Fall, Old Abandon Farm Houses, Petoskey, Steve Jobs and my Birthday

This past weekend we made a trip up to Petoskey to redo our booth at Then & Now. We spent two days making this trip and stayed over night with CJ's parents. The trip was also a opportunity for us to take in some of Michigan's fall color. The color was about at it's prime about halfway up to Petoskey. It was outstanding! We even sat on Mom and Dad's back deck because of the warm weather and watched the leaves fall.

I also never take a trip without checking out old building and farm places. One of the places we always drive by when traveling from Petoskey to Boyne City is this wonderful abandoned farm house on Horton Bay Road. Properties like this always tug at my heart strings and the romantic side of my imagination. We had to stop and take a picture. The very red Virginia creeper growing up the side of this house added a wonderful touch of Fall to this picture.

Almost five years ago I took this picture about this same time of year of an abandon pink farmhouse in Minnesota. This house really spoke to me when I saw it. I have always wanted to paint this picture. It just will have to get added to my many lists of things to do.

I know that there as been many quotes by Steven Jobs floating on the Internet when he died last week. But, I need to share one of the quotes that moved me and I may just have to make it my mantra. You see tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 56 the same age as Steven Jobs. I feel blessed to live the life I am living. Even though the last few years have been difficult financialy for many of us I believe that I am living the life I was meant to live and becoming the person I was meant to become. I am so grateful to be alive and living my life. To those friends and family that have supported me the last few years I will be forever indebted to you.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinion's drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you want to become. Everthing else is secondary."

-Steve Jobs