Somewhere in the midst of the projects...

...we managed to spend Thanksgiving with family, go out deer hunting, and catch some beautiful sunsets.
The thanksgiving get together was a little different this year, but in a really good way! Don and Faith invited the residents of their upstairs residential health care business to eat with us, as well as the residents' families/friends. In addition to them, Donna and Buffy, Barb and Bill, Zac and Brittany, Beth, Andy and I were there. It was quite the jovial crowd, and the food was absolutely delicious. After eating, Faith made a deal that Beth and I didn't have to do dishes if we played the piano instead! A book of Christmas Carols was the choice, and we teamed up my left hand and her right hand and played and played while the others sang. It was....perfect.
That Friday afternoon, after turkey dinner leftovers, Beth and I went to run stairs with Faith. I think she lapped us at least twice! But, it was great to get outside, even in the chilly rain, to move around and spend time together.Then, that Sunday came - the last vacation day - and the last possible day that Andy could try to get a deer. So, we woke up dark and early and headed to the U of I Experimental Forest.Had a lovely hike! The scenery was beautiful and it didn't rain much. I think if I was a deer, I'd live in there too! And, I hope I'd be as good at hiding as they were that day. I didn't see any and Andy only saw one 'flag' (the white of their tail as they run away).I think our faces say it all. I've been hiking and taking pictures for...oh...a very enjoyable 4 or 5 hours. He's been walking and carrying his heavy rifle for....oh...a long 4 or 5 hours and has yet to see anything he can shoot!! Better luck next time...
Before the uber-cold spells hit, we had a lot of stunning sunrises and sunsets. I was doing homework one Saturday night and looked out the window to see the sky aglow. Had to run to the shop to retrieve the camera and then out across the neighboring field to take some shots of it. The battery died after a few so I ran back inside to switch it for the charged one. Andy came in from the shop to see what all the runnin' was about and decided to take his turn. So, he went out with the newly charged camera and took a few more. I am posting one of mine and one of his below.

Just for fun, which do you like best?
1. Fire in the Sky

2. Glowing Clouds