Pumpkins

Since my husband and I don't have kids at home for Halloween this year we thought that we'd forgo the annual tradition of decorating the entire house inside and out for the big day. Well not so fast- we couldn't resist carving pumpkins and two is definitely better than one, so here they are...

My husband's handiwork.

Feels Like Fall (Why Ithaca is gorges and why local food is pretty great.)

It's funny how one season can blend into another and then take the stage front and center. That's how this season seems to go...one day summer temperatures and bright sun and the next, the colors of the trees on your property are already brilliant and falling at a rapid speed. I always want the autumnal colors to stay around but it seems that they are never around long enough. We took a trip north to see my daughter who is in college in Ithaca, NY. We were surprised to see that once over the Pocono Mountains the trees had already had their moment of glorious color and were getting ready for the winter. We were happy that there were still leaves to see but the colors had subdued somewhat and were ahead of their neighbors to the south by about a week or so.

There's something about fall's night sky that can make pink so brilliant.

This is just one of many water falls that you see driving along in Ithaca, NY.  There are gorges galore with the spectacular Lake Cayuga as the main feature which surrounds Ithaca.

Lake Cayuga in the background lends to the natural beauty of Cornell's campus.

It was a cloudy day walking around Cornell which accentuated the earthy tones and beautiful architecture around campus.

Sage Hall on Cornell's campus. Built in the late 1800s it was originally a dormitory for women. It is now used for the Johnson Graduate School of Management. 

On Sunday the sun peeked out as we explored the Plantations which includes the Cascadilla and Fall Creek Gorges bordering Cornell to the the north and south.

View from the lookout at the top of the hill. You could spend hours here and still not see all the varieties of shrubs and trees. The Plantations preserves 500 acres around campus and extends its preservation to more than 3 thousand acres around Lake Cayuga.

This shrub (not identified) had the most vivid purple berries I've ever seen.

These concrete sculptures were designed by undergraduate Cornell Architecture students in the 1960s. As large and heavy as they look they somehow blend in to the arboretum seamlessly or maybe vice versa.

A trip to Ithaca wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Farmers' Market www.ithacamarket.com on Steamboat Landing.

The market is such a treasure to the people around the area they must wait with anticipation every season to see the bounty that arrives.

The first thing we did upon arrival is get a cup of hot apple cider and a cider donut.  Perfection!

I've never seen so many varieties of local honey.

Apples in abundance...from Golden Russets to Pippins and Ruby Frost and more varieties than you can imagine!

This bin caught my eye because they really looked hearty. There were some new varieties to try one being Ruby Frost which the seedling was developed at Cornell.

Pumpkins were everywhere in the market.

Love the fact that they wore witches hats in the spirit of Halloween! This is one of the most popular stands for delicious macrobiotic food. www.macromamas.com

Trying to choose a place for lunch is not an easy task here,  but who can resist a wood fired pizza?

The pizza here is beyond delicious!

This Tibetan stand was popular among the Saturday market shoppers.

The delicious aroma coming from this Cambodian food stand almost tempted me to eat a second lunch. Next time.

The dock attached to the farmers' market is a great place to eat lunch and take in the beautiful views of Lake Cayuga. 

Gorgeous fall vegetables.

Root veggies looked so vibrant and fresh. Can't wait to try some new recipes with these. Stay tuned...

No farmers' market is compete without the splendor of local flowers. I had to resist buying because I was afraid they wouldn't survive our travel home the next day.

Our day ended walking around Ithaca and having a lovely meal at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca. This is a picture of their latest collective cookbook which was on display around the restaurant. My very first cookbook when I was first married was Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. It was through countless recipes and trial and error that I learned about food combinations and how to add spice rather than too much salt to flavor food. I still use the same worn cookbook and it never fails to impress.

Penn State Arboretum and Community Garden

We took a road trip to see my father this past weekend and on our way back home we stopped to see our daughter at PSU. The weather was lovely so we spent most of our day walking around campus and visiting the beautiful H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens www.arboretum.psu.edu at the arboretum.

These tropical water lilies are part of the lotus pool in the Oasis Garden. 

Isn't this the most perfect flower? Each petal was so delicate and the color from yellow to cream was so beautiful.

The natural setting of the garden. The fall colors are starting to show.

Sunflowers

Sundial

Fall blooms

These look like hydrangea but not sure which variety.

Walking down to the Community Garden Sunday morning. Caroline spends time here with her group from Community Food Security Club.

Kale was plentiful throughout the garden, having its day in the sun.

Tomato plants were also popular throughout the garden.