Placeholder for Sunday

I am just home from the Bat Mitzvah reception for my oldest friend's daughter, which has taken up the part of my day when we didn't get out to enjoy the calm before the storm with Adam at Little Bennett and Black Hill Regional Parks. The former is much further along in the autumn than the latter -- most of the tall trees have completely lost their leaves, though the Allegheny "mound builder" ants are still active in their enormous anthills and this year the beavers did not dam up the creek and flood the trails, while at Black Hill there are many colorful trees plus ducks and geese eating off the bottom of the lake.

I am bummed that the Terps lost but we didn't see a minute of the game. My evening has involved lots of food and "Y.M.C.A." and a chocolate fountain and disco lights and seeing old friends plus many of their relatives, which has been perfectly lovely -- this is the daughter of our friends who throw the Super Bowl party every year -- and I had a whiskey sour so I had better quit typing while I am ahead. Will post park photos during the week assuming Hurricane Sandy permits it; our plans for Sunday have been canceled by the theater, which is closing for the day in anticipation of the storm. Stay safe and dry, everyone!