I think DH enjoys sitting on the deck in the evenings the most. I guess I enjoy it also. It's nice to see him finally sitting down and relaxing at the end of the day.
I know he also likes to rake leaves because the cat comes along and jumps in the piles to help him. That dear animal was put to sleep a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping our lazy old orange cat will adopt her habit of keeping him company during his outdoor chores.
The first sign that fall is coming, besides the increased squirrel activity, is our neighbor's giant and ancient oak tree beginning to drop its acorns. They fall on the deck and sound like little explosions. Pop, pop, pop. It always takes a while for us to adjust to the new sound in the neighborhood.
The squirrels begin leaving walnuts in my outdoor planters. Sometimes they dig them up again and move them to a "safer" place. Or is that a case of squirrel pantry robbery? Makes me laugh. How can they smell where they are in below zero weather? Or do they actually remember?
The thing I enjoy the most if the weather is kind to us is our trip to Red Wing, MN on the Mississippi River near the end of September, beginning of October. We get the motorcycles out and ready one last time for the end of summer ride, bundle up and if we're lucky by mid afternoon we may be able to take off our jackets.
There are charming and very old bed and breakfast places all along the river. We enjoy traveling both the WI and MN sides looking at the leaves and eating in the little towns with their specialty cafes. There's one in WI that serves wonderful Swedish pancakes and lingonberries in a sunken garden setting that usually has gentle live music. Such a luxury to dine where there's home cookin'.
Sometimes we tour the National Eagle Center in Wabasha or travel up to Stillwater for a steamboat river cruise with buffet and New Orleans style jazz band.
Lots of beauty and history along there. Wabasha was the first town in MN. Sometimes I think about the brave (or desperate) settlers and the dear price it must have been for the ferry. Those enterprising early arrivers who thought to run a ferry business were wise people. They must have made a small fortune.
Hah. Just had a thought. Maybe that's why Wabasha was the first town settled. Once they spent their nest egg they probably had to settle down for a while to replenish it and some probably just stayed.
We used to ride all the way up until Thanksgiving but this is usually the last hurrah for us these days. I have all the right gear but have grown grumpy about riding in bad weather and have paid my dues.
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