“I wish that every day was Saturday and every month was October.” ~Charmaine J. Forde

October 1
That Autumn slant

October 1
When it's Autumn, but Summer is still in denial and refuses to leave

October 1
Knox's coaches pitch baseball team came in second in the Fall Ball championship
He's so proud of his medal  

October 2
Ella loves those walks around the neighborhood with her daddy

October 3
Knox, Elijah, and Shelby in a blur playing football in the back yard

October 3
Niece Julia celebrated her 22nd birthday

October 4
Sleeps peacefully on my shoulder
Wakes up when I put her in her bed

October 5
Ella discovers the joy of stickers

October 6
DQ treat
Eye-popping delicious

October 6
Pretty clouds over west side of town

October 8
St Simons Island, Georgia
Our first stop on our tour bus trip to Savannah and Charleston
Crossing over the marshes

October 8
Fort Frederica National Monument
St Simons Island, Georgia
Beautiful historic Christ Church nestled in trees draped in Spanish moss

Our tour guide was a local historian, storyteller, and former history teacher
This whole area is steeped in pre-Revolutionary War history
In recent history, presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter visited here to worship

The stained glass windows were amazing

Iguanas Seafood Restaurant on St Simons

Lunch here was scrumptious
The shrimp doesn't get any fresher than this

Neil checking out the cargo ship that capsized in St Simons Sound back in September
We were told it was hauling very expensive cars from overseas
At present, the powers that be have decided to disassemble the ship "after experts concluded that it is not possible to safely turn and float the vessel in the waterway."

We climbed the 124 spiral steps to the top and somehow managed not to have a heart attack

View from the top

Onward to Jekyll Island where we toured the lifestyle of the rich and famous,
"who formed the Jekyll Island Club, including such family names as Rockefeller, Pulitzer, Vanderbilt, Crane, Goodyear, Macy, J.P. Morgan and others. One-sixth of the world's wealth vacationed on Jekyll Island at that time."
They also owned the island at that time

Faith Chapel built in 1904

"Adoration of the Christ Child" made by Maitland Armstrong 

"David's Window" made by Louis Tiffany

October 9
Savannah, Georgia
We rode the trolley for a tour around the historic part of the city

Green green green
Homes and some businesses and churches surround these beautiful peaceful parks and squares
Savannah was designed with 24 parks but now has 22





We hopped off the trolley at the riverfront

Enjoyed another lunch of fresher than fresh shrimp

Cathedral of St John the Bapist









Apparently the revolution is still going strong here in Savannah

Our entertainment for the evening
This turned out to be the most fun part of this trip
On stage, two piano men facing each other and the third in the middle and they performed music by Billy Joel, Elton John, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Paul McCartney, Fats Domino, Louie Armstrong and many others
They're talented singers and musicians and the music they performed was so spot on that it didn't sound like covers at all



October 10
Charleston, South Carolina
With the short amount of time we had for free time, we were advised that the best way to tour historic Charleston was a  horse-drawn carriage ride

Our tour guide was funny which is great when you're listening to a history lesson
'Drudge' was pulling our carriage. She's done this so many times that she could probably walk the route without the reins.

Charleston is beautiful
Some of the residents, though, aren't always respectful of the horse-drawn carriages
We witnessed this as one impatient driver swerved to get around us on the right



Welcome to my piazza. Come on up and visit for a spell.

Mel Gibson's movie The Patriot was partly filmed on the steps of the building in the background

Our tour ended back at the stable where Drudge took a lunch break

"The history of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum began in June 1975 when the legendary aircraft carrier USS Yorktown entered Charleston Harbor. A few months later, the USS Yorktown was dedicated as the first ship of the Naval & Maritime Museum on the 200th birthday of the United States Navy."
 "Today the museum consists of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) with 29 aircraft on display from WWII to the present"
We didn't get to go to the museum unfortunately.
 
Our tour boat took us out of the harbor toward Fort Sumpter 
Our tour guide was a local historian and yes, a former history teacher.

"Named after General Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War hero, Fort Sumter was built after the War of 1812, as one of a series of fortifications on the southern U.S. coast to protect the harbors."


Enjoyed getting a glimpse of this historical place

A Carnival Cruise ship sets sail and out to sea

A parting shot in Charleston. We headed back home the next day.

Pretty clouds over East Flat Rock, North Carolina on the way home

Not sure if he's asleep or in deep thought

Pisgah National Forest somewhere out there on I-40

Sunset on the French Broad River I-40

Good ole Rocky Top
Almost home
We enjoyed this trip
Always happy to go places I've never been


October 12
My nephew Alex married his longtime sweetheart Laura
Aren't they a gorgeous couple?

October 13
Look at that blue sky!
Only in October
No filters, y'all

October 17
This little birdie went to market
Checking out the bread aisle in Wal-Mart

October 18
Fall Break lunch at Ocha
From left: Ella, Kelly, Elijah, Knox, Neil, and Shelby

After lunch, we went pumpkin pickin'

Shelby shows off her cute while pumpkin
Elijah photobombs
Picture by Kelly

Knox found a nice one

Ella in the punkin patch
Picture by Kelly

Ella and Shelby
Picture by Kelly

I'm glad they still enjoy this tradition
Picture by Kelly

October 18

October 18
She's not supposed to be watching TV
Spongebob is hard to resist

October 20
Ella discovers the joy of ice cream at the Lazy Cow Creamery

Kelly and Knox
Ice cream makes us smile

Ella and me
Thanks for taking this picture, Kelly
I just might frame it

October 22
The guys tossing the football in the back yard after school





October 22
Fall color finally kicked in
I was afraid the leaves were just going to dry up on the trees

October 22
Love them!

