I went for a ride through town one evening, much like i do at Christmas time to see the houses lit up and decorated. More and more are lit up for Halloween. This one, a regular in the circuit, caught my eye. I will admit to adding the moon and the sky. I'll put my X in the spot "spend time outdoors after dark"

Brian's theme from last week, was, "Boats. I found another I'd like to add. This one taken of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore Maryland. For more info about Monochrome Madness visit Leanne's blog. See more images of my Life in Black and White.

I don't post on this blog enough and this challenge series from Dan seems like a good place to remedy that. Fun Foto Challenge: Residential Street Views You can find where I post regularly here and even join in with my annual Festival of Leaves.

Sunday Stills: Steps and Stairs

This is what I love about blogging; because of this prompt I found this beautiful poem. I hope you like it as well. The Wind And The Leaves By George Cooper "Come, little leaves," said the wind one day. "Come o'er the meadows with me, and play' Put on your dress of red and gold,— Summer is gone, and the days grow cold."

Cosmic Photo: Patterns in BnW

My daughter, who is now in her 40's, was a brown eyed girl. Her dad, Van Morrison fan,  sang this song to her. Looking at the words now, they seem a little inappropriate for a father to sing to his daughter, but really he only sang the chorus that goes With you, my brown-eyed girl. You, my brown-eyed girl. Anyway it was sweet and the first thing I thought of when I saw this prompt.

One Word Sunday: Power

A beautiful ride out to my sister's place in West Virginia (the leaves are just starting to put on a show) had me come across this fella. He is so pretty I had to pull over and say "Hi". Of course whenever we get together, memories of dad come up, especially now that is football season. Dad grew up in Washington DC and was a die hard Redskin fan.

If you could have an ideal job, what would it be? When I was younger, I always wished I could be a photojournalist. Now I would like a job where I do whatever I want nd get paid lots of money. Has a job position you held ever been a disappointment to you? Phew..where do I start?! Yes. But I moved on.

I shot this image last year, a little later in the season, but I'm headed this way in the morning, so it seems an appropriate share. Which Way: With Autumn Leaves

I have a big weekend planned with my family, starting tomorrow at Andrew and Haley's house (my son and DIL). We are doing some seasonal cooking to take to West Virginia for the weekend. But today I made chili to take over their house tomorrow. More about that Saturday in my Share Your World post. Thanks to my facebook friend MG for the bingo card, (that I tweaked to more closely reflect my interests).

Trompe-l'œil door (and windows) at the pumpkin patch. Thursday Doors Thanks to my facebook friend MG for the bingo card, (that I tweaked to more closely reflect my interests). Check out her Etsy page for more cool things like this. With a nod to #TsDailyOctShare For more autumn fun, be sure to check out my weekly Festival of Leaves Challenge

I was 11 years old when Don McClean born on October 2, 1945, released the song, American Pie. My friend and I spent hours, first taping it on to our cassette tape, then playing and rewinding over and over again until we wrote down all the words, and then, we memorized them. But this post is about Don McClean's next hit, …

Welcome to Week #2 of The 2026 Festival of Leaves.  Today I am sharing an image of some dogwood in the forest.  The dogwood's red is not as vibrant as the maple or sumac, but among the fading green of the surrounding trees, it stands out nicely. The dogwood is Virginia's state flower and also state tree. The Spiel: I love autumn so I am hosting…

Izzy and Sam’s favorite spot was under the bridge. They came here after school to talk and make out. No one else seemed to ever come here. Just under the surface of the creek a monster watched them. It hated Sam, but was in love with Izzy. The next time the couple came to sit, the monster rose up from the water, Izzy screamed.

Brian hosts this week, with the theme "Boats. This image is 15 years old, although I just converted it to bnw. I'm not around boats much any more, but there was a time (15 years ago), when I was around them a lot. I have lots of old boat images. This one is a favorite because the dark building you see is actually red, and the contrast, plus the reflection makes it a lovely image.

Agriculture is Virginia's largest private industry. We have (at last count) 351 wineries, 125+ Apple Orchards and close to 50 Peach, plum... Statistics from the Virginia Department of Agriculture boasts that Virginia has 39,000 Farms. Virginia farm operations cover 7,300,000 acres. The average size of a Virginia farm is 187 acres. 95% of Virginia farms are family-owned. Virginia is home to 20,378 new and beginning farmers.

A day of errands and something not on my bingo card, even after I tweaked it...a seasonal manicure. I'm working tomorrow so this will have to do for both days. Hopefully I will be back Wednesday with a "Spooky Story" for Friday Fictioneers. Thanks to my facebook friend MG for the bingo card, (that I tweaked to more closely reflect my interests).

See my facebook page to view all of the posters I have created from quotes.

I wasn't able to get out and get new pictures of any ferns, moss or fungus. Too bad I had just posted a mushroom image before this prompt came out. I was actually out on Wednesday and passed a field of fern, but I didn't stop, thinking it would be more colorful in a few days. So I found a fern image from spring and edited to what I  want it to look like next time I came across it. It really never looks like this in person, but in my imagination it often does. Cosmic Photo: Moss, ferns and fungus

Does it take four days to decorate for fall? No, unless of course, you are me. Now, disclaimer I am working the weekend and my wreathe from last year did not suit, so I ordered another that didn't come in until Saturday, and there were other hiccups. Y'all know how it is when the prefect plan does not come together.

