Supremely Scenic September

September is awash with beauty.

Plants are thriving in the cooler air, many of them throwing off restraint and putting on their best performance.

Oak trees are producing a bounty for the squirrels and the fruit trees are loaded.

The harvest begins...

A gazillion Galas, Goldens and Macs sitting ready to tantalize and satisfy! 

Happily some of the bounty landed on our patio.

Such kind people are leasing the land and looking after me too! 

That's the way God works around here. 

Mom and I did some "drive-through" apple picking before the harvest was complete.

She marvelled over the fruit and enjoyed the juicy crunch! 

The landscape is changing, the skies are restless...

Leaves are beginning to change and fall...

Rich green, vibrant red and scattered leaves of gold...

I am mesmerized by the earth as she gets ready to hunker down for the coming season of sleep.

Life in all it's varied forms, declaring the praises of it's Creator.

Blessed to share the bounty,

To marvel over the beauty.

Breathing prayers of thankfulness.

Donuts and Goats

We drove to Coombs, a quaint little town with some funky shops.

Not often you get to see goats grazing on the roof of the local grocery store!

Here's Nicole sitting outside the local donut shop.  

We each picked our favourite and then had a picnic under a tree out back near the goats.

The simple pleasures in life are so much sweeter when shared with your kids! 

Later the kids enjoyed the steam room and hot tub followed by Thai food and a movie in our room. 

We all managed to get onto the same ferry for the trip back to Vancouver.

Another picnic before boarding and we sailed away into the sunset. 

Which was not visible due to the clouds...

I was very eager to get home to my familiar bed and bathroom so after dropping off the kids I zoomed off, stopping only to use a washroom and to pick up a special hot drink to keep me company on the long drive.

Nanaimo Bound

The kids and I had all booked this weekend in September for a little getaway together.

Even my new grand-doggie Penny was part of the entourage and it was fun to get to know this eager, somewhat nervous little spotted beauty. 

Patrice & I left a bit early so we picked up Penny and headed to the Ferry where I had booked our ticket.  Thankfully we didn't end up having to wait, but it was touch and go with minutes to spare! Oh the agony of suspense... 

It was a delightful day to travel and to spend some time outside in the sunshine and wind with my favourite daughter. 

Wind whipped curls and happy hearts.

The motel was wheelchair accessible AND dog friendly with a beautiful outlook over a little lake.

I had to wait for the motel staff to take my ridiculously TALL bed apart and reassemble it so that I could get on and off.  It's a real frustration now with the tall beds that are in vogue.  My shoulders are not built to pole vault myself up so high...

So scenic!

I invited cousin Margaret who lives in Nanaimo over for a visit so we could catch up on news and get reacquainted.  She's been so kind to Patrice since she got to know her last year at Dad's memorial service so it's great to keep those family ties wherever possible. 

We headed to Rathtrevor Beach to enjoy the ocean and the great outdoors which are so very spectacular on Vancouver Island.

Unfortunately our sunshine disappeared, but there was no rain so we explored and Penny had a lot of sniffing to do...

Precious times with precious kids.

Blue Sky Adventure

My friend Celia invited me to do a quick overnight trip to Vancouver with her so after getting mom settled in with Elsie, I happily jumped in her car and away we went.

I can't be too spontaneous when I'm taking care of mom, but the timing worked out so nicely this time and the weather couldn't have been better.

I am almost always the one doing the driving because of the wheelchair lift being on my car so it was such a treat to be able to just sit back and watch the scenery go by while munching on snacks. But Celia didn't mind lifting my wheelchair in and out of her car so I was happy to be a passenger for a change. 

Blue skies and fluffy clouds and a friend who loves to worship and pray as much as I do. 

Pretty ideal situation!

As you can see I was a little "snap happy" with my camera on the first half of the trip; the views are so stunning that it's hard to know when it's time to call it quits!  Somehow I didn't get any pictures of the majestic mountains though which is a little surprising.  

We found a little motel that was close to the meeting she had to attend and after that we headed down to Surrey to check out Patrice and her tiny home.

What a joy to see Patrice proudly standing in her little home, smiling broadly and excited about her new venture.

Her years at A Rocha have brought so many beautiful things into her life and seeing her able to take on such a complicated project while working with the interns is nothing short of miraculous!

Since we only had the one evening together we found a fun new restaurant nearby and enjoyed a leisurely delicious meal while we caught up on stories.

Sweet moments with precious people. 

God's mercy train keeps chugging through our lives!

September Sunsets

Loving the September ambience and sunshine followed by stellar sunsets!

Sometimes I'll take a different route home to experience some of the different views of the lake and valley.

This particular September night was pretty outstanding! 

Meanwhile, back at the homestead life is never dull!

Ladybug had a backyard salon treatment - quite a major trim to keep her cool and comfy, sleek and shapely!

She bounced back nicely from her surgery in July and 

has been having the time of her life with Anita.

Ladybug has spent many fun days going for long walks, heading to the beach, visiting Ollie in the rehab centre,  and going wherever Anita went. 

When I realized it was already September and I hadn't been to the beach yet, Mom and I joined Lisa and Anita for a little picnic at the park one evening.

Anita & Lisa took a dip in the lake before the sun set. 

Such an idyllic looking evening...Except that I was hot and uncomfortable and Mom wasn't doing great so the two of us struggled back to the car and headed back to familiarity and comfort. 

These gorgeous pictures don't always tell the whole story, but they're a nice backdrop for our journey with walkers and wheelchairs and all sorts of trials!  

Early in September Mom and I also took the opportunity to do an hour of camping at Bear Creek Park!

When I found out my friend Michelle was camping at her regular campsite I figured it was time to round out our summer experience.

Our time around the campfire was cut short by a wild storm that began as we were sipping our drinks and munching on snacks.

The wind whistling through the trees above our heads signalled the oncoming storm followed by loud thunderous outbursts and then rain. 

We got into the car just in time! 

So one hour was enough and we could tick camping off our summer "to-do" list! 

We sped alongside the lake through the storm happy once again  to reach our wonderful cozy home.

Hard to believe this beauty is home... this familiar view just outside the back door.

An ever changing landscape that captures my imagination and compiles me to take yet another picture.

Here are a couple more of the evening drive that I opened this post with!

Whether I am at the lakeside or up on my little homestead I am surrounded by breathtaking beauty and the love of my Creator.