That was a weekend to remember. On Saturday, the girls and I went to a favorite spot in the Arb to soak in the scenery (like the autumnal prairie above). Our Flickr page has a bunch more photos of the Arb visit, as well as backlogged photos from September and numerous shots from the weekend's other high point, a long and fun visit on Sunday to a nearby farm that sells pumpkins now and Christmas trees later.
Shannon's already recounted the trip (and posted many photos), so I'll just add that I can't wait to go back to cut a Christmas tree in December. I wonder if they'll let us use their pickup to bring the tree home.
Wandering around the farm with the girls, I was struck by the intensity of my memories of living on a similar farm, back when I was what they'd now call a tween. That farm, and this one, was full of semi-decrepit but heavily-used buildings, odd juxtapositions (like a clean bucket labeled "oil" sitting in the chicken yard), a wonderfully high level of general filth, the sounds and smells of animals, and a sense of everything having a purpose, from the showy rooster to the location of the pickup truck. It was a pretty good place to be a kid, other considerations notwithstanding, and I can easily imagine raising a kid in such a setting. In fact, Julia at one point said something like, "I love the country! I wish we lived in the country!" A few acres of fields and woods sure would make for some good running and skiing...