Bristol, Indiana

All the cousins together for the very first time...

Fall has arrived in glorious multi-hued colors.  The poison ivy sticks out like a red sore thumb.  As we wind through the back country roads in Bristol, Indiana, you can see thick clumps of it crawling up the side of oaks and maple.  The corn stocks behind my sister’s house have turned that rustic harvest decoration color.    All day, the kids run back and forth between the house, the fort and the trampoline.  Outside the dining room window, I can see the big blue tarp they threw across the top to act as a roof. 

This morning, I walked quietly down to the ponds and sat on the half rotted dock watching steam curl up from the swimming pond half covered in lily pads.  The sunlight filtered through the feathered Cyprus and maple, creating a mock halo around the algae infested fishing pond.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot movement.  A mother whitetail deer and her two half grown fawns stepping daintily out of the brush, nibbling on leaves and grass; though she saw me and flicked her tail uncertainly. 

What is it that I admire about this place?  The peaceful serenity and the extreme privacy.  I think it is that and the lush, green trees that arch overhead, creating a cool oasis. 

Crazy cousins

My mom kept her fifth wheel parked here over the summer, flitting back and forth between business in California and visiting her grandkids in Indiana.  The lure of all her children and grandchildren in one place was too much to resist.  Thankfully, she is coming in the middle of October with Bill. She’s leaving the Mojave Desert and picking him up in Denver.  Then, they’ll come out together –he is catching a ride and she is gaining a driving partner. 

This time of rest is good for me.  A chance to breath and rejuvenate.

We are in Bristol, Indiana, visiting my sister on her ten-acre farm.  So peaceful and tranquil.  My kids love it and don’t want to leave.  My niece, Zoe, is three months younger than my son, Liam (almost 11), and my nephew, Judah, is a week younger than Kyla, 9.  My brother lives about a half hour away and occasionally brings his two young boys over to play.  Sometimes, my dad, who also lives about 30 minutes away, comes over after work.  It is nice to have most of my family close by during our visit.  

Birthday girl (13th birthday) with Papa Scott

Zoe driving the golf cart

Jessica driving golf cart