First Stop: ZION

Day one of our road trip was a travel day, with a stay-over in Cedar City before heading into Zion National Park.  Cedar City is several miles past the turnoff we needed, but it was a necessary diversion in order to eat at Rusty's Ranch House.  [What we do for food!]

The following morning we arrived at Zion. Vehicles are no longer allowed to travel freely throughout the park, so we headed to the Visitor's Center and took the 90 minute shuttle ride.  You're able to get off several times, anytime, and enjoy the amenities and hiking trails.  We stayed put for the round trip, then enjoyed a picnic lunch before getting back on the road.

 

These pictures were taken through the front window of the truck, 

and the extreme blue at the very top of the first two is from window tinting.

The cliffs of Zion are made of sandstone; 

sand that's been compressed by the pressure of overlying deposits.

Did you know that Zion was named by Brigham Young?  

He originally called it Little Zion, but when it became a National Park in 1918, 

it became simply Zion.

Oh boy!

This is the Zion - Mt.Carmel tunnel, completed in 1930, and over a mile long 

~ always a favorite part of the trip.

 

The breaks allow for light and ventilation. 

 

 

Sadly the national parks are temporarily closed, 

and even their websites have been shut down.

I'm so grateful we had good timing and perfect weather.

Next stop:  Provo, Utah

Counting My Blessings,

xo Susy

Changes

Fall is upon us.  For my beach community, the changes to the new season are always subtle.  First it's an increasing nip in the air, morning and evening, until finally it's necessary to close the windows that have stood open all summer.  Then the leaves of the maples and sycamores lining the neighborhood streets are no longer green.  They don't move gracefully from yellow to amber to red, however ~ they simply go brown and eventually fall off. 

As with the new season, some subtle changes have taken place for me too.  It's all good, and I'm so happy to have  time again to blog and visit!

One of the changes is (after much consideration), I've decided to make some adjustments in my time commitments to the charities and boards I serve, and already I'm feeling relieved and  refocused.  Sadly, I'll be saying goodbye to a board I've been on for ten years - but I know it's the right decision.

Also, hubby and I recently returned from a 6-day road trip to Sundance, Utah, that was possibly one of the sweetest we've had in years.  The drive was beautiful, our accommodations were wonderful, and we spent most of the time in the company of our son and daughter-in-law, and their friends.  I came back extremely refreshed, and inspired to start this new season of my life.

I'll tell you all about it, a little at a time.

Here's where we stayed.  It's a vacation home of friends of our son and DIL, 

in an area just above the Sundance resort, called Brickerhaven.

No internet, no wifi, no TV, no cell phone reception.

And no coffee maker. Oh my!

Counting My Blessings,

xo Susy

A Little Fall Color

I love to decorate with Fall colors year-round; it's my favorite season and my favorite color pallet. So for the season ~  instead of Halloween decor, I enjoy a fall / harvest look.

This weekend I came across a cute little dish and a small garland of bittersweet that had to come home with me. Oh, and a cinnamon-scented candle.

After I got home I realized, if I looked hard enough, I'd probably find the same candle and garland stashed away from last year. And I liked the dish so much I went back and got one for my sister.

As I was looking for something to put the candle in I came across a few other "fall-ish" pieces that I pulled out and added to my already very cluttered buffet top. (I like to think of it as layering.)

A scented candle in a ceramic acorn

 a bag of tiny gourds and acorns

 

Four pieces of stemware from a yard sale ~

currently re-purposed as candle holders

a teacup with fall color

all nestled together in the star garland.

And I'm calling it done!

  Although I might see if I can find

a little something for the mantle next week.

Counting My Blessings

 xo Susy

 

and joining these parties

Rednesday 

Vintage Inspiration Friday
A Favorite Thing Saturday

Please Stay

  "November comes,

and November goes,
With the last red berries, and the first white snows.
With night coming early, and dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket,

and frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
     ~ Elizabeth Coatsworth

Fall is my favorite season.  I relish the colors, the crisp mornings, wearing jeans and cardigans, and dinners from the oven.   But it seems to get cut short.  No sooner have I covered up the patio furniture and closed the kitchen windows - than people are talking about decorating for Christmas.  

For me, that happens the day after Thanksgiving.  This may be a subliminal nod to my retail days and "black Friday", when the holiday season 'officially' begins.  (Although we usually started putting our trees up in late September.)

At home, I decorate with fall colors year round, and at Christmas I just add more red.  That's it.  Although I've lived in a beach community all my life, instead of shells and sea glass, I have twigs, flora, wildlife and earthtoned-pottery in every room.  Here are a few samplings from around the homestead.

The breakfast room table ~

although we never eat breakfast there (:

Snowberry Roseville

Lilies and Freesia cachepots and a

Hudson-Weller lamp in the living room

A Pinecone Trio 

The twig- handled basket is one of the pieces broken

(and glued back together) in a mantel mishap

Wildlife in the den curio cabinet;

 a hand-painted cider set with a bird on a branch (of course)

(see more from this cabinet here ) 

and a hefty acorn pitcher with squirrel handle

accompanied by a sweet little deer family 

And in the bedroom...

more squirrel!

and an old lake print

and more pottery ~  I think this is the Zephyr Lily pattern,

with a sentimental little brown bear candle

 And finally,
this  print hangs over the mantle in the bedroom

 

its a forest scene,
with a buck walking into the light, looking back

It reminds me of my husband; strong and sturdy, brave and rugged

 

Whenever I study it, this song always comes to mind

"When It's All Been Said and Done"

Click here if you'd like to listen

 

 Wishing you a spectacular November ~ every bit of it. 

Counting My Blessings,

Susy

I'm joining Vintage Inspiration Friday

Show and Tell Friday 

Spiritual Sundays

Antique Apples

September twenty-second, Sir, the bough cracks with unpicked apples, and at dawn the small-mouth bass breaks water, gorged with spawn."
-   Robert Lowell

Well, it's officially Fall at our house.

Mr. D. has gone fishing.
And I'm enjoying apples.  

Edited for Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

                                                  So here's my version of "enjoying apples"

                                                 Vintage pottery with an apple theme

 This  is early 1900's Weller in the Baldwin Apple pattern.
It belonged to my Grandmother.

It gets moved around in the living room.  Right now it's back on the mantle.

Roseville pottery in Green Apple Blossom from the forties.
My  favorite pattern.

                                                              I love the twig handles

 

A Ewer and a small Cachepot

Pink Apple Blossom Teapot, Creamer and Sugar

 

I lost the lid to the sugar bowl the last time we moved.

I think I left it in the wrapping paper.  sigh.

And lastly I'll sneak in this hand-painted Cider Set

I keep it in a small china cupboard in the den

because it has a serious crack on the inside

 

I once thought of getting rid of it. 

  So glad I didn't.

I have a theory about the difference between a Cider Set

and a Lemonade Set.

I think it's the cups.

  Cider cups have handles, and lemonade cups don't. 

And of course I loved this one because

it had a bird on a branch.

 Chirp!