Pumpkin Time! It's that time of year where I like to put out all my pumpkin decorations. For me, using pumpkins to decorate for fall is easier so that I can use the same decorations for Halloween and Thanksgiving. That way, I don't have to re-decorate until it's Christmas Time! This year, I have decided to put a fall Tree. I have this mini Christmas Tree I bought for Christmas, and I want to use it now! But it's fall, so, I'm trying to make it fit for fall. I may need to add more to it. I got the decorations from the local dollar store and my granddaughter Olivia  put "Fall Bears" underneath it! Oh, I'm getting excited for the Holidays! Can't wait.  My Fall Tree

Bucket List # 56  : Grape Stomping and Going to a Harvest Festival.   I finally did it!   This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time.  For centuries, stomping grapes was the universal method used to extract juice from the grapes. Lots of grape varieties thrive in the heat of the Texas Hill Country, including Mourvèdre, Grenache, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, and Albariño,   but the big favorite is the Tempranillo.   Grapes Ready To Be Mashed Chiming Belle Stomping and Smashing Grapes Enjoying the Grape Stomp

 Labor Day, Great time to take one last dip before the weather cools. Labor day is one of my favorite holidays to take a final dip in the springs before the weather cools. The water in the springs is naturally cool, but if feels so much better on a very hot day! We also had a pic-nic lunch. We ordered some to-go tacos from a food truck and at them after our swim. Swimming gave everyone an appetite.  At the Springs Taking a Refreshing Dip in the Water before the weather gets cooler.  Hope everyone enjoys the extra day of rest that Labor Day Brings.   Wishing everyone a Relaxing Labor Day! 

Watching the Perseid Meteor Shower Last night I stayed up late to watch the well-known Perseid meteor shower. Apparently,  since 811 it's been people have been watching this magnificent meteor shower. Even though it was blistering hot during the day, the evening was actually very cool with a refreshing breeze every now and then. And with the Perseid meteor shower no special astronomy equipment is required, just the naked eye.  Star-gazing and watching meteor showers is very relaxing and tell stories of long ago.  I like to tell my granddaughter all the famous star lore associated with the constellations. The meteor shower gets its name because it radiates from the Perseus constellation. Sometimes the meteor's from this shower are called the "tears of St. Lawrence" because the meteor shower is usually close to the Catholic feast day of St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence was a famous Christian martyr who helped the poor and was cooked by Romans on an outdoor grill  - hence t...

  Staying Cool by Touring Caves. Touring a cave in this August heat is cool. Literally amazing and physically cooler than the air at the surface.  The average temperature was about 70 degrees Celsius. Sometimes after a rain the caves were humid so it felt a little warmer. So, touring caves makes for a great day out in the summertime. I was able to go to a few caves. Texas has a cave trail, so I decided to visit all those caves first.  It was quite an adventure admiring all the caves. Some of the cave formations are huge and spectacular. There really aren’t any words to describe it. It's something I highly recommend doing.  Family in Front of Huge, Spectacular Cave Formations! Granddaughter in Front of Huge, Amazing Cave Formations!

Barbie Movie!         I think it was more exciting dressing up and going to the theater than actually seeing the movie.  Me Dressed Up to See the Barbie Movie, #GrandmaBarbie!       I had imagined the Barbie movie to be a little different than what I saw. The Barbie doll was introduced when I was a little girl. To me, playing Barbies was about a girl and Ken as her boyfriend and eventually husband. Later, my daughter played with the Heart Family mom and Baby Barbie. So, I thought the Barbie movie would be a romantic love story type movie. It was not a romantic movie. I think, a family romance type movie would of lead to more sales of Barbie.      I didn’t like how the movie started, and so it took effort to keep watching. Young girls killed their dolls to make room for a new doll, Barbie. Seriously, it was horrid to see girls treat their baby dolls that way. By the time I became a grandmother, there were so many options,...

I just felt like I came from visiting the middle east! But I wasn't in the middle east. I was just a couple of hours from home. I went on a driving Safari! This driving adventure proved to be one of the best things I have done in this heat. Whew, it's hot outside. Can I say it again, It’s hot.  One of the best parts, was I was able to feed and observe the animals in my air-conditioned car! There was even Olive trees, which really added to the uniqueness of this adventure. And wow! The animals were friendly and were very hungry. I really enjoyed this wonderful adventure.    The Hungry Camel Was Very Friendly The only downside was I did get animal feed all over my car! Olivia tried to pick up as much from the floor of the car as we could to feed the animals, but when I arrived   home I realized my car needed a good cleaning.