Life on the Lawn

As a follow-up to my Halloween post I thought I would share a video they released today of the Trick or Treaters and one of the Lawn occupants.

 Happy Friday everyone!

Sharing my blessings on another beautiful fall weekend!

The weather here in Central Virginia has been outstanding this fall and today was no exception! We have had cold nights and warm days and the leaves have been giving us a show for over a month now!

On my ride to work the other morning.

This past August I was lucky enough to be invited to join a lovely group of ladies for their knitting group that meets in Crozet, Va at a place called Trailside Coffee on the 1st Saturday of every month. Not everyone knits, but most do so they call it a knitting group. One of the ladies does bead work and one of them is a quilter. Yesterday, after our time was done, we were all invited to the home of the quilter to see some of her wonderful quilts - more about that tomorrow. She lives about 2 miles from where we meet and on the drive from the coffee shop to her house I saw one of the most stunning scenes I have witnessed this fall so I had to turn around and go back to take some photos. Crozet is nestled in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains about 5 miles east of where the Skyline Drive meets the Blue Ridge Parkway and from almost any vantage point you have fabulous mountain views.

A Red Maple ablaze with the Blue Ridge Mountains as its back drop.

Another place I have been enjoying the fall foliage display is at Thomas Jefferson's University - better known as The University of Virginia. I am blessed to be a part of this great community and as I was walking around campus the other day I captured some of the gorgeous "grounds" where I spend my working days. I say grounds because that is what they call the campus here. The central campus area has 1,160 acres and fifteen libraries (the overall size is 3,340 acres, with 529 buildings) and I am lucky enough to be able to walk these hallowed grounds on a daily basis.

Path leading to the West side of the Rotunda.

One of many serpentine walls leading to one of the Pavilions that line the Range on The Lawn.

And last but not least for today is our girls; the chickens that is. Their lovely home is all finished and they seem very happy. If you remember, they came to live with us on June 21 and they are all thriving in their new home. We let them out to free range about an hour before dark each day so nothing has time to get them and they are all quite beautiful and happy. They are very friendly and quite inquisitive and should start laying very soon. I am hoping they will start laying just before Thanksgiving so I can use our own organic eggs to make the noodles for dinner!

8x10 hen house with run.

Happy Halloween!

I hope you had a fun All Hallows Eve! Mondays at my job at the University of Virginia are pretty busy and today was no exception. I usually have a couple of meetings around grounds and it is nice to be able to get out and see what is happening. In my old position I'll bet I left the building maybe once every 3 or 4 months. But, with the new position, I get to do a lot of walking to go to a lot of meetings and I hope that translates into some weight loss! Another privilege of my new position is a corner office with two large windows that give me an excellent vantage point to view the happenings around grounds.

Today's was U.Va.'s Annual 'Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn' — U.Va.'s trick-or-treating tradition was initiated in the late 1980s by the residents of the Lawn, and is open to all local community members. Children are invited to wear their costumes and take part in trick-or-treating at each of the 54 Lawn rooms. Candy is donated and distributed by more than 70 student groups and other organizations.

The Rotunda and lawn today before the crowds.

 

The students are quite the tricksters and they often dress up the numerous statues around grounds. I may be partial, but I think these guys look just as good with the Halloween masks. What do you think?

Well Hello, Clarice.

This was the view outside my office window at around 4:30 this afternoon. I just couldn't stop smiling seeing these little ones in all their Halloween grandeur!

I hope your day was as good as mine! Happy Halloween!