We have made it through some exhausting months. Nathaniel is now a full-fledged toddler and experiencing his terrible two a little early (for me). Kathleen is still working extremely hard and putting in long hours, however, the rewards for her work will be worthwhile. I am trying to keep up with a 21-month-old child.

It is fall here in Florida and the weather has been great. Nathaniel was able to experience an urban pumpkin patch. The difference between a rural and an urban patch is that the city pumpkins are in a parking lot under an enourmous tent and usually cost 3 times as much. They bring in the bails of hay for photos and have plenty of gourds for the little ones to pick up and show their parents.
Growing up in a suburb, a fall drive to the ice arena would take us past several pumpkin patches, some for sale and others just farms that grew pumpkins, too. I remember picking pumpkins at a farm in Shields, Michigan. I believe it was Turner's Farm. We also would get apples, cider and many other "from the farm" things. They have been closed since the eighties and are a nice development of homes.

I wish that Nat could walk an apple orchard and see the apples getting pressed into cider. That was always a fun fall activity for me. You could have cider and plain doughnuts or hot chocolate and doughnuts, plain doughnuts, none of these fancy danish or scones you see at Starbucks.

Nathaniel loves the playground. He has become quite the dexterous boy when navigating the many obstacles.



The best part of living on the penninsula of a penninsula is that we have many different beaches to go to on any given day. Here is a picture from our day at Treasure Island. Unfortunately, the red tide drove us away early. We parked the car ten miles away at Indian Rocks Beach and rode the trolly there. Nat makes a "ding-ding" sound when he watches the trolly pass and enjoys riding them.

Be Well,
Michael