I love fall and the days leading up to Halloween. I love watching the trees change color and the crisp fall days. Here in California the transformation to autumn seems to be taking weeks and I am just soaking it in. I’ve made lots of hearty soups and corn dishes; we’ve been eating lots of apples, persimmons, and roasted squash (locally grown, of course); and have started pulling long-sleeved shirts and sweaters out of boxes. I have been in a knitting frenzy, trying to finish gifts as well as warm socks and scarves for us. We’ve been watching a bunch of Halloween movies and celebrating the season with friends. I still enjoy my early morning tea ritual and go for my daily runs in the early afternoons. It is so nice having the time to enjoy the every day things. Truly, I have never been so entirely content in my life. We both feel so relaxed and happy. Life is good.

In celebration beautiful 80-degree days in late October (I love living in California!), David and I took a trip to the beach. We basked in the sun while lying on our beach blanket, each reading twodifferent Robert Jordan books. Pelicans flew overhead, kids and dogs were swimming, and we felt lulled into relaxation with the sound of the surf.

Today I have my last sock knitting class. While I am not sure that I will be able to fully knit socks on my own (without our fabulous instructor holding my hand!), I have mastered several essential skills in the past two weeks: 1) how to knit on double-pointed needles in the round (my goal for the class!), 2) how to read knitting patterns on my own, and 3) how to do a double cast on. Hopefully I will make enormous progress tonight on my sock. Regardless, I am having such a great time and am really enjoying meeting some new people and learning new things!

I’ve been doing lots of cooking lately. Some recent highlights include Prawn, Lemongrass, and Coconut Soup (from Donna Hay’s The Instant Cook); Paraguayan Corn Bread (from the Best of Cooking Light); and Seared Tofu with Spicy Black Beans and Mango Salsa (from Peter Berley’s Fresh Food Fast: Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour). I’ve cooked each of these a few different times and have been making adjustments to the original recipes. For example, I’ve added chopped scallions to the soup, jalapenos and chopped scallions to the bread, and substituted extra onion and orange juice for the tomato and lemon juice in the salsa (shown above). I’ve had so much fun playing around and making the recipes (in our opinion!) better. Either way, all of these dishes are to die for and I’ve been having a blast in the kitchen!

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Also, I was recently quoted in a Denver Post article about Audrey Hepburn. Read about it here.

Every Friday, David and a group of guys from work go on mountain bike rides. Recently they have gone on two night bike rides up Mount Saint Helena. The route that they have taken is more of an endurance ride than anything else and David noticed it was much easier for him the second time around. I think it’s so cool that they ride by the moonlight (and their headlamps on the way down). Pretty cool pictures!

After weeks of morning fog and clouds in the sky, yesterday we had our first rain of the season. It started raining Wednesday evening and continued through most of yesterday. Suddenly, in the afternoon, the sky cleared and I headed out on a walk. The freshly rained smell was heavenly — not as special to me as the smell of rain in the desert, but lovely nonetheless. Already, green grass is popping up all around, leaves are changing colors, and fall is on its way.

We’ve also recovered from our first head-colds of the season. I plan to stock up on zinc lozenges and throat tea for the coming months. This weekend we plan to hit REI during their fall sale — gotta buy David a rain coat and get me some warmer running clothes. It’s rather nippy in the mornings!

In response to the change in the weather, I’ve revisited my morning cup of tea ritual. I love savoring something warm first thing in the morning. I am hoping to break myself of my English breakfast tea addiction soon and branch out in a more herbal infusion direction. Any recommendations? What are your favorite types of tea?

Lately I’ve been working on all sorts of fun projects: several beading projects (mostly necklaces and bracelets—see the in progress stretchy and sparkly bracelet at left), a fuzzy mohair-merino scarf (the perfect fall project), and a small quilting project with fabric by Amy Butler. I’ve had such a good time sitting at my desk, with classical music or a Robert Jordan book on CD in the background, totally absorbed in my project. The hours fly by and I feel like I am accomplishing something practical, while having fun. I like focusing on a “me” project every now and then. I think it’s important. (And I certainly never had time for them in Colorado!)

Today David and I went for an awesome hike up Mount Saint Helena. We hiked through the forest up to the fire road where David night-biked with a bunch of guys from work a couple weeks ago. We then continued upwards and saw some beautiful views of the Napa valley. (I still feel so amazed by the beauty of northern California!) Afterwards we hit Taylor’s Refresher for lunch and milkshakes. I really love those walks that end with treats!

I’ve also recently begun revamping my tribute to Audrey Hepburn page. Check back for more updates over there in the coming weeks.