Best. Weekend. Ever.

And for no particular reason.  Well, for a few reasons, but all them are strikingly ordinary.  First of all, we had absolutely glorious fall weather.  The kind you just aren't guaranteed here in the Northwest, and certainly not on back-to-back days on the weekend.  Crisp and clear, with highs around 60--perfect.  We still haven't had a frost yet, which has the gardener in me somewhat...confused.  I am still pulling tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini off the vine and I love it.  This weekend we picked the last of the pears, and started on the plums.  More dehydrating in store for me!  Plums are so much easier to manage than pears, which have to be peeled.

In other news, it was a two-race weekend in the Inland Northwest Cyclocross series.  My husband rode really well (his best showing ever!), and we had a great time.  The home-field advantage helped--familiar courses for my husband and less driving for all of us.  Plus, good BBQ on Saturday and lots of time to visit with friends.

The temperature dropped again today, and it started raining.  At this point in the season, I don't think I'll worry about covering the garden when it does freeze.  It's time to be done with summer veggies, and time to dig up the root crops for storage.   Time to transition to winter.

This picture summarizes the weekend best.  A month or so ago, I tied back the holyhock so that I could open the garden gate.  Now the little sunflowers have bloomed and it looks like a big, lazy bouquet from my kitchen window.  A perfect end to a great gardening season!