Enjoying Autumn

We're having a nice fall.. Indian Summer.. warm and windy.  Dayle has been working on repairing a plumbing issue.. he broke the pipe to our outdoor faucet by accidentally hooking the hose with his riding mower.. so he's had to dig and fix plumbing.  I was looking through my tablecloth collection in the old oak china cabinet and found this great old hand crocheted piece that I got from my 100 year old friend Weltha Wilson years ago.  She made this herself.  I put this on the table and put some of my Jadeite collection on the table and enjoyed the fall light across the dining room.

I plan to have a tea soon with my 2 sisters and friend Shirley.   

Last evening I made a big pot of homemade clam chowder.  It turned out delish.  Have you ever made it?  You peel several potatoes, cube them, put them in water to boil (water just to cover the potatoes), add a stalk of sliced celery to the potatoes. While they are cooking you chop 10 slices of bacon into pieces and start sautéing them in a frying pan, while thats frying, chop an onion and add that to the bacon.  When the potatoes are tender, add the bacon and onions, add some garlic powder to taste, pour in 2 pints of heavy cream and 2 cans of clams with juice.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Add a 1/2 a cube of butter in the pot.  Simmer all together for a while, and serve with crackers or crusty bread.

My younger sister Denise and I volunteered at Multnomah Falls today, so I invited her to stop on the way and have chowder for lunch with me.  We usually dine at the lodge before we go on duty.  It was a simple lunch of chowder, crackers and apple cranberry sparkling cider. 

I wish you could join us for lunch! 

Cheers! 

We crunched up crackers and added them to the soup.. it's not that pretty, but it sure did taste good! 

Then we headed off to the Falls.. I started a pair of crocheted booties for my friend Rocio - she went to school with my daughter and just had her 2nd daughter, 5th child.  Her first child is a girl, then 3 boys, and now this little girl.  I can't wait to see and hold her new little sweetie.  That is my sterling silver F hook made by Celtic Swan.  I just love my silver hooks!   

All that is left to do on this one is the top trim and add a pink ribbon tie.  I love accomplishing something while I'm volunteering in the Visitors Center at the Falls.  This is my own design. 

The leaves are not changing colors yet.  There is very little water coming over the falls - we haven't had rain for almost 2 months.  What is coming over is spring water, no snow melt or rain to add to the volume.  A really neat thing happened today, one of my blog readers came in to say hi - her name is Brooxie, from Georgia.  It was great fun to chat with them and get to know her.  :-)

I took this shot of the pond night before last - it's dusk and Dayle had just done some work on all the lights around the water - and Buddy is out there making sure the fish don't "get us".  It's fun to sit out there on these warm breezy fall evenings.

I think we'll finish off the chowder for dinner tonight.  I do like to cook in the fall - things like beef stew, homemade chili, and this chowder.  Do you have any Fall leaf color where you are?  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)