The love of leaves

After nearly being cheated out of a summer I wasn't very excited for fall to arrive. Until I went to the mountains and saw the gorgeous change of seasons happening there.

Reds and yellows were slowly replacing the greens and everything was so beautifully vibrant like they are giving their full effort to making the most of their last days.

These short yellow-leafed plants littered the forest floor and looked simply stunning against the backdrop of the gray windfallen timber.

That juxtaposition of gray and color was a favorite and I think I probably wore it out but couldn't stop myself from trying it on every leaf in every color.

And then there were the aspens.

Even the dying leaves are pretty.

And the intricate pattern of this leaf skeleton had me marveling.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

Into the wild, foresty yonder

I've been away again. That has pretty much been my summer - gone, gone, gone, home for a few days and gone again.

Here's where I was.

Such a variety of trees: Aspen, pine, cedar, juniper, fir, and multiple varieties of each.
It was beautiful! The trees were starting to turn and the weather was fair until the day we left. Cold, cold, cold and drizzle. The next day (I'm told) there were several inches of snow. Guess we got out just in time!

I took a lot of leaf photos - there will be more posts about those oh yes there will.

A month of thrifted goods

This summer I spent a month visiting my mom in central Oregon and we made the rounds to all the thrifty places we could find and here's my haul.

The can of Poly was only $1.00 at the Redmond ReStore. I have SUCH plans for that little can. I've been wanting some for ages.
The white decorative pieces are a part of a drawer pull. I bought them at the La Pine ReStore. I don't have a specific plan for them yet, but liked that they were flat on the back and can be put on anything else flat. They cost me $1.00
That $0.50 glass dome also came from the La Pine ReStore. It's for a light fixture but I have plans similar to [this] for it.
The other little dome was just $0.10 at a garage sale.

That enormous roll of burlap strap came from the La Pine ReStore and cost me $3.00. I was so excited when I saw it and my mom says, "What on earth do you do with that?" Oh so many things. She doesn't believe me.

The glass tumbler came from the Bend Goodwill and cost me $0.99 - it is going to hold my makeup brushes in some coffee beans so I can be as cool as this person.

I love drinking my morning coffee out of a vintage Pyrex mug I have and since I didn't have one while visiting my mom I bought one. Found at the Redmond Goodwill and it was the half price color so I got it for just $0.50.


I've never owned a camera tripod but I know I *needed* one for photos at night or dusk. This one was at the Bend Goodwill and was $2.99

And when I got my new camera and had nothing to put it in, I found this case at the Bend Goodwill (during a spectacular lightning storm I might add) for $1.99.


I have been wanting a makeup brush roll for quite a while now but could never fit it into my budget. They had a few of these never used Mary Kay brush rolls at the Redmond Goodwill for just $1.99! Also I love anything Mary Kay because MK is also my initials. It makes me look important to have all my makeup bags monogrammed. ;)

The umbrella was on a clearance rack at Target for just $3.74. Pink? Yes. Polka dots? Yes! Also? It not only opens with the button, it closes with the button!

I read a ton of books while I was visiting and had to buy a couple extras. I remember Cat talking about The Day The Falls Stood Still so I got that at Bend Goodwill for $3.99 (more than most of anything else I bought. Why so spendy on books Goodwill?)

I used to have two copies of The Scarlet Pimpernel - one of my favorite books - and one is on loan to a friend and the other I couldn't find. This copy was just $0.99.

I have been traveling nonstop this summer and one of my travel bags had more hole in the top than it did top. I picked up this Skyway Kid's Gear bag for just $2.00 at Second Tern.

Yes, it is for kids. Did that stop me? No, it did not. Plus it has wheels and a retractable handle and no giant holes so there.

And the icing on the cake...my new super zoomy camera was found at a Bend Pawn & Trading for $90.00.
I have only owned pocket cameras and I can't afford a DSLR so this is a good in between. Plus I can ZOOM. Quite a bit. So much fun.

I wasn't wearing makeup so I was only brave enough to show you my haggard looking eyes.

They gave me a week to try it out which is why there is still a sticker stuck to the bottom.
Oh! I forgot to take a photo of all the movies I got there for just $2.00 apiece. Oh well. Anyway it was a really nice shop, as you can see from their website.

Minus the camera all my thrifty goodies cost me just $26.77!

Mosaic Monday - taste of fall

I've been away for quite a while but I could see the telltale signs of fall all around the house.


Like these overcast skies...

And my fall crocus.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this grass growing on top of a fence post in my neighbor's field. :)

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

The house in the woods

 Here's where I've been the last two weeks. And the weeks before that? Well...that's coming later.

It was cool in the woods - too cool for someone who has spent that past month in the desert, but we finally got the sunshine back. So I went wandering. Lots of moss and leaves.

And heart-shaped fiddleheads.

The woods here are thick with ferns.

So the homeowners built this fabulous set of decks.

And on the upper deck is where they do container gardening. This year there is a lot of pink and white.

And look at the enormous heliotrope - the purple one for those that don't know ;)

Here's the main reason I was staying here. A funny boy who likes to sleep in strange places.