First Snowfall!

On the higher elevations.

From our front deck.

Goodbye pretty flowers.

The tractor is ready with the snowplow attached.

Not heavy, but soft, quiet and pretty! 

Firewood

Stacked and ready!

With approximately 4 cords to burn the prediction of a cold, wet winter almost seems appealing.

Come sit by the fire with us!

Is it Fall yet?

With lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s, I think it is!

This is the view just outside of Mora today. The shadows of those clouds accentuated the mountains.

Sweet friends on our mountain invited us to enjoy a beautiful Autumn Meal with them!

Pumpkin Stew was served from a real baked pumpkin. It was delicious!

Dessert was Pecan Pie Cheescake. Yummy!

What a treat.

Happiness is....

a new, sharp chainsaw blade!

blocked trees for firewood!

the beauty of fall colors!

my pretty flowers in their final week or so before frost!

Apples

I found a great recipe for Apple Pie Filling! 

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients

40 servings 129 cals

•  18 cups thinly sliced apples
•  3 tablespoons lemon juice
•  4 1/2 cups white sugar
•  1 cup cornstarch

•  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•  1 teaspoon salt
•  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  10 cups water
•  Add all ingredients to list

Directions

Print

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
3. Ladle into 5 freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.
4. Seal and freeze. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

Ready for the freezer and future apple pies!

Thankful for my friend's thinning...

At Moleski Camp, it was time to thin flowers and I was the beneficiary!

Thank you again, Moleskis.

I am so excited to have red hot pokers in my flower garden again.

Another great addition is daisies.

Our abandoned fire pit underwent a major restoration.

After cleaning and working with the dirt, now it will be a relaxing place to enjoy iris and red hot pokers.

Fall is barely here and I am already looking forward to the color that next summer will bring.

These are the "before" pictures and the "after" will arrive with the blooms of summer.

Apple picking in Ocate!

The Moleski Camp is such a joy to visit! Thank you for the yummy lunch, beautiful flowers and apples!

Another day, another 4-wheeler trail...

4-wheeling with friends on FR 76

A few of my favorite things about fall in the mountains...

Roasted green chilies!

Fresh picked raspberries.

Aspens at their peak!

A visit with dear sister friends!

What a fun time!

This is where the bears are hiding!

We found them.

Back on our deck.

Our daily routine.

Thank you to our grill master!

Ya'll come back!

Weekend Retreat

We enjoy our retreat visitors! This group is always delightful.

Becky, Kim, Kendi, Brandy and Becky.

We look forward to your return!

The fun just keeps on coming!

As GKC 2015 ended, we still had family time ahead!

Charlotte made a new friend who was visiting our neighbors. 

They loved the hot tub!

The tree house has been revived again.

Jack, Mitchell and Charlotte spent a night there, in thunder storms.

They stayed dry. Good job Tree House Masters!

Our neighbors invited us over to shoot.

We discovered his artistic ability when he put up the targets.

.22, .38, 9mm, .40  WOW!

When we all thought the fun was over, he brought out a bow!

Check out that form!

"You really know how to show a girl a good time" --

and 3 of her kids and her parents!

And it was still not over. While the burgers were cooking,

a bear target appeared in the forest for the boys to shoot.

Thank you neighbors for letting us shoot at your house!

Ummm.. well... you know what we mean.

Apparently, there is a project down the mountain that required pallets and workers to travel by 4-wheeler. 

Preparing for the arrival of our son-in-law and Holly's return from her Grande Canyon trip.

Lovin' the Fourth of July.

Minor repairs were made to the little 4-wheeler.

It has traveled hundreds of miles in the last five weeks.

Some tree trimming required a fire and as soon as we had a dry day with no wind, swoosh!

All done.

We started Charlotte's birthday off with waffles.

Then presents.

And a cake. She wanted to light her own candles.

Whatever you want birthday girl!

John arrived in time to help bottle the wine.

Corking. Thank you, John.

In the wine cellar. And now we wait.

My daughter and I completed our chalk paint project.

Thank you you, Crissy!

And now it's time to say "Goodbye" at Sunport in ALB.

😢 It is way too quiet here in the mountains after the best five weeks of our year!

Thank you, kids and grands for your logistical planning and making it happen.

We are ready to do it all again when you are.

We love you all.