By the time October rolls around The Garners usually have the schedule reasonably under control and have established a comfortable rhythm. Our school year consists of three 12 week terms, (and a two week Christmas Term). After the sixth week of each twelve week term we take a week off, which enables The Daughter (and me on occasion) to catch up if necessary – on reading, on journal entries, on house projects, on AHG badgework.
The Term 1 “off week” falls in October which is my most favorite month of the year. It doesn’t matter where you are in Virginia in October – it will be beautiful. Morning walks are crisp with vivid blue skies and bright white clouds, offset with stunning scarlet and golden maple leaves. It is not too cold yet to enjoy spending a few hours sitting by the fire in the backyard, watching spectacular sunsets burst into flame, glowing a bit before the embers stretch out into soft ribbons of dusky purple while the darkness thickens. If you just wait another minute or two, the stars start twinkling one by one until suddenly you have a sky full.
We fully enjoyed the Lunar Eclipse!
We managed a bike night at Norfolk Botanical Gardens. The Wildflower field was absolutely stunning!
We usually head to Middle Ridge but this October a few weekend commitments popped up that made a week-long vacation unlikely. The Daughter had an AHG campout scheduled for one weekend – and those are always lots of fun! Until it rains and one must pack up a dripping camp site to include folding up a drenched tent. Ahem.
Our plans for the Sunday matinee performance of the Regent University Theatre production of Macbeth offered another reason to delay travel plans. The Daughter and I read Macbeth last year with our Charlotte’s Way Thursday group. Eagerly anticipating a Medieval castle interior and actors bedecked in colorful plaids and kilts, affecting Sean Connery burrs – imagine, if you can – our severely blighted hopes as we espied a verily bare and structural (barn wood and chicken wire and stairs) scene beset with actors whose costuming was such that surely they wander amiss from the set of the Last of the Mohicans.
Alas. It seems we had purchased tickets to a classic Shakespearean tragedy dressed in dystopian clothing. An exordium established our unexpected presence in the 24th century where biological warfare has caused sets to be sparse, costumes brown and shapeless with the exception of Macbeth’s strategically exposed six-pack abdomen, and actors to sword fight in slow motion accompanied by heavy metal (music) yet oddly whipping out a sci-fi tazer for the final flourish. Cooking pots are apparently scarce, but glowing orbs are not and so they serve as the odd receptacle for witches to concoct their famous brew. This, when a video projection of an eye is not inducing them to writhe about the stage, painfully. Other than a truly lovely lighting effect to indicate the cathedral in England, the set required rather a lot from the audience, and from Macbeth, who at one point, while delivering his lines, sprawled out and crawled his way down a set of steps. It was Dramatic. Sigh. But we were there for the Bard, and that was solid. Macbeth’s delivery was clear (even face down on the steps) and the soliloquies were powerfully delivered.
We had a wonderful day Re cycling Back Bay and exploring False Cape State Park!
In the end, we chose to head northeast to the Delmarva Peninsula and spend a weekend in Chincoteague. Our hotel was very comfortable, and offered a balcony with a view of the Chincoteague Channel and lovely sunsets. We spent Saturday walking on the beach, visiting the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, and doing a little shopping. On our way back we drove through Kiptopeke State Park on the Southwestern tip of the peninsula and were rewarded with a fantastic view of Brown Pelicans fishing in the Bay!
The month ended as it always does, with Halloween. It was the first year in almost two decades that we did not have a child getting dressed up for trick-or-treating, so bittersweet. The Daughter was a wonderful candy assistant, oohing and aahing over all of the little princesses, and recognizing at a quick glance each super hero! We still carved pumpkins!
We took a few pictures:
Rabbit Trails 