pumpkin patch

a trip to the pumpkin patch every fall is a lovely tradition

kids go with their schoolmates and learn about the circle of life in the garden

a pumpkin seed becomes a pumpkin plant, and a pumpkin plant becomes a pumpkin

the pumpkin has seeds, and so on and so on

we watched a video in the old schoolhouse, called the pumpkin circle narrated by Danny Glover, before heading out to the fields

and seeing this film, I found myself wanting to grow my own pumpkins next year with the kids

We really enjoyed going through the corn maze

then we proceeded towards the pumpkins to select our own special treasure to take home

Overall a wonderful fall day spent with my son

in the high plains of Colorado

cream of mushroom soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

1 small onion

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup beef broth

2 cups half-and-half

salt

pepper

1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

1 bay leaf

Thinly slice the mushrooms.

Melt the butter in a heavy saute pan

Add the chopped onion and saute until golden

Add the mushrooms and saute until brown

Stir in the flour, and them slowly add the broth, stirring constantly

Warm up the half and half very slowly in a saucepan

Add to the the mushrooms, along with the nutmeg, 

Add the bay leaf

Cook gently over low heat for 10 minutes, do not boil

Remove bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste

Serve

This is the perfect soup for fall

a wonderful way to bring comfort to a rainy or cooler day

I had mine here with a spanish tapas olive salad

deliciously satisfying and healthy

Hello Fall

Time to buy the Mums in all their fall colors, yellows, oranges and deep reds

Take down the summer wreath

dig into storage boxes for everything "fall"

out comes the autumn decor

Just one more look in my rear view of the last day of summer,,,

goodbye summer of 2011

hello fall

hoping for a happy, healthy, and hearty harvest

for all

PS: I love the fall, I love the changes, I love the weather, I love the celebrations

a weekend in Vail

When we first arrived we took in the view of the mountains from our room. The hills were flushed with sun, flowers and the scent of pine. Vail is just beautiful!

There was some time for an afternoon swim ,,, also a chance to get the wiggles out before going to dinner in the Village.

Walking around and taking in the sights, sounds and of the Village

searching for a fairly "kid friendly" restaurant

Vail is very happy to accommodate all that is needed for kiddos, we had pizza and ice cream, happy smiling faces.

The next morning we wanted to see Vail and all it's glory, so up we went in the Gondola, up, up, up!!!


At the top we found ourselves at 11, 500 feet in elevation, thinner air up there for sure

 What a beautiful view of the Mountains and the entire resort once you get to the tippy top. We hiked a bit, and then we had a little fun with all there was to offer.

 Going on the stationary bungie cord bouncy thing was especially thrilling, for all of us! We could not believe the boys did it!

 We really enjoyed it at the top so much, but it was time to come bcak down to the Village for a little more exploring before setting off for another evening in Vail

The boys and I took the Gondola down, Tim and the Girls hiked all the way down along the mountain bike trails

Can you see them walking down?
They are at the top of the open green patch




What a wonderful adventurous day!

Gotta go get ready for our last night

a great last night in the Village, margaritas with a beautiful view of the slopes, kids playing on the green grass and my sweetheart and I relaxing, enjoying our holiday.

Vail did not disappoint us in any way
You really must try to visit Vail in Colorado yourself