Even before the frost was on the pumpkin, I knew I should try to get a few more “Walktober” excursions under my belt. As you know, I really look forward to October, my favorite month of the year, with its sweater weather, the chill in the air so you see your breath in wispy spurts, leaves fluttering down, harvest décor to gawk at and even pumpkin-y treats if you’re so inclined.
Who knew that our October sweater weather would linger into mid-November? For me, an avid walker, the weather has been perfect!
I have visited my favorite large parks countless times from Spring through Fall, as well as one of my favorite small venues, the Emily Frank Gardens, where I don’t rack up a ton of steps, but instead merely gaze at the beauty, the result of a contingent of volunteers that work tirelessly over countless hours beginning in April. In the Summertime I stopped on a hot and humid day when the gardens were at peak and that will be a post for when we are immersed in frigid temps, snow and/or ice with persistent gray skies – ugh!
This short meander at Emily Frank Gardens was sandwiched in between a long morning jaunt at Council Point Park to feed my furry and feathered friends, who welcomed peanuts and sunflower seeds to add to their cache and an afternoon watercolor painting class.
Even though this excursion to Emily Frank Gardens was taken on October 9th, the blooms on all the plants were still gorgeous, inviting the likes of bees …
… and even a Painted Lady butterfly.
I could have even parked my butt on the Monarch butterfly bench as it was unoccupied. Often people pose on the bench with the breathtaking blooms in the background.
I was the only visitor there which surprised me as MIA were any of the dozen or so volunteers who are usually busy weeding, deadheading, harvesting produce from the gardens, (which bounty goes to feed the hungry at various local food pantries), or maintaining the Koi pond. There were no heavy garden hoses to step over. It was just me, free to wander and take in the beauty and check out the harvest décor.
Shades of orange and yellow ruled.
There were Sunflowers nodding their heads high above me …
… while Marigolds were vibrant and blooming profusely.
A few pumpkins were placed around the gardens for a Fall vibe …
… including this pumpkin head that added a touch of whimsy as it “gazed” over the garden area.
The big ol’ red barn, the site of various craft shows was flaunting a Fall feel …
… along with this smiling fellow, maybe the guardian of the gate?
After my walkaround and taking a ton of photos, I hurried off to my two-hour watercolor class where our trio of wannabee painters each created this still life painting which you see below.
I am using this post to wish you all a bountiful and blessed Thanksgiving Day. Please click here for an electronic greeting from me.
Terri has no new Challenge this week, but instead extends her Sunday Stills Photo Color Challenge: Auburn or Brown another week due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Terri is on a short blogging break, so no post to include here.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Have lots of turkey Linda and send some my way please!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would if I could Wayne … “winging its way” to your home from mine. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lots of lovely and fun fall photos, Linda! You did a very nice job with the watercolor. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Rebecca. It was a fun class after a lovely walk around these beautiful gardens. It’s the first time I visited there in the Fall. Same to you for you and yours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are all lovely photographs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Anne – I am glad you enjoyed seeing them. It was amazing to see so many blooms in early October, but we have had an extraordinarily warm Fall which has now come to a screeching halt unfortunately.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thank you too for the lovely card!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed that holiday greeting as well Anne.
LikeLike
Happy Thanksgiving,Linda! Beautiful fall 🍁 & fun photography. Wonderful fall photos. I like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Ran. I am glad you liked the photographs and the card.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like Sunflower. Excellent Shoot the Sunflower.
Most welcome , Linda 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seems like blooming flowers were so long ago! Fall does give beautiful pictures.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it does … our annuals are still going strong, but maybe not after midweek when we have some lake effect snow moving in for the holiday – ugh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fall was the blink of an eye down here in the South this year. The summer heat extended well into September but by mid-October we were donning layers. The trees are completely confused. I’d say it’s a strange year for weather but I’d just be repeating myself several times over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve had a wonderful, long Fall here Dave, but it is finally coming to an end. We have cold temps and some lake effect snow will (finally) be arriving Thanksgiving Day and through the weekend. Poor planning by Mother Nature! Good thing the Lions play their Thanksgiving Game in an indoor stadium. Many years ago, in 1973, my friends and I went to the Thanksgiving parade downtown and then to the Lions Game. It was played at the old Tigers Stadium, outside. It started to snow fast and furiously. We had driven to one person’s house and we all piled into his van so the driver wanted to stay to see the game as we shivered and watched the snow pile up on the armrests and us. Finally, we left, after freezing for hours and being soaking wet.
