Autumn is here!

After enduring record-breaking heat at the start of the week, autumn came in on Thursday with a fresh breath of cool air.  It was SO nice!  It also brought some rain which we needed. 

I include some amusing photos from Julina's place:  the dogs anxiously awaiting at the front door because Steve and I were packing the car and an Alex project that joined us for our meals - a model air craft carrier complete with cute little airplanes.

 

Steve and I drove home from Julina's Monday morning, stopping by Cataract Falls along the way to admire the beauty or upper and lower falls plus a covered bridge and to have lunch in one of our favorite Illinois towns - Casey.  We got sandwiches at the Whitling Whimsy right next to the world's largest wind chime.  

Upper Falls

Lower Falls

The windchime

On Friday, we drove up to Nauvoo, another favorite Illinois town, to attend the temple and it was an all-day affair.  It takes over three hours to get there and we had a steady rain for much of the drive home so that was almost seven hours of driving right there!  This time of year is when pelicans migrate along the Mississippi River and we saw many.  This one is a cluster of pelicans that I had to zoom in to take so the quality is not great....

Emily came by on Thursday and joined us for a delicious lunch of BBQ at the Stellar Hog.

I finished a crocheted rug using all the skeins of flat, thick yarn that I get from the Happy Hookers.  The ladies don't like to bother with it because it is so thick.  I tried making a nifty-knitter hat with some and it turned out very clunky.  So, I just decided to pull out my huge crochet hook that I use for t-shirt yarn and I made this cute rug for the guest room.  

I have to show this silly little owl planter I have with the succulent growing like a huge mohawk down the back.

Steve and I watched TWO versions of the Mame story this past week - Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell that is not the musical and Mame with Lucille Ball that was the musical.  It all started when we were listening to a Tijuana Brass CD during dinner one evening and the song "Mame" came on and we both remarked that we had never seen the play or the movie.  The Saint Louis Public Library had copies of both versions so I checked them out.  Both were enjoyable to watch.  

We both got our flu shots on Wednesday and, like all the vaccines that we have received lately, I had a stronger reaction than Steve who had NO reaction.  I felt achy and yucky for about 24 hours.  The new Covid booster is next on our plans - probably the first of October which is NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!