time away from home and so did we. A good weekend with family.

Bye for now.