[Maybe of interest to you is Detroit’s big announcement of the day that two of the seven Ren Cen towers will be demolished. It was not a surprise since GM moved into the new site formerly occupied by J.L. Hudson’s (which was built 100 years ago in 1924). I know you said you watched the Ren Cen being built. Here is the press release below.]
BREAKING: Bedrock and General Motors released a conceptual plan to redevelop the Renaissance Center, which includes demolishing two of the landmark’s iconic towers. According to officials, the plan “preserves the essence of Detroit’s skyline, ‘right sizes’ the RenCen’s footprint, and connects the site to the heart of downtown. The surrounding entertainment district would become a vibrant waterfront destination, drawing international visitors and featuring restaurants, hospitality, residential and market space—complementing Detroit’s award-winning Riverwalk, which draws more than 3.5 million annual visitors to the city,” officials said in a statement released on Monday.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great news about the RenCen, Linda, thanks. My hope is they restore the design to the original, meaning the demolition pertains to the towers added years later. When we visited last month I was surprised to see so many towers, since I only had four in my memory. I hope they go through with it and I hope the effort only adds to what is already a revitalized downtown area. As we stood on the Riverwalk looking over at Canada, a boisterous group of older women were nearby, an obvious bridal party for later that day. We took their photo for them, with the river in the background. It’s nice to have a pleasant memory of downtown Detroit.
Your story about watching a Lions game sounds like one you’d be more likely to experience in Chicago or Green Bay. Brrrrrrr. But hey, at least you have the best NFL team in the land (and nobody will argue with that). I hope 2024 becomes the dream season last year’s was meant to be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought you might be interested in that Dave. The rendering of how it will eventually look was interesting. Years ago when I worked in Downtown Detroit, near the Ren Cen was Hart Plaza and they used to have festivals there all Summer. The festivals were free on Fridays, so we went on our lunch hour – mostly a different ethnic festival every weekend and our famous Jazz Festival at Labor Day and a Country Hoedown festival as well. There were big crowds, good music, the food was great, so I’m wondering if they’re trying to recreate what they once had. Also, it dawned on me today that the story I heard about seven towers was dead wrong. There were never seven towers, so I don’t know why they reported that and I wrote that. There were four 39-story office small towers and then the main tower with the restaurant at the top floor – then referred to as a restaurant “in the clouds” (long before computers and “in the cloud”). It was exciting to go to the top floor in the glass elevator, up the side of that tower.
That was some football game and my first and only Lions game. They moved to the Pontiac Silverdome a year or two later, now at Ford Field for a while now. We had been out in the cold since queuing up very early at the parade to get a good view. Usually when you’re young like that, you just shrug off everything, but sitting in the snow to watch the Lions was not fun. Everyone is hyped that this will be the dream season for the Lions. After many years of being “THE Lions”, they are now “OUR” Lions. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mother always had a garden of marigolds in a bed outside the back door of the house where I grew up. Her thumb wasn’t very green, but those marigolds always thrived. Thanks for the nostalgia shot this morning!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome JP. I always had luck with marigolds too, when other plants often got leggy or looked listless by Summer’s end. Marigolds are good to plant as a deterrent against squirrels digging up gardens as they don’t like the strong scent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful fall photo essay, Linda! 😍 And the Jacquie Lawson card is a nice touch as well. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
LikeLiked by 1 person
P.S. Lovely artwork! You definitely have that creative gene. 👌
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Debbie! Well I took sketching classes when I was a teenager and I always wanted to go back and take some more art classes, so over five decades later, here I am, but I also want to eventually join a plein air painting group that does “paint outs” where they go to parks that I frequent and paint the landscape. I’m a long way from joining them, but someday I hope to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Debbie – I am glad you liked the post/photos and the card.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Enjoyed your fall decorations and lovely watercolor too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Teri – it was just the right touch of Fall at the Emily Frank Gardens, which flowers were still flourishing on that day. It is a beautiful venue. I’m glad you liked the watercolor too. I went to a watercolor class down at the Detroit River a few years ago. It was a nice class, but a horribly windy day so everything was blowing around and hard to concentrate on what we saw and paint it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done on those watercolor pumpkins, Linda! Now you have some October-inspired art to hang in your home. We enjoyed an unseasonably warm fall also, with lots of sunny days. I clipped the last of our roses just before a light snow descended late last week. Imagine: roses in mid-November in the Midwest!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Nancy – yes, it added a nice touch of Fall, despite the warm weather outside. The Midwest did have a treat weather-wise this Fall but it all will end on Thanksgiving weekend for us as the temps get colder and we have lake effect snow. Like you, I cut the roses down and they were still blooming. A few years ago, when I was still working, we had rain every weekend in October and I was behind in yard work, then we had snow and freezing rain before I had a chance to cut down the roses. It was a beautiful sight to see them and they were none the worse for wear come Spring. I’ll show you how those roses looked in a separate comment.
