The "peak" weekend

There were several conversations I had the past few days about the beauty of the fall leaves here in the Garden State this month, but this weekend was the peak weekend to enjoy them.  I travel up and down the parkway many times in a week, and I don't remember the reds being so intense previous years. You can't help but be in awe.

The past few days have been very busy.  Last Friday, the art club went on a trip I planned to a haunted mansion called Burrowes Mansion, in Matawan NJ.  We had a private tour and explored the various rooms in the house. I couldn't believe this quilt; the beautifully calligraphed names are not of family members but of people in the community who had investments in their local bank. Supposedly the larger names in the center may have had even more money saved. This quilt was made as a way to keep record of deposits and investments in the mid 1700s.

After the mansion tour, we got a private tour of Rosehill Cemetery. The trees were so beautiful, it was hard to concentrate while we made tombstone rubbings. 

 The Cutting Crane is now in business! This Saturday was Brick's first annual Punk Rock Flea, and I really loved participating in the show! Many admirers and art appreciators came, and a few even made some purchases. A retired art teacher loved the calendars so much that she bought a few.

So now we're at Sunday, and my-oh-my was it perfect day to see fall foliage. Before driving up to Middlesex to visit a good friend, we stopped at the home of Daimon's beekeeping mentor, who is sick and unable to do yard work. My job was to pick the mushrooms. Log after log there were huge shiitake mushrooms and I had hoped I might be able to take a few home, but I got something better than mushrooms for our labor. We were giving a huge 2 LB jar of local, golden honey.