"As I am" tombstone--just in time for Halloween

As I am tombstone--just in time for Halloween, originally uploaded by LarryandJean.

Yes, this is a real tombstone-in Boston. The inscription reads:

Here lies buried the body

of Mr Thomas Williston

who exchanged this life

for a better August 31st

1775 Aged 75 years

Stop here, my friend & cast an Eye
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you will be
Prepare for Death and follow Me


Gulp! Makes ya stop and think...

View from upstairs window

another backyard picture

another backyard picture, originally uploaded by LarryandJean.

I love seeing all the colors at once: red, orange, yellow and green.

Amusing Ourselves to Death

On my "To Read" list is the book

Amusing Ourselves to Death
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

by Neil Postman
Penguin Books, 1985, paper

For an overview of the concepts discussed, with a peek into why people don't seem to think anymore, check out some excerpts here.

Exploding into Autumn

This is my current favorite of the latest batch of backyard fall foliage photos.



I LOVE fall in New England; lately I've been manufacturing reasons to get out and about just so I can soak in more of that eye-poppingly explosive color!

Fall Foliage in New England

Here you go, Sunny (and Excursis and anyone else who might possibly be interested). Here at last are the promised Fall-in-New-England foliage photos.

This is what our backyard looks like these days. I hopped up onto the picnic table on the deck to take this--don't tell that to any kids you're trying to teach to keep their feet off the table.

The sky was the same gray we've had for the last several eons, er, days. Notice that there's still no construction where they clear-cut the woods. Not that I'm complaining one tiny bit about that, mind you.



The sun came out for a few glorious moments so I dashed out into the back yard to take some pictures...just in case you start missing fall in New England...and to remind me that there really is a sun up there somewhere.



I love it when the sun (finally) makes the fall leaves glow!



You can see why Gram loves walking beside this pond behind her assisted living center. I do, too!

NOW I wish I'd taken the camera along

For months and months and months (if not years!) the OC has been wanting an Old Town "Loon" Tandem Kayak. Well, yesterday, thanks to a terrific sale at the nearest L L Bean outlet, we finally broke down and bought ourselves one for a joint birthday/anniversary/Christmas present to each other!

So, of course, we simply had to try it out this afternoon (on what may yet turn out to have been one of the last warm and dry days before winter sets in).

So began the learning curve...

Not the least part of which was getting that looong kayak hoisted up onto its new Thule kayak rack way, way, waaaay up on the roof of our minivan--no easy task for a couple of old codgers like us. Fortunately for not-so-tall me, we have a collapsable step-stool which gives me an extra foot or so of height and a fighting chance of actually carrying my end (literally!) of the project.

Part two was learning to actually make that baby go where we want it to--we spent the first 20 minutes going around in circles before we got the hang of making it go where we wanted it to! We probably looking unbelievably silly out there. Hee.

Why the camera in the title, you ask? I figured we'd have enough to deal with trying to learn to load and unload (and tie down!) and then to paddle the thing without also having to worry about keeping a pricey camera from going overboard, so we deliberately left the camera behind.

Naturally, with no camera, once we were out on the water, it being late afternoon and all, we saw a cormorant, a heron (up close!), a whole flock of mallard ducks, and a speedy little kingfisher. Oh, and some pretty just-starting-to-turn foliage, too.


'Tis plain to see that we need to do this kayaking business again...and again...and again...and next time, we'll take the camera along so we can take our own pictures!