A Fair Deal.

The South Carolina State Fair is going on right now.

Military members and their families get in free.

You can't find a more Fair Deal than that.

(Couldn't resist)

We arrived at lunch time so we decided to hit the food area first.

Oh my goodness,

I see junk food, everywhere.

Some of it looks pretty good,

but I really don't need the extra sugar.

I found a stand selling Greek Gyros.

It was excellent.

I thought they were kidding,

Nope, they really do sell fresh fried butter.

Heart attack anyone?

This little ride is right next to all that junk food.

Looks like a bad combination to me but

the kids on board seemed to enjoy it.

Is that a hat,

or an amusement park?

I think the best part of the fair,

is the entries in different categories.

Handicrafts,

Guess which quilt is my favorite.

I always manage to find a cat.

Fancy cake decorating.

I love this tree house.

There were plenty of imaginative cakes including

an ice barrel with bottles of beer sticking out.

there were some true works of art.

Unfortunately they were behind glass and poorly lit

you will have to use your imagination.

The pie competition looked mighty tasty too.

I do think my Sweet Husband makes much better looking crusts though.

Someone had a brilliant idea.

In the area with all the cake and pie entries

they set up a cookie stall.

Fresh warm chocolate cookies anyone?

Last but not least in that building

Needlework entries

These Cross Stitches were my favorite

I love the detail but it would take me twenty years to finish one like that.

You can't have a State Fair without animals.

This was a very silly bird.

Phyllis Diller Lives!

(If you don't remember Phyllis Diller, look her up you are in for a treat)

This silly character really liked my camera.

They had a petting zoo complete with a Zebu Steer from India.

Isn't that just the sweetest face?

Paintings and produce.

1954 John Deere Tractor

A couple of artists were building a sand sculpture of the SC State House.

It was pretty impressive,

but I can't help but think it is a bit too much like most government these days.

Mostly for show, not much substance.

There was so much to do

and yes

You could win a giant Jamaican banana.

Had to take a picture of this one.

In honor of a certain relative that I grew up with.

You know who you are.

(I love you anyway big brother.)

Cheers,

Kat



Wordless Wednesday

Congaree National Park, a Saturday escape.

Last weekend, we decided to take a break.

We went to Congaree National Park.

It is located near Columbia, SC.

Click on the link here Congaree National Park  for all the details.

Conagree is a relatively young National Park, it was

designated as a National Natural Landmark in the 1970's,

but has only been a National Park since 2003.

There are plenty of things to do at the park,

We decided to go for a walk on the boardwalk.

It is an easy two mile loop. 

Moody and atmospheric,

Especially when you are alone. 

 Cyprus Knees grow up all around the base of cyprus trees.

See the lumps sticking up?

No worries, I don't beleive it is actually haunted,

but this picture looked so moody,

I could not resist.

It is the season!

Photoshop is fun. 

The trees grow in such wierd shapes. 

Nature keeps things interesting. 

 Is it a stray root,

or did someone wander from the path.....

Shelf fungus. 

There is so much to see

it is easy to forget to look up.

Surrounded by peaceful beauty. 

Just a hint of Autumn Color. 

and of course, 

you must appriciate the small things too.  

 A snapping turtle in Weston Lake.

Can you see him, just under the water?

There he is,

I took this with the zoom.

Snapping Turtles bite. 

A smaller turtle swimming near by.

We spent a nice little while watching these guys. 

Looks like a rendezvous. 

Do you think it is romantic?

All good things must come to an end.

We will certainly go back.

This was one of the most peaceful walks,

just what I needed. 

The bonus,

we stopped for some groceries on the way home

and were greeted with this when we came out.

Just plain lovely.

Cheers,

Kat

Ten things I like about Autumn.

I grew up in Northern Utah,

in a town built on the side of the Rocky Mountains.

The leaf season starts earlier there.

Here in the South, the change is much more gradual.

Our leaves are not the vibrant green they were a month ago,

but they are not truly changing yet either.

Our peak leaf season starts later and lasts longer.

I can't wait so I have been digging through photos from previous years.

Here are some of my favorites.

Illistrating 10 things I like about Autumn.

1. The colors.

Green is lovely, but some variety is a treat. 

2. The start of snuggle season.

The early mornings are finally cool enough to snuggle. 

3. The temperatures.

It isn't really cold, or really hot.

As baby bear would say, "just right". 

4. Birds.

We get to see all sorts on their way to warmer places. 

