Life in the Bristolwood

                      Autumn in the Bristolwood

I have a birdfeeder that fits into the outside of the window, making it fun to watch the birds as they visit.  I had taken it down for several months, as we had neighbors call us about bear sightings not too far from our home.

I recently rehung the feeder, as I really enjoy watching the birds…we have Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, as well as an ocassional Bluejay.

Angus isn’t really interested in the birds at all. He could care less as they hop around the feeder, picking out sunflower seeds.  He mindlessly daydreams and never would he growl at their activity.

The only time that Angus leaves all sense of decorum behind is when a dastardly squirrel encroaches upon his domain! The poor little chap then barks with reckless abandon, eyes glazed and hair on his back on end! Of course, the little rodent outside is probably unaware of his antics!

Today, we were fortunate that no rodents appeared as the birds peaceably visited the feeder!

Ah, the charmed life of a carefree canine………….

Yesterday morning,  we were greeted by three visitors as the day began. The night before, Ben had called me to the French doors so he could show me that he spotted them. He shone a bright flashlight up the hill, and they were just lying on the ground for the night.  We hadn’t seen them around much lately.

As I stood on the porch to take the picture of the deer, I had to smile at the pretty still life nature offered. I love how the oak leaf landed in the planter!

I don’t know what this “weed” is, but it sure is pretty. Every time I get into the Explorer, I notice it on the side of the hill. It has a soft texture about it….reminds me of a child’s teddy bear! Now that the weather has been somewhat cooler, it also always has water drops near its center.

I had several orders to pack and get out yesterday. Mark has been busy with some paperwork the past couple of weeks, so he asked me to run some errands for him. I am always happy to oblige, particularly this time of the year, as I cannot get enough of the colors and smells!

I had previously mentioned an underground house being built not too far from us. The house was really built on grade, then soil was brought in to give it the underground characteristics.

This house faces due South and use of solar panels became evident early in its construction. This project has been going for several months. Apparently, it has caught the eye of many passers-by, as there is a sign in the driveway regarding a phone number to call for an open house! Ben was excited, as he said he would really like to visit the house once it is completed.

This is the “created” backside of the house. As I said, the house was built on grade with little excavating.

Ben and I ran our errands, then decided since we were in close proximity, we would stop by the mall. I like visiting this time of the year, as there are so many beautiful colors in the stores in anticipation of the (BIG money-making) holidays approaching.

After leaving, I saw this beautiful burning bush. As I got closer to it, it suddenly seemed “alive”!  Yes, once again, there were birds chattering as though excited about the great sales they found just a few feet away, inside the mall!

Well, since I am known by my friends as being a bit….umm, “eccentric”, I found no reason to restrain myself.  Thankfully, a sidewalk ran behind the bush, so I didn’t appear to have totally lost my mind! I walked up behind the bush and peeked inside! If you click and enlarge the next two pictures, you can see Sparrows in the bush! They were so wonderful to accomodate my addiction to photography!

Ben and I had just one more stop as the day was coming to a close. The sky was so glorious in its wash of baby blues and pinks!

I uploaded my pictures last night, but I am afraid all the activity of wandering around the mall  and the intoxicating Autumn coolness over-stimulated my brain. I found myself so exhausted, I was in bed by 9:30!

This morning,  the house is feeling a bit chilly, so I need to make just a small fire in the woodstove to take the chill off!

Yesterday, as I was taking pictures, I couldn’t help but notice all of the various colors of the turbulent sky above me.  Although most of the time it was dark and gray, streaks of light would shine through as a little patch of blue exposed itself.

I stopped at the side of the road a few times and was so surprised when I actually got a picture of this hawk  soaring above my head as though it was just enjoying the views below.

This photo reminds me of the Bible verse:

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint’”

                                                                                                     Isaiah 40:31, KJV

 That I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, would you believe me? Probably not. So, here are some shots taken today (a very brisk and chilly day with a stiff breeze!) within a very short distance of my home.

You be the judge!

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Our weather yesterday was so incredibly moody! We had rain, sunshine, and high winds! But, it made it all the more cozy to stay inside!

While the sun was shining, I popped outside with the Nikon to take a few pictures.

I had taken a photo a few days ago of this particular Hickory tree with its great golden crown. The crown has thinned out a great deal since that day, and if you look closely, you can see leaves being blown off as I shot this picture!

The leaves are more in “compost” mode than “shade” mode, as witnessed by this photo! They keep getting deeper and deeper in the woods.

As I was walking about, I loved the way the raindrops clung to the leaves, making them sparkle when the sun shone on them.

The sad part about Autumn is that where we live, the leaves get colorful, and before we can thoroughly enjoy them, rain and wind remove them! I have sometimes thought perhaps Autumn should last about 6 months!

I took this photo of a little Junco with my telephoto lens.  It isn’t the greatest photo, but I thought it was kind of cute. The little bird was one of many eating sunflower seeds from the feeder.

One mystery that I ponder is why some trees seem to lose their leaves more quickly than others. I suppose the temperature and wind have something to do with this, but look how chilly this poor naked Hickory looks! This is such a grand and beautiful tree. When Mark had the addition built on the side of the garage, I lobbied on behalf of this tree to save it! You can see that I only caught the top half of it. (see the leaves from other trees around the bottom of the picture) This Shagbark Hickory must stand 50-60 feet.

