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My fall classes and various other events are in full swing, so I’ve been on overdrive lately. That seems fitting for the month of October, which has always meant, for me, color on overdrive. I especially love the bright blaze of fall foliage in New England, but Fort Collins hasn’t been too shabby this year, either.One day recently, you would have found me craning my neck, gawking at trees in a parking lot and snapping pix with my phone, caring NOT AT ALL if I looked crazy doing it.I mean, worth it, right? Even more glorious in person, I promise.

Earlier in October, I finally made it back for a Sunapee fall, after ten years of missing it, thanks to a family wedding. Congrats, Julia and Sean! Thanks to them, I also hiked to the top of Mount Kearsarge for the first time in decades. Woo-hoo! Super chilly on top, so we didn’t stay long!

New Hampshire is in a drought, so the foliage was not its most spectacular–more brown, so the flashes of red were all the more welcome,and the glowing sunset light on the lake made up for it.Last weekend was the Fort Collins Artists Studio Tour, and what a treat that was. I couldn’t resist this one by my friend Marie-Louise Dautzenberg.

Now I get to wake up to sunlight on this celebration of color. There is some serious talent in Northern Colorado, but the great thing this year is I felt more inspired than intimidated. Is that one of the gifts of aging? Less of a need to compete? More of a desire to try something new with no grading scale attached? I think it might be. What do you think?

Sweet as the nectar I make for the hummingbirds that visit my deck.In fact, this summer has been so sweet that I spent all my time enjoying it and completely missed posting in July. Sorry about that! It’s high time to share some of it.

I’ve had lots of family time, including adventures with Beckett and Brooks.

Plus loads of water fun at Lake Sunapee and at the Rain Dance pool. Soak up some joy from all these smiling faces.

I even managed a few decent loon shots this year.

August brought its own sweetness. A few weeks after we got back from the lake, Beckett had one of his Taekwondo levels testing days, and I was invited. Of course, I took my camera!

Then Beckett’s birthday…

I got a little something for Brooks, too.

The very first thing Brooks said when he arrived at the lake was, “It’s just so beautiful!” in a hushed, awestruck voice. Adorable. And true.

This year I noticed a patch of long, bright-green grass growing up out of the lake near our cousins’ dock, with little flashes of iridescent blue along each blade. When I paddled closer, I found that dozens, maybe hundreds, of electric-blue damselflies had landed and were sticking out exactly the same direction like little flags in the breeze. I wasn’t brave (or reckless) enough to take my camera on the paddleboard to snap a shot of them, but I did take Brooks to see them. His verdict? “Beautiful!”

There’s something so inspiring and, well, sweet about a small child’s appreciation for joy and beauty. I’d like to learn from that. I recently happened across a book, “Don’t Forget to Sing in the Lifeboats,” containing fabulous quotes collected by Kathryn & Ross Petras. The title is paraphrased from a quote by Voltaire. Love it.

So here’s my plan: I’m taking breaks from the grim news every now and then. I’m appreciating the beautiful (and the adorable, whenever possible). I’m singing. Join me?