5. Long walks in the mountains.

Can't you just hear the leaves crunching? 

6. The lighting.

The Autumn sun is a little lower in the sky,

it changes how everything looks. 

 7. The calm.

Thanksgiving and Christmas with all their joyful chaos are just around the corner,

but I have time to enjoy now first.

8. Tasty treats.

Cooler weather inspires both of us to bake more.

If I get my homework done,

 I might have to try that new pumpkin bread recipee.

 (I'm a lousy cook, but a great baker)

9. This!

Do I really need to explain it? 

10. Change.

Life is about change.

We go from one stage to another,

one year to another,

one season to another.

We might change jobs,

or homes.

We might add members to the family,

or send them off on their own.

Life keeps changing.

You step through the door, and you don't know what is coming.

The seasons are at least predictable.

Hope yours is great.

Kat

Autumn Tasks.

 One of the many things I love about living in this old house,

is using the fireplaces.

Just imagine, a nice cuppa, coffee or tea, I like both as long as it is hot,

a good book, a cozy fire in the fireplace, and a fat happy cat

(Spontaneous likes the fireplace too, unless it starts popping).

It won't matter if the wind blows cold outside,

we are cozy, safe and warm.

Getting to that blissful spot, however, requires hard work.

We start by hauling the appropriate size logs up from the seasoning pile.

Then we cut to size. Our fireplaces like about 16 inches long the best.

He cuts, I stabilize the wood. 

This is a pile of hard wood from earlier in the year.

Today we are working on soft woods. We burn a little of each.

The soft woods are better to get the fire going,

 or when you are almost ready to let it go out, but not quite. 

Once the fire is going well, the hard woods will keep it that way longer.

Here is our new pile.

Pretty isn't it?

I feel comfortable just looking at it. 

There is a lovely sense of accomplishment sitting on that pallet.

Let the cold winds blow. 

For this morning, my Sweet Husband has the coffee ready.

This stretching kitty scoop was a present from him several years ago. 

Doesn't it just say "Good Morning"?

Now a big Stretch,

my cuppa coffee,

and homework....

As of today, the break is over,

I am back in school.

Once it gets just a little cooler,

even homework won't seem so bad,

in front of that lovely fire.

Cheers,

Kat

The last pictures from September in the South.

We went for a long walk in the woods yesterday.

The last day of September.

The lighting is just right,

it seems to suit my wistful mood.

I am so glad to see fall arriving,

the temperatures are just right,

but I will miss the green.

A few leaves have fallen on the water, 

but you can still see the reflection of green from above.

Summer is reluctant to leave,

I think she likes it here. 

A typical back road.

This is one of our walking roads, quite close to the house.

I wonder who else has used this road,

did it play a part in history?

So peaceful now.

See the red dirt on the hillside?

The bricks used to in building our foundation, fireplaces and chimneys

were made on site from the local clay. 

We stopped to take these pretty sunset skies when we were on the way home from the grocery store a few days ago. I love the pink!

If, however, you want to see some truly beautiful sunset shots,

Have a look at Zuzana's blog, Life Through Reflections. 

Hers took my breath away. 

The local dogwoods are starting to look quite festive.

Ever the proud fashionistas, they are the first to turn in the fall.

They will be one of the first to turn green in the spring.

can you see the little red berries too?

The woods will be full of color soon,

this is our season preview. 

Unfortunately, this lovely Oak tree is not changing for fall,

It is dying. There are some green branches, but most are gone.

This one is right by the house, 

I hope we don't lose the others too.  

Earlier this week, I was walking back from the mail box,

thinking to myself, about the woes of the world,

and this lovely soul flew right past my nose.

It got my attention, then posed for it's picture,

pretty as you please.

It is dressed in seasonal colors too! 

One blogging friend looked at the tarantula, toad and lizard pictures I posted recently,

and asked if I lived near a swamp. 

Nope, I don't, I do however live in a national forest. 

Our nearest neighbors, are the wild things that share the woods with us.

So, when I say some of my neighbors are Turkeys,

I am not being unkind. 

I took this one through the window on the back door,

There were six in the flock, I got four in this picture. 

I got a little closer for this one, but there are only two turkeys in the shot.

They are quite safe from me,

I do enjoy left over turkey sandwiches,

and the Turkey Curry my Sweet Husband makes for me

is BLISS.

 These guys don't need to worry though, we prefer store bought turkey,

not as cute, and much less work.

Hope you are having a lovely peaceful weekend.

Cheers,

Kat