October 24



Knox, Shelby, Neil, and Elijah
After school fun throwing the football






October 25
The Nashville Flea Market has forever changed
They moved into their new digs last month
It's really a nice setup
But I miss slogging through the barns and sheds and shelters and buildings, even in the cold and rain, trolling for treasures and bizarre stuff you can only find at the flea market

Caught between the sixes

Howdy, y'all!
Where's the rest of this bear?

Lunch on a stick

Poor guy! That's gotta hurt

Antique dolls always seem a bit creepy, even when they're smiling

I've already lost my balance just looking at this thing

Hey, kids, what's on the tube tonight?
Probably Ed Sullivan. Or The Lone Ranger.

She's having a fabulous time at the flea market
I saw lots of cool stuff but didn't buy anything, except maybe a footlong corn dog and some lemonade
Neil bought a hammer
I'm glad we got to check out the new location, but it'll never be the same, which makes me sad.
I'm old. I hate change.
I hope Nashville enjoys their soccer stadium when it gets built on top of the old flea market site.
Still can't figure out where all those soccer fans are supposed to park.


October 26
I think they want to come inside

October 26
Looks like something out of Stranger Things

October 27
Trunk or Treat
Neil enjoys scaring the little kids

Holly and Jerry and their decorated trunk
Love those leggings, Holly

My sister Jane and her decorated trunk
She had laryngitis and probably should've stayed home, but she's a trooper

Holly with Ella, the cutest unicorn on the planet

Spidermen
Knox and his cousin Finn share a love of superheroes
It was fun handing out candy. There was a good turnout again this year.

October 28
Ella with Jeff the Scarecrow
Jeff is inside right now because Neil has been painting the front porch bench where Jeff normally sits.
I plopped Ella on the hall bench beside Jeff. She was sitting on the edge, so it was hard taking her picture and trying to make sure she didn't take a header off the bench.
I might try another shot later. Maybe the older grands will humor me and let me take their pic with Jeff, a tradition around here since Shelby was about 4 (she's 18 now). Shelby named the scarecrow Jeff. Not sure why that name. But it stuck.

October 30
My sister Jane celebrated her 58th birthday today
She is ageless in spite of the years

Best birthday cake ever!

October 31
HALLOWEEN
I love this tradition
Carving a jack o' lantern
Chili for supper
The kids dressing up for trick or treating
Drinking apple cider
Feeding the ghosts and goblins who come knocking on the door
Eating too much candy
Watching scary movies


Neil, Don, Jane, and Elijah
First come, First served
Our Halloween bunch never gets to eat all at the same time

My sister Jae made these delicious white chocolate covered Nutter Butter ghosties.
You can't eat just one.

Niece Julia ~ the cutest Dalmatian ever

Julia, son in law Kerry, Jane, and niece Sarah

Sarah made to-die-for M&M cookies

The cookies are hiding under that foil

Sarah is Caveman from book/movie Holes

Unicorn Ella is ready to trick or treat

Knox, Kerry, and Ella trick or treating in our neighborhood
Picture by Kelly

Knox in search of a house that welcomes trick or treaters
It rained all day today, then the temperature dropped into the forties late this afternoon
We even had a brief snow shower
The rain stopped and the wind finally died down, but it was very cold.
We didn't have anywhere close to the number of trick or treaters we normally have.
Picture by Kelly

Shelby, Julia, Kerry, Ella, Knox, Holly, and Sarah brave the damp cold in search of candy
Picture by Kelly



Kelly, Holly, and Shelby finally got some chili

The Girls (picture by Jane)
Julia, Ella, Sarah, Shelby
Shelby had to clue me in about the crown she wore. She said, " it’s a character from the show Brooklyn nine-nine, it’s Andy samberg. His name is Jake Peralta. They do this competition called the Halloween heist"

Spiderman and the Unicorn
Picture by Kelly

Grandpeeps and nieces (picture by Kelly)
Traditional group shot (first year Elijah didn't trick or treat at all ~ he wasn't feeling well)
They make this holiday so much fun
Hope they never lose the spirit of fun for Halloween
Hope we get to do it all over again next year
Happy Halloween!



“The crickets still sing in October. And lilly, she's trying to bloom. Tho she's resting her head on the shoulder of death, she still shines by the light of the moon.” 
― Kevin Dalton - Faubush Hill


“AUTUMNAL"

Pale amber sunlight falls across
The reddening October trees,
That hardly sway before a breeze
As soft as summer: summer's loss
Seems little, dear! on days like these.

Let misty autumn be our part!
The twilight of the year is sweet:
Where shadow and the darkness meet
Our love, a twilight of the heart
Eludes a little time's deceit.

Are we not better and at home
In dreamful Autumn, we who deem
No harvest joy is worth a dream?
A little while and night shall come,
A little while, then, let us dream.

Beyond the pearled horizons lie
Winter and night: awaiting these
We garner this poor hour of ease,
Until love turn from us and die
Beneath the drear November trees.” 
― Ernest Dowson, The Poems and Prose of Ernest Dowson


~ I hate to see October go ~