A slow day, other than studying

The leaves are changing around here! I didn't edit this picture much, other than brightening it, since it was initially fairly dark.  It almost seems too early for the leaves to be this red already, but I definitely like the cooler weather.

 

To end this quick post, you should enter em's giveaway here! She's got two awesome sets of cards up for grabs, and the deadline is this Sunday, so make sure you enter.  That means there'll be two winners, plenty to go around!

Also, if you're bored, head on over to 'the other stuff' here to take part in a poll about ice cream flavors. And leave a comment for us if you don't see your favorite flavor in the poll!

Hot Air Balloon Festival: Version 1

This weekend we went to the hot air balloon festival. It was pretty foggy, but we were still able to see the sights that were there to be seen! Since we got there early, we looked at some of the 'extra' things they had set up for viewing. It took place at a county airport, so it handled the crowds pretty well.

U.S. Air Force- the Mr. knew what type of plane this is, but I forgot what it's called.

These are the flames that are used for putting hot air in the balloons. It was pretty warm, even from where I was standing. I love the light the fire casts!

Remax balloon barely inflated...

...mid-inflation...

...and fully inflated!

This was a 'special shape' balloon. Could you imagine if that landed near you in a foggy field, all by yourself??

This was one of my favorite balloons!

We made camp near this balloon while we watched the other 30 or so balloons inflate for awhile.

 

There are many more pictures from this weekend to post, so be on the lookout. I think we saw 30-40 balloons, in total.  I didn't want to show all of them right away, so the suspense awaits!

Say 'Awesome Autumn Weather' 5x fast

The Mr. and I were super busy this weekend, and we were sad to see the weekend end. We took full advantage of the beautiful weather, some free time, and had a lot of fun.  Friday, we watched ISU beat U Conn to lead them to a 3-0 record for the season. I was really surprised, but it's nice to see them win some games!!

I tried to get a shot of my boots in the reflection of a window on campus.

Saturday, we went to a beer festival which was pretty fun. They even had accordion players and sauerkraut, but I somehow didn't see anyone wearing authentic lederhosen.  We also went grocery shopping, but that is not nearly as interesting. {Wait- I had to search the store for 20 million minutes looking for mascarpone, but - and here's the exciting part - I found it!!}

This little pink rose bush near our place still has blooms! I think they're so pretty.

Sunday, we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. We made slow-cooker lasagna, butternut squash and sweet potato soup, sunomono salad, chocolate and hazlenut coffee biscotti, and donut-misu.  SO, now there is food to be eaten for the week. We also went out for a few walks, sat outside to read at a nearby park, and played some card games.

A few of the trees are starting to change color. I edited it a little bit and liked seeing the hills in the far distance.

Action packed weekend and ISU BEATS IOWA!

This weekend, the Mr. and I were super busy. Among many things, we went over to a friend's, grilled out, and watched Iowa State beat Iowa- which was fantastic! Triple overtime and ISU pulled ahead, I'm so happy for the win!!! 

We also went out to eat this weekend, which was fun. I have some more pictures, but couldn't quite figure out the settings, so I went for this artsy shot. We sat on the patio outside to eat, and we were the only two left outside so it was like we had private service! We watched the sun set as we ate dinner, which was pretty cool.

Here's my photo for 'The Creative Exchange'. I had some fun with the heart bokeh effect on fotoflexer.

I hope everyone's having a lovely start to their week!

Half-way done with the week!

We planted these awhile ago and they've been fairly neglected. They've grown quite a bit since this post, and they seem to have especially flourished with the rain from the hurricane. 

 

A rainy day picture, since it's been raining a TON recently! I like the blurriness that the rain-drops gave the trees. I'm still trying to figure out what my camera can do, and what's out of it's limits.

HDR-ish style giraffe from our travels westward, recently. I think he was posing for me. :)

A flower from the conservatory that was also part of the zoo. I have no idea what kind of flower this is. Any ideas?

Knowledge is power and flowers are pretty!

