going wit the flow

I am just back from the Pacific Northwest. It was a great trip–5 fun events and a live tv appearance. And as serendipity would have it, I even had a book review in the Seattle Times on Sunday–a coincidence of timing! Seattle put on a gorgeous display of crystalline blue skies, views of both the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, and September sun winking off the soft wakes in the Puget Sound. Quite sublime. The more typical fog and drizzle rolled in as headed for the airport. We could not have been luckier.  And to top it all off, we thought our beloved sandhill cranes might have flown south while were gone (our housesitter did not see them for two days), but this afternoon they showed up to greet me. We have one more week of 80 degree weather, so perhaps they will stay through the week. Last year the left on September 23rd. Such a delightful welcome home.

bits and pieces of dried autumn

gathering sticks for winter

Making a call to Darrell to order five cords of firewood is one of my annual seasonal traditions. I happen to love calling Darrel; he is one of those guys who is so of his place, he simply could not be from anywhere else. Darrell is Minnesotan. And I look forward to our annual chat. I also look forward to fire season. I am sure I have mentioned that the Hoffman household northern-year is divided into six months of deck season, and six months of fire season. Steve prefers deck season. I prefer fire season. Luckily, there is almost always six months of each. This photos reminds me it’s time to call Darrell soon.

color blocking

Step outside. grab a handful of duff. Crush it a little bit in your hand. Place it on white paper and push it into a nice, neat shape. Repeat three more time. Stand back and take it. This is where you live. Your place.

coincidence

I think it is coincidence that the rocks of Lake Superior beaches match the earth-toned palette of northern autumn botanicals. But they do.

farm fields in autumn

Rows of corn. Patchworks of vines. Tilled fields in spring. I love the aesthetics farming.