LikeLike
Here are my poor roses Nancy, but they all rallied back.
LikeLike
Happy Thanksgiving ! I always forget you guys have yours so much later than ours! I hope you enjoy your holiday. I love all the pumpkin pics 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Susan! I think the earlier Thanksgiving is nicer as the American Thanksgiving is too tie-in to shopping and the Christmas holidays. First it was Black Friday and it has evolved into going out after Thanksgiving dinner as well. Then there is Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday – whew! I like the bumpy pumpkins too. A fellow blogger told me they are called Knuckleheads. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah that’s cute! Knuckleheads 😊 I haven’t heard that before either
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought Knuckleheads was cute too! I think Terri said they grew them near where she lives (Washington) if I remember correctly. They sure are unusual looking!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is why I did my Christmas shopping yesterday. I hate crowds. Since sometimes I work abroad and miss holidays, I’ve done Christmas shopping as early as July and left the wrapped gifts for relatives at my parents’ house.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t like crowds either – we think alike bennydonalds3! My late mother did her Christmas shopping in the Summer too, so she did not worry about not getting out to shop once the holiday season began. I went shopping on Black Friday once to see how I liked again, but never did it again, but Black Friday was more popular before online shopping, especially the arrival of Amazon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Eilene – same to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the sunflowers! I guess that fall is on its way out for many people. We are still waiting for some rain here (none since April so we are way overdue). Happy Thanksgiving, Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like those sunflowers too Janis. So many varieties – I just took photos of the biggest ones. Our beautiful Fall is coming to a screeching halt for Thanksgiving weekend. It has been colder, but we will have lake effect snow and high winds and very cold temps. Not great news but it was a good run. Back at you!
LikeLike
What beautiful sunflowers Linda. You have an eye for catching the bees and butterflies on camera! Your painting turned out so good, what fun! That was a cute Thanksgiving card, thank you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Diane! It was such a pretty day. I wished I could linger longer and admire the flowers and the harvest decorations. I was lucky to see all the bees in those sunflowers and that butterfly was so pretty too. I thought to myself that I’d hardly seen any butterflies all Summer and now seeing this beauty on October 9th. Last night I remembered that I didn’t recall putting the Koi pond pics in. Something must have distracted me as I do my post and put asterisks in where I want to insert photos. So I went back and put them in last night. Do you read posts in Reader or by e-mail? Anyway, I just had one Koi post – there were lots of them swimming around and I meant to mention they were orange. The painting class was fun and I’m sorry for the mix-up with the second one as I never knew if they had it since their internet/phone system was down for over two days and they were closed for Veterans Day. I hope I can dabble a little more in painting over the Winter when I’m walking, but not driving to bigger parks and walking there for hours on end. I’m glad you liked the Thanksgiving card as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I read my comments under the comments section. I liked reader but then it didn’t remove any from my comments after I responded and this way is just easier for me. I love Koi, as you know but then again, so do the blue heron. 🤣 You should try painting one of the critters or birds you encounter this winter. I’m glad you are having fun with painting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read mine there too for my blog, but on the other side for other blogs … I didn’t know if you subscribed by e-mail. I still have issues where I “like” something and then it doesn’t show up as “liked” so I have to go “re-like” it again. I don’t know why that is. The Koi are beautifu and they are big! That’s a whole meal for the heron so no wonder it made so many stops at your pond! I was hoping I could do some of the squirrels from a picture over the Winter … feels almost like Winter is already here today!
LikeLike
All the splendor of a beautiful fall season. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, my favorite season for as long as I can remember Sandra!
LikeLike
Pretty Painted Lady! She matches the fall color palette perfectly. I love the burlap scarf on the jack-o-lantern. Their decorations are wonderful, what a nice place to relax and enjoy a sunny autumn day. Your pumpkin still life painting is festive as well — I love how bright it is. The little apple is a nice touch. 🙂 Many Thanksgiving Blessings to you, too, my friend! 🦃🦃🦃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Barbara – I’m glad you liked this post and my painting. I have not seen a Painted Lady butterfly in forever. And I was lucky to get it up close. I’ve never been to the Gardens’ Harvest Fest and Craft Show and would like to go sometime, or in the alternative, I’d like to go to the Christmas Fest and Craft Show which is also held in the red barn and they have some festivities at night around a bonfire, with caroling. I think it would be fun and festive. In the Summertime I go early in the morning, hoping that it is quieter, especially as there are some birdhouses there and I catch a Sparrow or a Goldfinch or two. When I was there in the Summer, there was a cute bunny. Thanksgiving Blessings back at you as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The colours in the sights all around you sound lovely. Great the weather has been on your side.
