Summer Into Fall

Summer is transitioning into Fall.  According to my calendar, tonight is the Autumnal Equinox, and tomorrow is officially the first day of Fall.  I love the season changes, especially when summer changes to fall.  The roadsides are lined with yellow and golden wildflowers, and the leaves are just beginning their floating, dancing descent towards the ground.  The grass is extra green, the sky is a deep blue, and the air outside will soon be feeling crisp and slightly cool.  One of my favorite things about fall is the subtle way the quality of the sunlight changes; have you noticed that?

"Church of the Fresco"

Even though this metamorphosis comes around every year, I never seem to grow tired of it.  It rejuvenates me and fills me with a sense of anticipation.  One reason for that I think is because our summers are usually so hot and humid here.  But this year, we had a mostly mild summer, and honestly, it seemed to fly by quicker than I can remember in years.  Before I'm completely into the fall mindset, I wanted to do a little summer wrap-up of some of the things I shared on the blog this summer.

First, Hal and I got to celebrate our wedding anniversary by returning to the city where we spent our honeymoon -- Charleston, South Carolina.  I wrote four posts about Charleston, while I dreamed of going back there some day.

Charleston Part Three

Charleston Part Two

Charleston Part Four

After our Charleston trip, I was inspired to make our front porch prettier and more welcoming.

So I planted some flowers, added statuary and patriotic flags,

and made a teacup bird feeder.  :)

I did two tablescapes this summer --

A Fourth of July table...

...and a Butterfly Meadow tablescape.

We went to Lake Santeetlah in the mountains of western North Carolina and stayed at the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge.

I shared some pictures of the clock shop in Hendersonville, North Carolina...

"The Clock Shop"

and a beautiful Presbyterian church in Highlands, N.C.

"The Church on the Hill"

I posted a few updates on Duncan, the wildest dog in three hemispheres.  ;)

"Dog Days"

We found a great chandelier for our dining room for $10 at a yard sale.

My parents had their screened porch converted to a sun room, and I showed you some pictures of that.  I love this cheerful and cozy new room!

I posted some pictures from our trips to Disney World for the Mosaic Monday party.

"Mountain Wildflowers"

I started a wildflower list this summer -- kind of like birdwatchers do when they spot and identify new birds.

"A Wildflower Mosaic"

I think this is the first time I've done a seasonal roundup on my blog, but it was good for me to look back over the summer and see that I really did more than I realized.  Most were small things, but special to me just the same.  That's one of my favorite things about blogging is that it's a way to record our daily lives so that we can look back and remember them later.  I'm linking this post to Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.  I hope you'll visit her blog for lots of good inspiration!

Do you love autumn as much as I do?  :)  I know after last year's long and bitter winter, it's hard for people to let go of summer.  Maybe we'll just enjoy this in-between time -- the end of summer but not yet fall.  It's a glorious time of year.

Thanks so much for your visits and comments!  I enjoy connecting with you, even if it's just online.  "Thank You" to those of you who are new readers of House at Forest Manor and to those who have been following since the beginning.  I hope you have a great day and make the most of this lovely week.

Denise