If is very obvious that one can see much deeper into the woods now!

The view from our driveway remains quite colorful as we look across the hills….

As I walked back to the house, I was so encouraged to see the bright yellow faces of the Daisies I had planted from a hanging basket purchased early this summer.  Look at how cheerful these little flowers look amidst the leaf litter surrounding them!

Life is so good in the Bristolwood!

I so knew exactly the picture I would use for the theme pink! I took this picture of my little Scottie, Murphy, on his second birthday this past August 17.  He had gotten the ball for his birthday, and we spent some time running about in the back yard, playing with it. When we were finished, Murphy picked the ball up in his teeth and carried it into his crate where he placed it down and sat with his pink tongue hanging out!

On the same day, I took this picture of a bumblebee hard at work on a pink coneflower!

When I checked the weather this morning and saw a big bright green blob heading northward from Pennsylvania, I decided the time to mulch the lawn again was right then! I got the mower out and worked quickly to get those pesty leaves all mulched into tiny bits. As I was working, the winds began to kick up a little, so the little mower moved along briskly, with me it tow! Here is the result…

I leaned out the upstairs bedroom window to take a picture of the trails leading into the woods. It is becoming easier and easier to see further into the woods!

This afternoon, Mark asked me to go to Canandaigua to do some errands. I was more than happy to go, as I love getting out. I had to drive past Bristol Mountain, a ski area not too far away. The next few pictures are of the mountain.

Snow machines lined up at the bottom of the picture.

I stopped in the town of Canandaigua for a few minutes. While there, I took a few pictures of scenes there. Some businesses had made up “harvest people” who were situated here and there around the sidewalks….

In photographing the harvest people, I couldn’t help but do some window shopping. There were so many beautiful displays as I walked along past the shops.

This display was located at a title company. Although the picture has a lot of reflection from the streetlight and and buildings on the other side of the street, I thought it only added a degree of interest to the photo!

 This display *really* caught my eye. These are such awesome bowls that are handmade and it looks like the woodworker tries to maintain the tree’s basic shape as each basket is formed. 

 This last picture really hit me between the eyes. Unique Toy Shop is just that. Instead of toys that can be found in any department store, they sell toys that are well made and destined to last more than just one generation.  I remember before Mark suffered the spinal cord injury, the kids and I would often frequent this delightful toy haven and oogle over what we saw. Each year, a postcard arrived in the mail, offering the birthday child a percentage off a purchase. We used those postcards a few times!

We had several other stores to visit, so we were off to plazas and stores here and there.  One of our last stops was Wegman’s, as I needed to pick up a couple of peppers.  As I walked towards the store, it began to rain.

I edged nearer and nearer the store when I couldn’t help but look in the small trees in front of the store. I smiled as I spotted literally hundreds of sparrows, feathers puffed out, chirping loudly, as though singing praises! I stopped for a few seconds, just totally taken by this….I was surprised as others just walked past as though they were deaf; apparently they found nothing the least unusual in this loud chorus of sparrows!

I have spoken before about being a starry-eyed dreamer, but something within me just will never understand how folks can walk past something so incredible and never even *notice*……

We often go shopping at a little shopping mecca along the Southern Tier of New York State.  There is a Sam’s Club there, and Mark favors shopping there as opposed to some of the larger stores, as there are generally fewer people there at any given time.

Almost the entire length of Route 86 (formerly known as Route 17) is cradled on either side between beautiful rolling hills. This route basically runs across the state, east and west.  As it rolls on to the east, it even runs through some very beautiful topography located in the Catskill Mountains.

We were parked in a strip plaza facing a Lowe’s across the road. As you can see, the hills frame the area so nicely.

Here is another shot of the hills. Although the hills in the picture are not focussed, I loved how this shot turned out, as the trees  look as though they were “sponge painted”!

Mark, Ben, the Scotties, and I went on this little excursion today. Michelle was left behind with my friend, Cindy. I was so excited about taking photos, but unfortunately, I was so busy shopping, I really had little oportunity to take *any* pictures.  I was disappointed, as there were many neat things to photograph.

Our last stop before heading back to the Bristolwood was a Wegman’s store. I went in the store, feeling a little peeved that my day had been less than productive. (well, in my book, anyway)

Ben and I shopped a little, and as we came back to the truck, I looked up to see what looked like a giant moon hung in the sky! I finally had something cool to capture! This is the moon just hanging over the hills on the horizon…

And, a little further up in the sky!

Let’s see….we went to Sam’s Club to buy some goods for the freezer. Then Best Buy so Mark could look at some hard drives and laptops. After that,  it was Staples to pick up some rolls of tape. Then, Ben wanted to go over to the mall. Guess who was elected to run in with him?

Yup. So, as we passed a Hallmark Store, I decided I would just peek in for a few minutes. It was there that I made *my* purchase for the day…

Yes indeedy, kissing Scottie salt and pepper shakers!

We are taking a little break today to take a shopping excursion! With Michelle’s birthday around the corner, we need to get thinking about a gift. Hmm…she is so artistic and has told us she would *really* like a camcorder…

I am looking forward to this little trip and am taking the camera along with me. (that is nothing new….it follows me everywhere, even resting next to the bed at night!)

 Hopefully, by this evening, I will have some pictures. The weather calls for a “good dose of sunshine” today, just ahead of days and days of rain! We really need the rain, but I also need to cut more firewood! YIKES!