Here she comes...

Autumn that is. Saturday night was cold crispy rain that smelled like musty leaves even though there are few to be found and rather chilly. This past weekend found me and some friends over in the Olympic Mountains, up in Hurricane Ridge, at a roadside winery (where the original grapes are from Germany) and then over in La Push where I tried to grab a bit of rest before welcoming autumn. We grilled squash, corn, brats, fish - went on small hikes and got to see some "reluctant creatures" bobbing around the ocean. Sea lions were in the turbulent surf as were pelicans. There were other people hanging out in the National Park getting ready to welcome autumn with one last Hurrah!

I took People Magazine (I had two having accidentally grabbed the fall fashion issue), a new book I didn't even crack open and two letters I have been trying to write for weeks - a thank you to a friend that is shamefully late and another - an update to my great aunt who turned 93 this summer and still lives on her own. I finished the People Magazine and wrote the letters where they still sit in my bag, needing a stamp.

I can't say I'm going to miss this summer. Always an optimist, I feel rather ripped off. The weekends were damp and chilly. It never got very "warm" yet alone hot. People have told me that the summers in Seattle are the reason you stay through the 9 months of winter. I've been here for two hellacious winters (one that nearly broke a consistent days of rain record) and one rather glorious summer. And really, if you're not going to have a snowy winter than you should be allotted more sun in the summer!