Mr. Reed visits Grandparents

Our new grandson, Reed, and his parents, Matt & Lexi, spent the weekend with us and it was a chance for some of our friends to see Mr. Reed.



Mr. Reed has done some growing in the last 6 weeks and now weights 11 lbs. 2 oz, about a 50% gain.



Matt feeding Mr. Reed ...



Every good meal requires a burp ...



A full tank. Nap time. Repeat process.



A few more hugs from grandma ...



Time at the grandparents is over and time to load up and return home.

All the leaves are gone and the sky is gray

The 1966 song "California Dreamin" by the Mama's & The Papa's started out with the lyrics "All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.", some of our bright colored fall leaves aren't brown, but gone. In the past week we had 5 inches of rain which knocked off many of the colorful fall leaves.

More Leaf Peeping

We had 0.20 inches of rain overnight and overcast skies this morning which caused the colors of the leaves to stand out. A view of our barn in the background.



The trees around our pond.



The maple trees in the valley below our cabin.

Leaf Peeping Time

Leaf peeping is a term for the activity in which people travel to view and photograph the fall foliage change colors in autumn. I don't have to travel far to photograph the fall foliage. Miner's Pond, at the top of the hill, is always good for a photo.



The view from our cabin property looking toward our barn.



Another view from our cabin property. Some of the ash trees have already lost their leaves.

Turkeys

The start of the fall turkey season is only a few weeks away and I saw these birds just outside of our barn.



It was a nice day for a walk as the turkeys headed for the corn field behind my barn.

Fall Mushrooms

This is the time of year that I like to take a walk through the woods and photograph the colorful leaves and mushrooms, but the continuing dry weather hasn't produced many mushrooms and the leaves have been slow to change color.

I did find a few colorful mushrooms.





While a lot of the brightly colored mushrooms aren't safe for humans to eat, many insects and birds find these mushrooms tasty.





This large, flat mushroom reminded me of a pancake.



Some mushrooms lacked the bright color but made up for it with their size and texture.





Some mushrooms tried to impress with their large numbers.





This puffball was found growing in the driveway at our barn.

A weekend with Reed & Family

We spent the past weekend with Matt, Lexi and our new grandson Evan Reed Beebe. Reed, as he will be known as, signals "We're #1" with his left hand. Not sure if its a reference to his parents or Penn State.



Of course Reed had his own reaction to the grandparents.



The one thing you notice is Reed's big, deep blue eyes, when they are open.



All right Dad, lets have a staring contest. First one to blink loses ...



Your eyelids are starting to droop Dad ...



This is only half a blink.



Reed's a growing boy and needs his rest.








Some quality time with mom ...







Mom, when is lunch?



Some quality time with Grandma ...



and with Grandpa.



Its not that Reed is demanding, but we all know who the boss is in this house.

Wildflower - Blue Wood Aster

With the cooler days of autumn the Blue Wood Asters (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) are forming a carpet of small blue flowers along the shaded edges of our fields.



The flowers bloom with a yellow center that turns reddish as the flower matures.