It looked like Summer around here...

          It was one of those clear, sharp, mustless days

That summer and man delight in.          

          Never had Heaven seemed quite so high,

          Never had earth seemed quite so green,

          Never had the world seemed quite so clean

          Or sky so nigh.

And I heard the Deity's voice in

The sun's warm rays,

And the white cloud's intricate maze,

          And the blue sky's beautiful sheen.

    ~ee cummings

Today marks the end of my Summering, with a small margin of grief and a great amount of gratitude.

Here, just a taste, of how my Summer loved me:

Produce, in miniature.

Here comes the sun...[little darlin']

Sigh...

Deck Dwelling.

And then, a hot air balloon.

Yes, I think I will.

That Favorite of Girls.

Treats.

Abundance.

Of Blueberries.

Dinner, friendly-like.

The flowers are wild for it.

It's a walk in the park.

Fuzzy and fascinating, even the bugs love to be out in the sun.

To rest and to restore.

Have I mentioned the produce?

Music, Mountains, Mighty, Marvelous.

'They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.'

~Psalm 145:5

Oh Pennsylvania

I might be a Jersey girl, but I'll tell you what:

Pennsylvania country sings my song.

Here, some snapshots of my recent Amish Farmer's Marketing:

Summer, thou treatest me well.

I've just seen a face...or two....

Once, a last Baxter visit ago, I--for reasons unknown to me--could not stop singing the Beatles' I've Just Seen a Face.  I sang it endlessly, and non-stop, over and over and again.  It became the source of much frustration for certain members of the Baxter family, one in particular.

So, upon my arrival this past weekend, he brought it up.

He said: 'Remember when....?'

And I said: 'Now we're all in trouble.'

Because sure enough...

Guess who couldn't stop singing it?

But now, as I peruse photos taken from our weekend, I can't help but notice a theme.  I've seen a face alright; take a look at these:  

[Consider this an appendix to the official post...I just couldn't resist!]

A Visit, to Prison

Well, to be fair, first I went to the Baxter's,

for appetizers and good times.  

[Decidedly not prison.]

Though it had been 8 months since last we met, we jumped right into comfortable, and typical elements of our time together.

There was the making of dinner, 

the meeting of new friends,

a little gaming,

a little peaceful conversating,

and Costco.

[I adore Costco.]

But, the event of the weekend was decidedly on Saturday,

when we boarded the train

and, with great enthusiasm, headed to Philly.

We paused for lunch,

and a little music-making,

before walking a million miles to our destination.

The Eastern State Penitentiary;

 a deteriorating

but extremely cool

prison,

 in operation 

from 1829-1971.

 We wandered around,

 exploring,

reflecting,

 learning.

After awhile, we were pretty beat.

 We claimed our freedom, and headed home.

On Sunday, after a weekend of sharing our stories and laughing our hearts out, it was time for me to go.

Always a good time Baxters!
Thanks for loving me, embracing me into your family,
listening to me sing....I can't wait until New Years!