It was a pretty cool week. I went with a friend for a drive on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park on Wednesday (I will not go on a weekend day again before the second week of November, it is about to get crazy up there), but this day was lovely. It is Fall Down and Spring Up, which to me that means that the colors start changing at higher elevations and so I kept driving.

Shops are all ready displaying Christmas merchandise here in the UK. Do you think this is too early? Here in the US as well. I don't go into the stores much, but it does seem to be earlier and earlier. What is your favourite traditional holiday in your country? Thanksgiving. It is a day we all come together over a wonderful meal and recognize all we have to be thankful for.

This image is from last year. to see my current autumn images, check out my Festival of Leaves Challenge that posts on Thursdays 8 am EST. Which Way: With Autumn Leaves

A recent visit to Big Meadows in The Shenandoah National Park gave me this image. #TheFlowerHour

I'm too old or just not agile enough, however you want to say it, to be getting down low, climbing, jumping, straddling, and all those things I used to do to get the shot in my mind's eye. Fortunately, since I have switched to primarily cell phone images, I don't have to. I didn't even have to go far for this, it was growing in my yard recently. Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Move your body

For this first day of October instead of cleaning my house, washing clothes, or even the dishes, I made a "Spooky" playlist. I have over 75 songs on it. There are the expected choices like Monster Mash and Thriller, but also some more interesting ones like Don't Fear the Reaper and Psycho Killer and these fun additions. Thanks to my facebook friend MG for the bingo card.

Welcome to Week #1 of The 2026 Festival of Leaves. This week's image shows early autumn reflecting on the creek. A few weeks ago this was a lush green, now we seem to be fading to yellow. The spiel: I love autumn so I am hosting The 2026 Festival of Leaves. I will post every Thursday and invite anyone and everyone to join in at any time through the week.

Eating (Out): An after work dinner with a bestie at the local Mexican. Yes we do eat there a lot. It's convenient, reasonable, and the food is good. I just had a quesadilla, as I had food at home to eat and didn't want to take home any leftovers. My friend who is a MUCH more adventurous eater than I, had beef tongue.

#TheChangingSeasons

Last week's Monochrome Madness was hosted by Margaret from From Pyrenees to Pennines and her theme, "Buying and Selling". Only problem I got my dates totally mixed up, so I am a week late for this. Sorry Margaret. I did some local shopping over the weekend at the Farm Market, the Thrift Store, and The Emporium, all in Strasburg, all full of people buying and selling. For more info about Monochrome Madness visit Leanne's blog. See more images of my Life in Black and White.

I work at Winchester Medical Center in Winchester Virginia. WMC is a relatively small hospital that covers a large area. We have 495 beds, and serve 400,000 people, in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, extending to the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. WMC is recognized as a Level II trauma center, providing critical services to a combined total of 13 counties across both Virginia and West Virginia.

I recently noticed on a 90 degree very early autumn day, some folks getting super excited for the upcoming holiday. Not my thing, but I do like taking pictures of them. THAT is my thing. 🙂 Sunday Stills: Your Home Town

See my facebook page to view all the posters I have created from quotes.

Last year our wine club was invited to one member's home for a few sips. I got a phone call and stepped outside, then got distracted by their beautiful grounds... Cosmic Photo: An Autumn Walk

One Word Sunday: Power

What’s your favorite pizza topping? I like my pizza with sausage, green peppers, onions and black olives, or just plain cheese. What is/was your favorite soda (fizzy drink)? I can't drink anything fizzy (for medical reasons), so may favorite soft drink is Snapple Peach Tea. When out for a meal, have you ever sent yours back to the kitchen? I don't think so.

Which Way: On a Rainy Evening

I do feel bad for those folks who are allergic to this stuff, my dad was seriously allergic. This time of year he had constant runny eyes and nose and was sneezing all the time. "Damn goldenrod". I'm not allergic (at least not yet) and I find it beautiful. Honestly the pictures do not do it justice. A field of goldenrod is something to behold. The #Flower Hour: Autumn Colors

I love the big fluffy clouds!

I don't take many vacations any more, I mean I only work a couple days a week, I live alone and for the most part I do what I want, so what do I need to take a vacation from? I do wish I could travel more but health and financial reasons prohibit that option right now (I always hold put hope that will change).

Watch this time slot for The 2026 Festival of Leaves. to begin next week, October 2. Now is the time to get out there and capture autumn at the beginning, or go to your archives and find images you want to share for the next 10-12 weeks.  I'm excited! See you next week! This series usually runs about 10-12 weeks, with the last week being a wrap up.

What's more harmonious then the river reflecting the sky during a pink sunset? Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Harmony

Welcome to the first day of Autumn! I hope it lasts until the first day of spring (wouldn't that be nice?) I love autumn so I am hosting The 2026 Festival of Leaves. I am starting a little later this year, beginning on October 1st. I will post every Thursday morning EST. I invite anyone and everyone to join in at any time through the week.

For more info about Monochrome Madness visit Leanne's blog. See more images of my Life in Black and White.

See my facebook page to view all the posters I have created from quotes.

Cosmic Photo: Seeds, fruits, and nuts.