November 1 - john and joyce took a few pictures of some of the younger members of relatives just before Halloween. Here are just a few of them:

Also, November 1 - Update on zenpond: the ducks are still flying in, albeit less frequently now. Often, two male and one female Mallard will fly in for an early dinner of cracked corn, look around for awhile, then fly away. john wonders where they go. The Fall leaves are doing just that: falling. Reminds john of the Gary Larsen cartoon : "Look out Maude, it's deciduous!", where all the leaves are falling at once onto two picnickers below. joyce's sister, Nancy, and brother-in-law, Ken, are visiting Overland Park this weekend from St. Louis. They brought their dog, Einstein. He is one smart dog. Goes around barking E = mc2 all the time. After awhile he begins to get on your nerves though. john and joyce have been planting some hollies around zenpond to keep some green over the winter. They bought the variety that have both male and female plants on the same stem, so that you don't have to buy a separate male and a separate female to get the beautiful red berries.

November 21 - Yesterday it was 72 degrees in Overland Park, today 51. Both days were bright and sunny. This evening john looked out to see three Mallards swimming while the giant blue heron was just standing on the deck (eyeing his dinner). The blue heron saw john and took off like the 747 that he is. The leaves are coming down and zenpond is golden except for the Japanese maples which are bright red. john has installed some outdoor lighting and the bronze sitting buddha is peaceful bathed in white light. The ducks are racing back and forth after their dinner of cracked corn. Now they are back on the deck for more corn. john can barely see them as the evening is settling into night.