Hello everybody (meaning Elizabeth, since she's the only one who reads my blog)

Elizabeth's post about October finally got me inspired to write in my blog. Like her, I love the smell and feel of October. There is nothing like gazing at the intense blue of an October sky through a screen of translucent golden leaves. I love kicking my way through crackling leaves as I cross campus. Sometimes I do it without thinking. The other day I was cutting across the grass on my way to the parking lot, scuffing my feet through the crunchy, dry leaves when suddenly I heard a voice say, "I never outgrew it either." I looked up to see an elderly woman standing ankle-deep in leaves with a delighted grin on her face - a leaf-crunching soul mate!

There's nothing quite like October. I almost said nothing quite like a Michigan October, but I really cannot be that exclusive. One of our favorite places to visit in October is Brown County, Indiana. It's glorious! Last fall we visited Elizabeth in Nashville, Tennessee and it was beautiful too. I would highly recommend a sunny fall afternoon stroll through the Belle Meade Plantation grounds.

A couple of weeks ago, we took a few days off and escaped to Brown County for a mini-vacation. The town of Nashville, Indiana is adorable and the State Park is the biggest in the state. Between the two we had plenty of trails to hike, glorious views to take in and lots of great shopping in the hundreds of quaint shops in the area. Even though we have a plethora (great word, huh?) of pictures of the Brown County area, David and I couldn't resist snapping photo after photo. With so many to choose from, it will be hard to narrow it down to a few to share with you. But, maybe these will be enough to convey to you why I so love October.