Beautiful Autumn Day in Michigan

We (DH, DD1 & her SO, DD2, P & C, and me, all in one car) took off bright and early on Saturday morning to spend the day in Michigan. The sky was perfectly clear, the sun was bright, and the colors were awesome! I took many, many pictures of the trees, but I am only sharing two. They were all out the window of the car, so may seem a little blurry. It was gorgeous!

We had our annual family get-together, unfortunately without my baby sister, who had thrown her back out earlier in the week. Missed you, Val!

Everyone else was there, and we had a very nice time. Since it was such a nice day, we sat on the veranda of the center where we had our meal: chile con carne con pan de maiz, (chili with corn bread, a favorite when growing up). There was a kids playground, corn-hole beanbags, shuffleboard, croquet, and just sitting and visiting in the lovely breeze. My SIL was very wise and picked up battle tops for all the kids. They were all able to interact, and break the ice by playing that together, a great success! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of this part of the day. I was having too much fun visiting and finishing this:

I think it turned out great! and mom likes it. This is not the handle the instructions called for, it is just an inexpensive set I got from JoAnn's , but I think it fits the mood. All I had to do was stitch the loops down that hold the handle, and add the zipper. The zipper is a little uneven, but it works. Now I just have to finish the green bag!

Later on in the afternoon, I had the chance to go to the open house for my uncle John's 90th birthday celebration, and visit with 3 aunts, and see three cousins I have not seen in years and years. From left to right, this is mom, Aunt Jo, Uncle John, Aunt Flossie, and Aunt Sylvia.

(You can really tell they are related, can't you! LOL)

On Friday morning, I had another finish as well. DD2 had requested a hat with a brim. I found a couple of free patterns, and she picked this one, and requested the colors to match both her winter coats. The band is crocheted sideways in a ribbing stitch, with the crown and the brim added to the edge of that. The pattern in the crown is very subtle, but really pretty. I was very, very pleased when I finished stitching that.

The little flower turned out cute too.

I would not mind stitching this hat again one bit! It was a lot of fun.