Charleston Thanksgiving

The joys of family and actually getting together, at least with a portion. We were able to have a wonderful Thanksgiving in Charleston. Not without some shenanigans: driving, not flying (9 hrs), and taking COVID tests beforehand. Missed you and the family Heather! Crazy world right now for sure...

Walking and biking were the activities of choice in the neighborhood. Simply gorgeous area. Charleston is quite beautiful and oozing with charm. Love all the home styles, the real gas lanterns everywhere, and that low country style.

Lots of cooking happened while we were there - from all ages. Penny and Juliet have become quite talented in the kitchen. Chefs in the making.

One family lunch out which was lots of fun until we were rained on. A before photo.

Bye bye Charleston for now. We plan to return in a few weeks for Christmas. Crossing fingers for all things to align...

Celebration, River Otter, and Tai Chi

 

A busy week of all sorts of things including a contract on our rental condo here. I think (hope) this will not jinx the sale by mentioning it. It will be a relief to say bye bye and a nice place for someone else.

Happy Birthday to me. My dinner at a very special place in Naples - Turtle Club. They have done well during the COVID crisis with all their beautiful outside dining - actually had the best summer on record. Not many places like this with fabulous food, service, view to die for, and sand between your toes.

First river otter sighting of the season. They are curious and playful but also fearful. They hiss if startled. There have been so many startling things going on this year I'm surprised all humans haven't started hissing.

I tracked down my old Tai Chi instructor and have started the practice back up again. Danly is originally from China and teaches the authentic form. Currently teaching outside at a quaint park north of me with artist workshops, and kayak rentals for the river nearby. Boy, am I rusty. It's been 4 years and I have a lot of catching up to do. If you're not familiar it's great for core strength, balance, and activating Qi (our healing energy).

My last two photos are a little odd I know. It's the excitement of having a Trader Joe's close by. Heard about the green dragon hot sauce and grabbed it. Oh my, where has this been all my life - great stuff. And this is the first compostable bag I've come across in a grocery store. What a giant leap forward for the environment. Kudos to you Trader Joe's, hopefully everybody else will follow.

Back in the land of white sand and swaying palm trees

 

Finally back to posting. A whirlwind last few weeks coming back to Naples and getting settled in. The weather finally broke yesterday after we suffered with the last weeks of the humid sweltering mess that is Florida summer. It lasts 6 months of the year here. Glorious picture perfect weather now and I flung the sliders open to let the wonderful air inside. I planted flowers (in pots by the pool and outside in the yard and Mark filled a pot with basil and a tomato plant. It always feels remarkable to be able to do this in November while snow and below freezing temps are happening back at Star Mt.

It is also disorienting to be back in the land of manicured landscape and constant trimming, cutting, sprinklers going, and cleaning up of debris by the hard working crews here. A different world for sure. We're jumping back into our normal activities here. Golf for me once a week, Mark 4 times a week. Beach and fishing will surely be next.

Oh, the birds.  Love all these exotic tropical birds that are everywhere. Bald eagles are a common sight too, I just haven't caught them on camera yet. 

My three day art workshop with my artist friends Patty, Cheryl, and Mary along with others. Patty (in blue) is the instructor and a fantastic one at that. Her workshops always fill up and certainly this one did as the number allowed was  cut in half due to COVID. Giant social distancing  and masks the whole time. We got close for the photo and that was it. Not the most flattering look, but hey, you do what you've got to these days.  

So here we are for the winter. Lots of people never left over the summer due to the virus and season hasn't really started here yet. We hear many are not coming down, so we'll see just how busy it gets. On the other hand real estate has gone crazy here with people buying and moving out of congested cities. Strange times for sure. Please everyone be cautious and stay well. 

Coming quickly to the end of the season

We are on our last week here, and how strange it is. The beautiful leaves have mostly blown away and we are supposed to be at a low of 23 tomorrow night. Florida is calling, although of course things are not normal there or anywhere, as the virus is not gone (it seems like it here - still no positive cases at all since 9/1). We will pack our pile of masks, take a deep breath, and fly down to the tropics.

I went for a wonderful walk in our woods and came across this. Bear or elk? We're not sure. We are slowly starting the winter close down of the house. Outside water off, hoses in, outdoor furniture in, etc. It's very hard to do, emotionally not physically. We plan to be back in mid February for a couple weeks, no white Christmas this year. Every year is different and this one is most definitely one for the records.

The deer are everywhere munching on the last of the green plants. They leave Star Mt. every winter for lower ground. If it's a normal year we get far too much snow for them to handle.

Small animal sightings. Great horned owl and red fox. Hadn't seen either one for some time although I heard the "hoo-hoo" a number of nights. We are but visitors here...

There's much to be grateful for in the midst of chaos. I send wishes to all to be safe, healthy, and find some joy even in the smallest thing.

Resplendent Fall

 

Fall is truly here with magnificent color. We've done some driving around to catch the golden hues. It goes in a such a hurry, I'm watching golden leaves fly off the trees in the woods as I write this.

We made a drive up to Gothic and our special Emerald Lake. I've been up several times and it has gone from wildly busy to back to the serene place I know and love. Off season is just about here.

We continued on to Paradise Bowl. What a gorgeous sight. A great jeep ride.

 
Views from our house. We are enjoying every minute of this glorious weather. We have just over two weeks before our time here is done for months to come. Back to Naples for the winter! We are in for a shock regarding temperatures. It's been freezing here at night and in contrast it's 88 high there. Whoa.