Thanksgiving week

 This photo doesn't really do justice to the sunset one day last week. But I tried! This is the time of year when we get these lovely, bright orange, yellow, panoramic sunsets at about 5:15 pm when the sky is clear of clouds. This one is right outside our front door, with Benedict in the foreground. 

Here's one that turned out a little better. Our Presque Isle state park has entered a really bleak period: there is very little color since the leaves and flowers are gone. And there is no snow cover yet to bring those beautiful Norman Rockwell-like winter scenes. Everything is brown and tan and quite uninspiring. A place that only locals could love! And we do. Here is Horseshoe Pond and a photo that I've taken a hundred times--but with the water almost like glass, I couldn't resist yet another: one of the two dozen houseboats and its perfect reflection. Not so bad for a bleak period!

Otherwise the days are going along here. Erie County is having an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. They can't even do much contact tracing anymore, because the daily numbers and the spread are too great. We are being faithful to masks, distancing, hand washing and little presence in public or even private group gathering outside of "our household" as they refer to it. 

Thanksgiving will be muted here, too. Our sisters who would normally travel out of town to visit parents, siblings or friends will be visiting via Facetime, telephone calls or texts. We are trying to reach out to the needs of our area, too...with financial donations and through contacts in our ministries, with our employees and in responding to any need that is brought to our attention. I am sure that you are doing the same. I read this line recently and thought it was perfect: Be safe, stay healthy, help others.