A picture of a blimp, that was filming Tiger Woods playing in Norton, MA last week. I didn't get to see Tiger, the closest I got was to the blimp!

It's been an exciting summer, and now we face the inevitable of cold weather looming around the corner. I love Fall and all of the colors. No matter how many pictures I take of the foliage, there is always one more picture that I can add to my collection.

Life is good, and I have been fortunate to spend many days with family this summer. I cherish my times with my brother and 4 sisters. We are a happy bunch! When we are together, the laughter spills out, and the younger generation just looks at us and shake their heads. Little do they know, they will be where we are at now in a few short years, and their children will be shaking their heads at them. The circle of life, intermingled with the circle of love, live goes on!

I started back flying with my son this past week, it was great being at 2,500 feet and looking down at the beautiful landscape. The day was picture perfect, I chose to absorb it all without a camera this time. We are back on track and looking forward to future flights together.

Coffee and conversation!

Isn't it strange, that a cup of coffee just seems to be the vehicle we all need to stop for awhile and get in touch with each other. What does it cost for a cup of coffee, yet the outcome is priceless especially when you share good conversation with a friend. That's what I did today!

I met a good friend for a cup of coffee, and we chatted, laughed and just throughly enjoyed being together. We sat outside. The air was clear, the sky was a beautiful blue and the sun was warm and bright. It was a picture perfect day. After we finished our coffee, we decided to take a little walk along the river, it was so pretty and peaceful there.

I have come to value my special times with good friends, and I am very thankful that I have good people in my life.

True friends!

I had the privileged to spend a day with good friends at a cook-out. It was one of those rare times when you know you are in the company of those like yourself. Our conversations were varied, sometimes serious but mostly funny and informative. We were all women, yet it didn't turn into a "cat fest"! We have a lot of respect for one another, and we know that our conversations are held in high regard and not to be passed on as trivial gossip. Too many women engage in gossiping behavior, and I am thankful that we all choose not to have that attitude.
We affirm and support each other. Some of us have moved on to other jobs and of course I am retired. I was most interested in seeing my friends, because I missed the day to day interactions we had when we all worked together. These are good people and I am blessed to know them and to call them my friends. We plan to get together in the near future, but in the meantime, I am just going to enjoy the memories of the day we had together.

A beautiful summer with family!

I love summer with it's warm days, sunny blue skies, and sometimes sultry nights. It's a time for cook-outs with family and friends, and just enjoying each day as it comes. If you have air conditioning in your bedroom at least you get a good nights sleep. I have been busy with the grandchildren most of July. Having fun together and just being with each other is the best! We went to the beach just about every day, picked georgeous blueberries and made pancakes, muffins and a pie. Those girls are great cooks! We had a huge family reunion, and not everyone was able to attend. This picture is only half of us. I never knew that our family was so big. Just to think what my mother and father started many years ago!

I have had many opportunities to get together with family and friends, and I throughly enjoy being with them. Being retired is a good thing! I can take time to "smell the roses", and experience the joy in the little things. I venture out each day for a walk, and then a late afternoon bike ride. I've even found a companion to bike ride with, we have found a nice route and stop for an ice cream at the half way point. I meet a lot of people that I use to work with, and it has helped to ease the transistion from being retired to being with them on a regular basis. These are good people!

Here is a picture of some ducks that saw on one of my bike rides.

My future is at hand!

My three granddaughters are here from Arizona. What a gift they are to me! They are the future of our family, and I have the pleasure of teaching them some of the ways of living life from another perspective. It is like folk lore! Except we don't sit around the fire smoking peace pipes, instead we sit together cuddled on the couch and just talk about "things". It happens so naturally, as I brush their hair, and as we eat meals together. I look at this as an honor to be able to pass on to the next generation all that I can so that they can use these "tools" to help them when they get older and have to face so many challenges, and complicated decisions to deal with. Society and life in general can take away the innocence, I want them to know that it is okay to keep that part of yourself safe and alive no matter what life throws at you. We all have a choice of how we can let life change who we really are inside. They are good listeners!

Today we may either go to the butterfly place or pick strawberries, and then head for the beach in the afternoon. I have to check with them first, I like to give them a choice, this way everyone is happy.

Fly be free, that's me!

Breathe the fresh air and not worry about the little things. That's my motto! I am thankful for good friends and a good life. Things are going good since I retired. It's amazing at how easily I adjusted to not having to go to work each day.

I just have to get used to managing my income with my output. That should be fun!