10/31: time this morning and this evening

I left the house about 10 minutes earlier than usual today, and I used the extra time to pull in at a pier and take some pictures.  The haziness where the water meets the bottom of the hills is from vapor rising off the lake.

This evening I needed to go grocery shopping, but I stopped by the dock for just a few minutes on my way.

10/30: in the nick

I haven't been able to kayak much recently, and my while-on-the-water photos of August sunsets seem so long ago!  But tonight after dinner I noticed some colorful sky peeking through the branches of the trees that separate us on the ridge from the lake down below.  I decided to grab my camera and get to the dock before I missed the moment.  I even drove instead of walked because in a matter of minutes the light would be gone.  This is what I saw when I got to the lake:

I'm glad I made the dash.  Part of me wishes I had dashed without my camera so that I would have spent more time simply enjoying the sunset and less time snapping pictures.

10/29: sighting

...of the waxwings as they make their annual stop in town.

10/28: punctuating grading

I sat at our long table this morning, facing the big windows and grading Latin tests.  I took breaks to photograph the clouds.

10/27: successful Saturday afternoon

This afternoon I ran an activity with some Latin students that I've wanted to organize for awhile:  we listened to the audiobook of The Little Prince and followed along with copies of Regulus, the Latin version of the novel.  None of the students knew the story, so its melancholy came as a surprise, but I think they enjoyed the experience.  And an alum who's in town came, too.  I hadn't run many events on campus in the first part of the semester, but I have a few lined up for the rest of the term, and I feel like this afternoon was a good start.

10/26: favorite salad

Dinner included a version of a salad I've enjoyed since my youth:  romaine lettuce, sauteed vegetarian "bacon" pieces, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and a little sugar.  It's warm and crisp, sharp and sweet.

10/25: clarifying

Some progress today in clarifying some professional goals.  I had been thinking of some things that (theoretically) would be great to do, but I dreamt about them last night and this morning realized that they might not (practically) be the best routes for me to take.

Yes, every now and then I dream my way forward.  I'm probably not really dreaming when that happens--just existing in a part-awake, part-not-awake state, and it's the right grain of mental sifter.

10/24: today's visitor

Activity around the asters seems to have slowed, but I enjoyed the chance to see who was lingering.