This day, November 11th, 2017, is a day to stop and offer a quiet Salute to all of America's service men and women who have ever signed up to stand, and who have stood, in harm's way. Let us humbly consider what the magnitude of their commitment bestows upon every person in this nation and bow our heads.

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The sunrise showed through the trunks and branches of the trees this morning. Their leaves have largely blown away in yesterday's wind clearing a path for cold air to sweep into our region. A swift transition from shirt-sleeves to warming layers, caps and gloves.

A first, my sister Sandy and I are in the same time zone for her birthday! In fact, within a 25-minute drive of each other. Wendy, John, and Aidan joined in a small gathering to celebrate that at the farmhouse Sandy rented for her Pennsylvania stay. The place is a remarkable old stone dwelling.

The long driveway is unusual for Pennsylvania farmhouses. Usually, they're within a few feet of the porch.

The corn-picker ready to finish the job.

At the bottom of the long drive is a sharp left along the clear-water creek. The goats on this farm are metal junk sculpture...

...so is the rooster. I admire all renderings of chicken images. Chickens are my friends.

We were all happy we could sit out on the porch and enjoy the creek burbling along during some warm days.

The addition on the back of the house is an up-to-date (appliances) kitchen.

I realized after the family dinner and the entire birthday celebration, I'd failed to take a picture. Ah, well. As a friend said once, "...time to BE in the picture."

Oh, I did capture some geese that were probably so near gleaning the picked cornfield. This is a small snippet of one of several gaggles flying over...





Sandy got settled in after her long drive here to PA; then, we got together for a look at the Steel Stacks at Bethlehem; a rust belt museum tribute to Bethlehem Steel that once played a major role in the economic scene. My takeaway, even at its considerable, finest moments of steel production, its success rested squarely on the shoulders of waves of new immigrants for an entire century. Now it is a rusting behemoth still impressively muscular even as the woods begin to reclaim the ground.

Driving into Bethlehem.

Sandy capturing a video.

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Catwalks lace the entire structures.

Women are acknowledged.

A couple busloads of people were viewing the stacks, animatedly speaking an Asian language.

This is a week of birthdays in my immediate family--two sisters, two daughters. We postponed Wendy's until tomorrow because hers was while they were going to Georgia to attend Keoni's Junior Year Recital. There are some pictures they shared.

Wendy and her friend Marci who resides within a reasonable driving distance from Macon and could be there, too.

Meanwhile, back at Wendy and John's farm, I was chief goatherd and animal care administrator. I had the good fortune to have it all go seamlessly because of some seriously fine organization by Wendy that made it all easy for me.

Part of the morning brigade to the barn contingent.

A little muddy from the rains but all was well out in the pastures.

Rosie in her windowsill.

Quincy, Rosie's big brother. 

Sandy and I continued our visiting one afternoon in the local Quakertown antique shops. Let me tell you that if you want to learn to negotiate for an antique in a shop, take her with you for training purposes. She gets some fascinating results.

Over in Albuquerque, Valerie celebrated her birthday, too. She shared a photo of her fall season there...

Oh, how that deep blue, southwestern sky sets it off!