Saturday, September 29, 2012

Embracing Fall......

Yes, there are changes in the air

The beginning....


it was just like that in Boston 2 weeks ago


and this was what I saw in Amana 2 days ago


yes, there are changes in the air


precious treasures....



look, they are everywhere around you


I love the yellow against the brilliant blue of the sky



 this trip to Iowa, after visiting my brother-in-law, I took an afternoon off, drove 30 miles south to The Amana Colonies all by myself while husband went back to office for work


The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements of radical German Pietists in Iowa. They were first settled in New York State near Buffalo but in order to live out their beliefs in more isolated surroundings they moved west, to east-centrla Iowa in 1856. They lived a communal life until the mid 1930s. Due to this, the Amanas are sometimes mistaken for Amish
A striking feature of the Amana Colonies is that for eighty years they maintained an almost completely self-sufficient local economy, importing very little from the wider, industrializing U.S. economy.
The Amanians were able to achieve the independence life style by adhering to the specialized handcrafts and farming occupations which they had brought with them from Germany. Master craftsmen passed on from one generation to the next, the knowledge, techniques, and skills of the artisan iron and copper smiths, woodwrights, weavers, shoemaers, cheese makers, etc.
Today, Amana is a major tourist attraction known mainly for its restaurants and craft shops.  The colonies as a whole have been listed as a National Historic Landmark since1965
(** the above notes about Amana Colonies are from Wikipedia, read more here)





the weather was amazing so I walked my legs off and saw a ton of things



and when I got tired

happiness is a cup of coffee and a really really good piece of German cream horn


I sat there, sipping coffee and watching someone tweeting.....


It was such a beautiful, peaceful afternoon


simple pleasures......



I hope you are finding joy 

with the little things around you today




on the personal side, we got home worried as we were still waiting for the news of my brother-in-law, he looked really pale and weak when we were there, like us, he was very worried about the scanned results. Just a few hours ago, we received the good news, doctor said his condition is treatable, what a great relief.
I want to THANK all of you, my lovely blog friends, for your thoughts and prayers, please continue to pray for our family, Dan, Randy's eldest brother, is kind of the male model in Randy's life, he is 14 years older and Randy is the baby of the family, he grew up mostly with Dan and his wife Marilyn. We love Dan and hope to see him healthy again....

and


I got to meet up with Stephanie this trip, we had sushi and chatted quite a bit, it was fun!
Isn't it wonderful when you get to meet your blog friends IRL?



18 comments:

Andrew's Reclaimed said...

Oh Melissa and i have been there, and were inspired!

SmilynStef said...

So very glad you're brother-in-law got good news ... and that you had a relaxing walk around the Amanas. I was just thinking this week that it had been several years since I had ventured that way ... looks like I need to go visit again. Thanks again for spending time with me on your quick trip.

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

That looks like a beautiful town you visited!! LOVING all the Fall pics!!!! And glad to hear the good news about your BIL!! That's WONDERFUL!!!!!!

jacirascrap said...

Kirsty, obrigada pelas informações desta colônia, bem interessante..As fotos são tão lindas...Aqui o clima é de primavera, então...há flores e perfumes por todos os lados, uma maravilha! Que seu irmão-de-lei logo se recupere! Imagino como deve ter sido adorável conhecer sua amiga de blog! Bom domingo!

Unknown said...

I am glad you are enjoying your trip. Great photos. Thanks for sharing them. Here in Texas we don't get to see very many changes in the seasons. LOL

Dora said...

Great to hear it can be treat! (is that correct Englisch?) thought about you a lot this week!
Those pictures are amazing, if I come back please show me that place it sounds inspirational!
hugs from the Netherlands!

Unknown said...

Great news about your brother in law!
The pictures are beautiful and such great colours. Very interesting post too.
Hugs xx

Inger Harding said...

I'm glad to hear good news Kirsty.
Such beautiful fall pictures as well!

♥ Inger


Unknown said...

Oh Kirsty, that must be a real relief to your family, that Dan can be treated... He must have been really pleased to see you there... Please wish him all the best and I love your autumn photos, so wonderful and rich in colour...
irascreacorner.blogspot.nl

Lynnda said...

WOW... those photos you took are beautiful!!...and that town you visited looks great too!!! I love fall and spring the most!!!...Glad to hear the good news about your BIL!! That's WONDERFUL!...take care Kirsty... hugs..xoxo

Shahrul Niza said...

What a great day out! Lots of beautiful Fall pleasures to see. Pray he'll continue to do better :). Hugs.

Ros Crawford said...

So glad that all is well and your BIL will be ok ... what beautiful photos ... Thanks so much for sharing them ... and how lovely that you got to meet up with Steph ... Have a great weekend ...

sandi said...

Fabulous pics Kirsty! Love the way the leaves are changing now...simply gorgeous aren't they!

Sylvia said...

What gorgeous pictures, Kirsty, I am glad you had some time to do this on your trip. so glad your brother-in-law got good news. What fun getting to meet Stef. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Glenda Atkins said...

Hi Kirsty, so glad your brother-in-law can be treated, such a relief for him and the family! Your fall pictures are awesome, such a beautiful country side!
take care
hugs
glenda

Audrey Pettit said...

SO, SO glad you got good news finally about your brother-in-law! I wish him a very speedy recovery. And so glad that you got to meet up with a bloggy friend and that you had an amazing day on your side trip. The Amana Colonies look absolutely beautiful! Would so love to visit there. Thanks so much for sharing all those awesome photos!

Unknown said...

Looks like a gorgeous place to visit. Your photos are so pretty. Thanks so much for sharing them with us. I am so glad that Randy's brother will be OK. And How cool that you got to meet Stephanie she seem like such a nice lady..

Hugs~

Lynette Jacobs said...

I am glad you had a wonderful trip and loved seeing your autumn photos. So happy for you and your family that your brother-in-law is going to be okay.