Saturday smiles

A weekend day, sunshine, blue skies, fall chill in the air...

A customer service surprise

Very interesting...

There was a letter from Continental Airlines waiting for me this afternoon. The only mail I usually get from airlines is a mileage summary, but this wasn't that - it was a business letter about my flight home from England last month.

It was a good flight, on time, normal.

The letter was an apology for the in-flight entertainment system not working during the flight from Manchester to Boston. I suppose some people were probably bothered by the lack of movie access, but books make me quite happy so I really didn't even notice. It was more than a letter of apology though, it was an offer of a discount on a future flight.

Hey, I think I may take them up on that!

Morning painting

Colors pop as dark approaches

It was really too late for camera play when I got home from work late this afternoon...

Sun-lit colors grabbed my eye as I drove home though, reds & oranges & yellows. I knew the sun was going to disappear quickly. I intended to walk without a camera companion, but somehow my baby Canon jumped into my hand as I walked out of my door. The sun slipped below the horizon very quickly, but somehow, somehow...

Just playing, I thought I'd grab a moving shot of the leaves beneath my feet. Walking, kicking through a carpet of brightly colored leaves, daylight fading. Given the darkness, I'm surprised that I captured anything, although the darkness is what gave my little point & shoot the time to capture the blur of motion.

Late afternoon...

Home again after my wander to the coast... the sun was shining, and my bike was calling. A quick late afternoon ride in warmer temperatures than I would expect for October felt wonderful.

Visiting sea gulls

New Hampshire's Atlantic coast is a good place for me to get a quick ocean "fix". I tend to stay away during the summer months; I prefer the quieter seasons.

Today I was seeking waves. The ocean didn't cooperate from a wave standpoint, but it felt good to walk along the beach, to watch the patterns in the water, to speak to the birds, and yes, even to see some fall colors.

Reflected color

Colors of the day

I'm amazed at how fast the leaves seem to change; it's almost as if the transformation happens overnight.

A large number of trees are still sporting green leaves, and that seems to make the colors stand out even more.

Are you looking at me?

Sometimes animals just make me smile. I was looking, and this sheep was looking back. I could almost hear him talking to me.

No right turn?

What? I haven't been able to turn left out of (or into) my place since the end of May. That's when construction started on the section of road right in front of my drive. It's a busy section of road, two lanes in either direction with turn lanes and a center divider. The section of road that was being replaced is relatively short; I'd be surprised if it is even a quarter of a mile.

Wouldn't you think a relatively short section of road could be totally removed and rebuilt within the scope of weeks? Nope, the construction has been going on for over four months now. I've only been able to turn right out of here and turn right into the drive for that entire time. This afternoon I was surprised with a newly grooved and blocked off section of roadway. This time I couldn't see an entry between the barrels so that I could turn right into my road.

Now what? I zipped around again (a couple of mile around, that is), and cut through the Merrimack College campus to gain access to my road. I have to admit, this lack of direct access is getting pretty old.

The road was in really poor shape, so the rebuild was really needed. But hey! Enough, already! And the real killer is, since they are tackling very small sections each year I would bet that there is a similar access (or should I say lack of access?) problem again next year.