Smashing Pumpkins

Culver Academies on the Shores of Lake Maxinkuckee

I had to go to Indiana to attend meetings at my high school alma mater, Culver Girls Academy. I was asked to sit on their 2-year-long advisory council. Since my sister is no longer in Chicago, I decided to go to Indiana by way of Michigan, so I could use the opportunity to visit my brother, and have a day to play with my husband who also had a meeting in Michigan that week. (Not doing so would have meant he would have been apart from us for almost two weeks because of his own travel schedule.)

We had absolutely beautiful autumn weather - sunny and highs in the 70s and low 80's.

Emma decided during our visit that Tyler (age 12) was her best friend. Then she decided Ethan (age 8) was also her best friend. They are lucky to be Emma's best friends forever.

My brother's family had a great family garden this year, and harvested their own herbs, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, watermelons, pumpkins, and even ZUMPKINS/PUCCHINI (when their pumpkins and zucchinis managed to cross-pollinate, producing several of these monstrous new botanical creatures):

Because her cousins all play string instruments, Emma insisted she wanted to play her violin, too. Here, Whitney plays with Emma. Emma finished her Twinkle song with a proper bow.

On our one day with Curtis, we went out for lunch and visited Maybury Farm in Northville, Michigan. Emma had a great time and didn't want to leave, of course.

Emma telling Curtis that one of the rabbits (that had a mane of hair on its head) looks like a "lioner" (a lion). She's very observant.

Emma called this llama "Llyn," after the llama from the Is Your Mama a Llama? book.

Driving a green tractor.

What's a farm without cows? Moo.


City slickers on the farm.

Emma saying "Hi!" to the peacock.

Playing with the goats. Meh!

We were happy to return home , especially now that the temperature is more likely to dip below 100 degrees, but it was nice to have real autumn weather to get into fall-ish mood.