Happy Thanksgiving ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do like this season the best Zena – I think it stirs your senses the most and is usually welcome after a hot and humid Summer, only Summer-like weather lingered up until a week or so ago. It was a treat for sure. Thank you.
LikeLike
What a lovely post full of sunshine and October goodness, Linda! I can always take another link! I bet it was nice to have some of the place to yourself–those people missed a LOT! The Painted Lady is exquisite! Thank you for the lovely e-card! I have a fun post for WW tomorrow!
I meant to read earlier, saw your post, started to read, the phone rang and I got distracted! Great job on Duolingo by the way! Bonsoir and guten abends!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked this post Terri – it was such a beautiful day to linger and enjoy the flowers, bees and butterflies. I’m glad you liked the e-card as well. It is always fun picking out an e-card to match my post. Thank you re: Duolingo! I was amazed I was at Ruby level after being in Sapphire just a short time. I have been studying a lot because we have learned 246 words in a month’s time; the most-recent words have been food and drinks mostly, but lots of gender stuff to memorize. Bonsoir and guten abends back at you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was pleasantly surprised by how long I could walk or bicycle outside, too. We’re probably get a few more days of weather like that each year for the foreseeable future, too. I alternate between walking and biking, because while biking is a more efficient use of my time, when I’m walking I feel I can take time to use my camera, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Either way, biking or walking, is healthy for you, but hard to take photos while riding a bicycle unfortunately. I followed a Swedish blogger for a while. He no longer blogs, but he rode his bike everywhere and was a photographer. He’d stop in the middle of the street, hop off the bike, grab the camera from his bike basket and start taking photos! As a walker, I was A-OK with the warm and dry weather. Our nice weather here in Southeast Michigan has finally turned into weather resembling November. It is blustery, cold and we have light snow in the forecast unfortunately.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know. I miss being able to meditate on the back porch, but I’d feel a little silly dressing to meditate the way I would to shovel snow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it would. Warm weather has its attributes, even if we complain about it sometimes when it is hot and humid (that includes me), then we miss it once the snow flies and it is bitter cold, kind of like we are having now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you posted the watercolor painting!! I love it and you definitely have talent so keep at it.
Did you know that painting inspired Ellis to do her own similar to yours but with colored pencils?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Esther – I did waver on whether to post it or not. The apple looked so dark next to the pumpkins and one pumpkin stem looked funny, but I did it anyway! Thank you for telling me Ellis did a similar pumpkin still life – I am happy to hear that. I’m telling you you should encourage her with the drawing since she enjoys it so much. Drawings is less messy than painting too – you can use black pencils, charcoal pencils or pastel crayons. I see all kinds of classes on YouTube for beginning drawing, or painting with watercolors or acrylics. I have bought some books but not really looked at them yet – I bought them two years ago after meeting the plein air painting group.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you did! You did a great job with it. We have watercolor markers and acrylic paint (with different tip sizes) pens. It’s amazing the types of art materials out there.
I will soon post the decoupage ornaments Ellis made. We did try it as an art experiment when they were younger, but it was mostly me doing everything. But now both kids have better attention span, which means it’s a better process to undertake. It was not easy this time though! My tendency to learn from mistakes in this kind of work was stressful and Ellis gave me a few bad stares when I put too much glue inside the ornaments and thought somehow the glitter would spread evenly. lol. It took a week for the glue to dry!
We watched like 5 videos and got the hang of it.
When are you going to the class again? Maybe something fun for Christmas?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Well, I look at these watercolor tips and “easy” drawings and sketches to do on YouTube and they make it look very easy, but then you go to do it and it is not. I used to do a lot of crafts back in the day for myself (like Pretty Punch embroidery) and also my mom and I used to do something special for the staff at work for each of the holidays – she would bake something or we’d put candy into something holiday related, like mini cauldrons with Halloween candy or mini Easter baskets with eggs and those chenille chickens and sometimes a poem I’d type/xerox to go with it. Once we made ghosts from dipping cheesecloth into a bowl of thick starch, then putting a small styrofoam ball (head) taped on top of an upside down Solo drinking cup. So you draped the fabric over it and it dried hard from starch and then you took the Solo cup away and it stood on its own like it was moving. Then magic marker for eyes and a nose and we put it over a bag of candy. We did that for years. I have an online class on Friday the 13th for a watercolor painting of a little shop decorated for Christmas. I hope it comes out good and maybe I can use it in a post.
LikeLike