End of August Faves

 

It's the end of August and it's been a beautiful week of perfect Summer temps, although many folks have told me it's "too chilly".  Nope. I'm loving the temps in the 60s and 70s.  It's my fave. 

Along with the weather, I'm also thankful for FIVE other blessings God brought into my life this week. I'm linking up with other thankful bloggers to share our list at Susanne's site. Head on over here to join in! 

our destination: the top of this fire tower on the top of Vanderwhacker Mt 
photo is from my first time up in Autumn 2014

• MOUNTAIN HIKE: I only had 2 other SoulSteps members sign up for our climb up Vanderwhacker Mountain which stands at 3, 389 feet tall so our highest mountain so far to climb as a group.  The hike was last Saturday and it was the perfect weather for it. When we arrived at the trailhead which is 2.5 miles in from a main road along a very remote dirt road, it was only 57 degrees F.  We began hiking at about 10:30 AM.  It warmed up to 74 when we were done with the hike around 3:30 pm. It was my third time to climb this mountain and yes, it was a tad bit tougher now that I'm in my 60s. But we all made it!  Below are just two of my fave photos from the day. I'm thankful I got to know Evelyn more, and that my friend Ping could get away for the day and enjoy a mountain hike. 

the High Peaks of the Adirondacks
seen from the summit of Vanderwhacker Mt
which is in the central region of the ADK 

Ping, Faith (me), Evelyn...she's the mom of my oldest daughter's bf!
At the start of the trail up Vanderwhacker Mt 
photo used with permission

Rocky Sweet Melon 
looks like cantaloupe on the outside
looks like honeydew on the inside
tastes less sweet than honeydew
here in the states it tends to come from CA

Clean eating with lemon dill hummus
on garlic naan, farm fresh tomatoes, homegrown basil
and  juicy fresh raspberries
plus some sharp cheddar cheese

• FRESH PRODUCE!  We have been enjoying Rocky Sweet Melon (new to Dave and I) for breakfast and dinner.  I've been enjoying using up some lemon-dill hummus on garlic naan with tomatoes from a local farm and the basil I've grown in a pot on my deck.  The raspberries were found at the local grocery store and have been particularly good this month. I love a simple lunch packed full of good produce and am thankful for the abundance of fresh veggies and fruit grown right here in NYS. 

Tyler and Courtney 

cause summer isn't summer until you've had another s'more

• BONFIRE NIGHT:  Last Friday evening, Dave invited his good friend and, work  colleague, Peter over for drinks and a bonfire and we also invited our oldest daughter and her boyfriend, and our youngest daughter. Youngest daughter said she just wanted to go home and "chill out" after working all day and another friend I had invited over with her hubby, couldn't make it.  We ended up having a really good time although I had to leave the backyard by 10:30 since I was hiking a pretty tough mountain the next day and had to be up at 5 AM. We made s'mores for only the 2nd time this summer due to July being so hot and humid that no one felt like sitting around a bonfire.  But last Friday night the temps were perfect for this activity.  Plus, we burned more brush that Dave had collected all summer. I'm thankful that everyone had a great time and that we could get to know Tyler a bit more. 

Beginning of my power walk
Wednesday 27 August

love this display near the entrance
 to the Veterans Memorial

The meadow area of the park 
you can see the brown grass and the fact we need rain!

last part of my walk through the woods
and back to my car

• MORNING WALKS:  I've been loving this weather so much and have been able to do a good power walk of 2 miles or 2+ miles every morning this week except yesterday when I had a day to rest and recover.  One of my fave places to walk is our big park in the south part of the town.  Click here to read about it.  Our youngest daughter was only 4 years old when the park officially opened in 2003.  We used to bring the girls to the playground and bring all the bikes to ride the bike paths.  Now, I'm really the only one in the family who goes to either walk alone or to meet friends there for a good power walk. Again, the weather was perfect for getting my heart rate up and although I did get sweaty, it wasn't because of the high heat and humidity!  I'm thankful the weather has cooled down and is more "early Autumn" like in the mornings. 

• LAKE DAY:  Yesterday was downright  chilly first thing in the morning. I had coffee, watched a few minutes of The Today Show, had breakfast, read Scripture, and then got ready to spend the bulk of the day with my sister Joy at one of our fave mountain lake beaches.  I  quickly packed a bag with swimsuit, water, towel, sunscreen and a book. We ended up getting two of the ADK chairs provided by the town on the beach as there were only 2 other people when we got there. The lake water was warmer than the air! We talked; I walked up the Main street a half mile away to do some browsing in one of the stores and then grab a maple latte at this fave place.  Walked back to the beach with the coffee; chatted some more, decided the air was too chilly to swim (it never got past 70 while we were there....but the sun was nice....). We both left around 1:30 and I was home by 3: 30 after stopping for an ice cream at another fave place.  They can mix soft serve flavors so I chose a rather decadent one: chocolate orange. I couldn't finish the whole thing but it was a nice splurge and we hadn't eaten lunch so I justified it. 😁 I'm thankful we had good conversation and nice sunshine for the day. I'm thankful too for being able to savor these summer days. 

Schroon Lake
East-Central ADK
28 August

That wraps up my fave blessings from the week.  

In light of the horrible school shooting on Wednesday morning, I did pray for all the families and teachers/staff involved.  My heart broke and I was very sad to the point of tears when I saw the news and heard 2 children had been killed and more wounded. Im thankful I can pray for people and although it seems like a small thing, prayer is powerful.  Now to pray for much stricter gun control laws!! But I won't get into that here..........💔

I hope you all have a safe and healthy long holiday weekend (Labory Day here in the States).