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Sarah spent a busy weekend preparing for Thanksgiving, although she did take a little time out to complete her piano homework.

Not everyone is excited about Thanksgiving.

Sarah and Jen are already thinking ahead to next spring, planting bulbs that they got from Aunt Julie’s chorus fundraiser.

Here is a red-bellied woodpecker, which spent most of the day at the feeder.

And below, some of our last remaining leaves.

We’ve had a lovely, crisp, fall weekend as we get ready to celebrate Halloween.

On Saturday, Sarah played her first game with the Rhinebeck Soccer League.

And today, we watched as riders in the Landsman Kill Trail Association’s Fall Hunter Pace passed by the pond.

Throughout the weekend, Jen put in long hours working on Sarah’s Halloween costume.  We’ll have more on that later.

Jen has been harvesting the fall crops, as we settle into autumn.

Sarah tried on one of her mother’s dresses, circa 1972.

And here she is enjoying a pre-Halloween party, downtown.

Here’s one for the leaf-peepers.

We climbed Burger Hill this afternoon.  It wasn’t particularly cold, but Sarah  is nevertheless wearing her new earmuffs, which she got at the Sheep & Wool festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.  She and Jen attended both Saturday and today.  Sarah still has a touch of poison ivy from apple-picking last weekend.

Here’s a squirrel enjoying the fall weather.

And, for the foliage fans (and bird-watchers), here is a heron overlooking the pond.

We had beautiful, cool, clear days this weekend.  Here’s the sun rising this morning over the pond.

Later this morning, Sarah and her friend Max went apple picking.   They went all the way into the trees to get them.

Here are a couple of pictures  from last weekend: Sarah, out for a walk …

… and  a heron, flying over the pond.

Here is Sarah with her bug box, which we put together last weekend.   She has been using it mostly to house caterpillars.   Inside are a woolly bear caterpillar, which looks like it is wearing a Princeton sweater, and this fellow below, Lophocampa caryae, who will some day grow up to be a hickory tussock moth.

We had a beautiful and warm Saturday, with the leaves just starting to turn.  We also had a surprise visit from Nana and Grandpa — an especial treat for Sarah, who, at last, found someone willing to play Battleship with her.

On Sunday, we harvested Sarah’s pumpkins.  Let’s  hope they last until Halloween!