Viewing the Turkey Trot Run from My Front Porch!

It starts slow,

with the really serious runners,

but wait for it...

...more and more runners...

...keep coming.

One of the bonus features,

and there are many,

of where I live,

is that my house is on the route of my city's annual

Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot Run.

It has been a tradition since I have lived here

to cheer them on!

This is a fun run with 4,000 plus runners and walkers.

There goes the Mayflower!

Not sure what relevance this guy has in a

Thanksgiving Day run...

...but he sure adds to the fun!

Everyone is invited to participate.

A lovely American tradition.

Even though I am an armchair participant of the run,

I am thankful for getting to share in it.

New friendships formed during the run.

The perfect "destresser" after a not so fun month.

The run is over and

Daisy is settling in for a long afternoon nap

before it's turkey time.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sweater Weather!

To all my knitting friends,

wouldn't this be fun to knit?

I snapped a picture of this billboard

at the Paris airport 

when I was there last summer.

Do you recognize the model?

Hint:  Les Mis

It's a bit cooler and rainy 

this morning in Tennessee.

Perfect day to knit!

First Day of Fall Tomorrow! and Yard Sale Update

As far as I'm concerned summer is officially over.

I ate my last "real" peach last week.

It tasted as good as it looked.

I know it's my last for the season 

because they are no longer available 

at my grocery store.

Yes, I can still get California peaches

but I chose South Carolina peaches.

And they are gone.

It's been a little over a week since the neighborhood yard sale.

Once again, it was a lot of work,

but a tremendous success.

I am a merchandiser at heart...

...and am always organized.

Hopefully, it makes shopping a little more fun.

I KNOW it makes me enjoy looking at all this stuff

a bit more!

I wasn't able to do the "Bistro on the Porch" this year

since I didn't have my sister Nancy here to help.

But, I did have homemade zucchini bread, with samples,

which sold well.

Finally, late Saturday afternoon,

this is what was left from the sale.

It has all been picked up by a local charity.

Done!

As a treat to myself for all my hard work,

I treated myself to TWO ice cream sandwiches

from the ice cream truck,

 which made the rounds

all during the sale.

Summer IS really over.

Happy Fall everyone!

Ready...Set...(almost) Go!

This is what my well loved,

and well used, front porch 

looked like on Monday.

Calm and relaxed, right.

Since then I have cleaned out the garden shed,

as well as the basement.

I'm getting ready for the great neighborhood

yard sale!

My first customer?

This little guy greeted me 

first thing Tuesday morning.

He's wondering,

"Where in the h... is the wicker furniture

with the soft cushions???"

This is what the porch looked like

Wednesday morning.

All the heavy lifting is done.

All that's left is a bit of tweaking,

a little bit of tagging, and

hanging some signs.

The sale "officially" is Saturday,

but serious shoppers are already

cruising the neighborhood.

In fact, I've already had three sales!

Just a little hint for anyone planning to

attend a yard sale this weekend.

I know lots of people go to the bank

to get their "mad money" for the weekend.

Instead of getting a $100.00 bill (just an example),

get some smaller bills.

Yard sale sellers, 

also go to the bank to get change, 

but few can break a $100 first thing 

in the morning the first day of the sale.

I've had it asked of me numerous times.

Happy yard sale shopping this weekend!

I'm off to the bank now...

to get change.

Au Revoir France

We finished our tour of France with three days in Nice.

Nice is a seaside resort.

This is a shot of a private beach,

identified because of the matching chairs and beach umbrellas.

This is a public beach, just next to the private one.

Kate and me enjoying a night time stroll along the beach.

Nancy in front of Villa de Rothschild.

Views from the Rothschild Villa.

Note the pink facade of the villa.

It was Madame Rothschild's favorite color.

The flower market in Nice.

Scenic drive from Nice to Monaco.

This is the cathedral where Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly

were married and are now buried.

The palace at Monaco.

The changing of the guard at Monaco's Palace.

The casino at Monaco.

Marina at Monaco with no shortage of yachts!

Monaco is very dense...

...and our tour guide told us they were always building more there.

So we bid the fondest of farewells to France.

It is a beautiful country,

with wonderful people,

and for us, so many memories now.

When can we go again?