When our brother died last year,  only my youngest brother and I were left as the surviving members of our family. It’s been harder on my brother than me, the loss of all our family. He was only four years old when our dad died and he was twenty when our mom died from breast cancer.  Since Steve died, my brother and I have made it a point to get together more often even if it is only for lunch. Last year, he surprised me with an overnight trip to Van Gogh Immersive exhibit in Indiana and it was the first time in over forty years that we’ve spent the night under the same roof. We had such a good quality time that this year, he picked the Parke County, Indiana Covered Bridge Festival.

After having a few days of beautiful, warm weather, Tuesday the weather tanked and there were snow flurries in Parke County. I took a jacket and luckily a sweatshirt. I had a pair of gloves in the car but I thought that would have been overkill (I was wrong.)

It was beautiful in Parke County.  You could imagine yourself driving down these roads fifty years ago when life was so different than it is now, less complicated. All the roads were two-lane country roads with little or no traffic. But we are in the twenty-first century and we’re spoiled with everything we have at our fingertips, things like cell phones with GPS mapping. So when there was no cell service, we really could pretend it was fifty years ago and had to revert to finding our way around using paper maps.

We spent the night in Greenville, Indiana, home of DePauw University and had dinner at Bridges Craft Pizza and Wine Bar. Great wine, great pizza and a really good charcuterie (which I still can’t pronounce right) board. The next morning, we decided to hit a few more of the bridges and festivals before we started back home.  The scenery was beautiful, all the trees in their best fall colors but by now, the bridges were beginning to look alike. Next year, it’s my turn to plan something.

While the Great Hunter was out turkey hunting again (and again came back turkeyless), I ended my week at the pumpkin patch with my daughter-in-law and grandson.

We took a horse-drawn wagon ride and the wagon master was asking the young children if they would like to sit beside him and help guide the horses. All the little kids were too shy, so it was up to me to step up. And I did. Right up to the front seat next to the wagon master.

I love fall. The only downside is it is followed by winter. Ugh.