The theme for 'Prompt Me' this week is school, which is appropriate for me since I went back to classes this week.

It's been an interesting few days of school so far, which has included a few, erm, snags...along the way.

• I drive to campus, and haven't quite figured my way around yet. But I have managed to find decent parking. If I got to campus a whole lot later, though, I'm thinking the spots would be filled up.
• My classes are tiny compared to what I'm accustomed to: 7 others in one class and 20-30 in the other.
• Long story, here: not necessarily that interesting!! {You've been warned!!} SO, this weekend we stocked up on what was left in the water aisle at the grocery store. I'm not a huge fan of drinking bottled water, so I've been trying to drink them to get rid of them faster.  Between classes I figured it would be nice to eat lunch outside and study. I om-nom-nommed on my apples and green soup, and, lo and bohold, I BECAME THIRSTY. Silly me, I reached for the water in my bag, twisting the lid to open it and... IT FIZZED ALL OVER. All over what? It fizzed all over the bench I was sitting on. My super expensive textbook. My shirt. My pants. AWESOME- I did not know it was carbonated/sparkling water, and was not overjoyed by the minor explosion. Luckily, the bottle of water was not pointed at my face, which I later read on the bottle that it should be opened away from one's face. **plays the "The More You Know" sound** \endstory
• After the water bottle incident and drying out, I tried to look for a new area to sit which didn't involve so many wasps and bees flying around. I headed for a library nearby, and opened the first door. Then I opened a second door.....aaaaaaand, I'm pretty sure I set some sort of alarm off with lots of flashing lights and sirens. So I didn't wait around to figure it out, and just decided to go back the way I came from. Awesome story, right? That is where the Urkel soundclip (below) comes in.
Did I do that?
• Unlike every other physics class I (or the Mr.) have ever been in, we do not get to use formula sheets on quizzes or exams. Calculators probably aren't allowed, either, I bet. Maybe we'll be each be granted an abacus for the second test if we all do really poorly on the first test. har har har.
• My drive back from school was alarmingly fast. I'm hoping I wasn't evading the law in some awesome high-speed chase that I wasn't aware of, but it concerned me based on the way the earlier part of my day had gone.

________________________________________________________

Switching gears away from school, the theme for 'Picture Perfect' this week is plants!

I took this pic in my sister's yard (hey, em!!) when she was explaining my camera settings to me. I really haven't messed around with much on my camera and so she was helping me learn about the 99% the camera's features that I've been neglecting to use. I think this was my favorite picture of this plant, and I used the 'vibrant' setting.

This picture was taken while visiting the sister's local free zoo + conservatory. I like her picture a whole lot better here since you can see reflections, shadows, depth etc. way better. My camera didn't do too bad of a job fwiw, but I can definitely see the role that camera quality plays in making a nice composition. 

Another pretty flower in the conservatory. :)

  

Yaddo Gardens

After a recent kayaking excursion, the Mr. and I found Yaddo Gardens randomly by using the GPS.  We were trying to find any ol' spot to sit down and eat our picnic lunch. Close to giving up and driving around in a few circles, we finally found Yaddo Gardens in Saratoga Springs which was very much hidden away. In fact, we drove past the entrance two or three times since it was a leafy, foliage-y area. We were ready to sit at a lone picnic bench somewhere, but I'm glad we kept looking just a little bit longer!

The mansion

It was a really pretty, free place to stop by for lunch. You can read about Yaddo's history here.  The huge house on the property is for artistic types, but the gardens are generally open to the public, from what I can figure out.

Guess what time we were eating lunch?

 The inscription on the sundial says:

Time

~   is   ~

Too slow for those who wait

Too swift for those who fear

Too long for those who grieve

Too short for those who rejoice

But for those who Love, Time is

~   Eternity   ~

"Yaddo

1901"

View from the center

A statue named Christalan, which symbolizes youth, chivalry, and victory over mortality

 There were many bright flowers

We had a beautiful day to spend outside.

One of my favorite photos from this trip!

Linking up through lowercase letters for Miscellany Monday!