Just a thought...

I know I have written in other postings how much I liked this or that particular season of the year. And I have to admit that each of them has a unique characteristic about it that makes it stand out.

Spring brings hope that my golf game and fishing will be better than the year before. It brings hope that the Reds will be better and that they will get the pitching they need to make it past July. I think I'm getting a better appreciation of what the Cubs' fans have lived with 'lo these many years.

Summer is fun because it brings Friday evening boat rides with Pam at the lake. By this time, my golf game is what it is and fishing is still fun -- especially when I catch something! I also get a boost in the ham radio hobby as there seems to be better signal propagation then. So far, I have made contacts in 18 states. That's not that many, but I don't spend much time on it when I can be outdoors.

But now, we're into Fall and this is probably my most special season. Wm. Cullen Bryant described it this way: "Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.” I sit out by the fire ring in the evenings thinking back to things I/we did in the spring and summer. I hear the dryers going in the farmers' silos and think of harvests and preparation for winter. I recall some of Robert Frost's poetry that talks about old age and winter. As I close in on 60, I also think about family. Even though I have generally carved out my own path in life, I, like Frost, still have miles to go before I sleep.

With that, Pam and I are planning another road trip -- one to the town of Milford, PA to look at the possibilities of moving there to be closer to Doug and Danika and baby Quinn. We have been to this beautiful corner of the Poconos a couple of times and it is only about 75 miles as the crow flies from their place in Brooklyn. Of course, the crow and our truck don't necessarily go the same way. There are lots of pros and cons to doing this, but just to be closer to them trumps most of the cons -- except maybe for the cold, snowy winters. We're still young enough to handle that, though!!

In the next few days, I will recount the highlights of our trip. We have a couple of days of house hunting planned and we'll see what happens.

“Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.” (Thoreau)

Hooah