I'm off for a few weeks in the heartland! I'll be back with pictures... Hugs all around!

Hubby and I went running with the girls and I made him screech to a stop for these pictures. Cozy, no?

A glimpse of my geraniums before the chilly winds of fall cripple them for the winter, or...

a last taste of summer.

...We are in Switzerland after all!

When I was travelling through France recently with Wendy, we came upon a tiny boutique where the owner's wife handmade these little hearts to sell. Now one hangs on the sideboard as you enter our home, and the other morning the sunlight caught it on its daily journey to the west.



I think back to that time with a friend - to sitting beside her and knowing her thoughts without the need for words. It can be a haunting thing to miss somebody... or, as I have begun training myself to do, it can be a warm and intimate garden of the heart; remembering and smiling and being grateful for someone to love; to let my thoughts turn toward them like morning light on my heart ... it shines for a moment and then travels on.

There was such an odd look to the valley last night when the sun broke through the rain clouds and poured its eerie light through the mountains. Wouldn't you love to play with the shadows on those fields?

A little bit of fall on my balcony...

The harvest moon rose over the valley last night as my Russian lay with his head in my lap and the children played in the background. The night before I took a run out into the fields and the quiet darkness to watch it sail across the sky; the grasses and corn stubs looked so unbothered and serene in the stillness.


Perhaps that is the answer to navigating this life: to be as steadfast and unaffected as the great harvest moon, or as peaceful as the earth over which it glows.

Walking through town I came upon this quaint front door, where someone had come home for lunch and parked their bike outside! I wonder if Hobbits live inside... ;)

About two weeks ago we took a walk through the Gorges de Perrefitte, which spills out into this lovely bit of countryside.

Uncle Bob took this picture of his niece feeding and petting the horses in the pasture... and I couldn't help but hum a little tune ...

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go!

She wanted birthday cupcakes rather than a cake ... and it was tricky business getting seven candles to stay atop a single one, with Hello Kitty to boot!

again... gone in record time!

An unusual find on the forest floor ... Can anyone identify this feather? I would be grateful!

September sunset from my kitchen window... a rare beauty!

Little girl finds autumn treasure ... the house fills up with nature's fall colors as my little ones empty pockets full of things they find along the way. As far as decorating goes, my favorite season is here!

Sweet peas in September light

I had hoped to make these almond croissants for my brother when he was here recently. But time got away from us and cakes seemed to be everywhere... so I just made them yesterday. A comfortable kirsch frosting sets them off to perfection.



Little hands brush lightly with egg white...



And they are gobbled up in about half a minute by a hungry (and I must confess appreciative) family! All the work seemed worth it when my Russian came home from work eyes shining from the smell of fresh baked goods.

Have you ever seen such quaint public bathrooms? :)

My little girl shaped this heart from stones she found lying about; something ordinary turned into something beautiful...

Yesterday we visited the town of Gruyère where the Storybook Ride at Disneyland comes to life!



Cheese and double cream served in tiny chocolate cups are only a few of the terribly delicious things to eat there!





And walks around an old castle and through cobblestone streets under the warm sun, with a child holding one hand and a sister holding the other ... wonderful.

My sister made American apple pie last night, and I thought you might like to see her lovely hands at work in my kitchen! I could barely get her to stop working to take pictures; her hands are always moving, whether baking or knitting or sewing or folding. She is truly a busy bee, spreading her sweet love wherever she goes...

Sunlight washed over me as I emerged from a cathedral in St. Ursanne.

This purple hibiscus lines the path leading to our garden. She stands proudly now in honor of summer, defying the yellows and reds that are sure to come and making the yard feel like Hawaii. Come to think of it... I could use a weekend on the beach!

This is how I look most of the time. ;) Don't we all look the same, out there snapping pictures that strike our fancy? And sometimes...we're just not tall enough to get the shot we really want. Hugs all around!

My brother-in-law captured the parching of fall beautifully here. And while I wish for the colorful outpouring of the new season, something in me longs to hold on to the freedom of summer.



He and my sister are here visiting, and they have just one week left until it's time for them to go. I can already feel the pinching of their absence...

Such simple scenes as this are the pride of Europe. Café anyone?

Sunlight abounding...

For you...

My sister and her husband are visiting from home, and we couldn't resist showing them this idyllic walk around the Etang de Gruère.

Little girls ran through the woods picking wild blueberries...

And the warmth and comfort of family made it bright. Deep inside I wish I could hold her hand forever...

As Wendy and I walked on the Rhine River separating Switzerland from Germany, we came upon this quaint bridge in the sweetest town.



And couldn't resist walking through it and peeking out the windows. What a view. Can you imagine living in a house here on the river bank?