I recently spent a handful of days back home in Pittsburgh. It was odd, because I had a very different reaction to being there than I thought I would. I got into town and thought to myself, 'It's too hot, it's too polluted, there's too much traffic!'. It is not a reaction that I expected. But I think, ultimately, it is a good thing. It shows that I'm adapting to my new life in New Hampshire and that I really like small town living and a more rural area. The pace of life is a bit slower here too, and that became really evident to me while I was back home.But despite the hassles, there were good things too. Being with family, for one. It was my niece, little Fiona's third birthday. Looking at the picture, does it really get any better than that? It was quite a party, with my parents and her dad's parents, with Aunts and Uncles from both side, and three cousins. She received some great dress up clothes from her mom and you can see her new clip on earrings in the picture if your look hard enough, which she wore almost all night, despite the pain. I was able to capture this picture of her blowing out the candles, which is the best.
But somehow, the dress up clothes were off and she was in her favorite outfit of all - nothing. I'm surprised the panties remained on. Her Aunt Amy got her a pair of great new crocs, that are lined for the winter, which she is modeling here. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this.
Another hi-light of the trip home was seeing my best bud Katcha and her new home in Elizabethtown. I saw the mill once before, before the auction that determined her and her family's new fate, but I got a much better sense this time. On the way to Pittsburgh, I stopped off in central PA for the night.
Here the entrepreneur is, walking back from putting out her two goats. The goats act as natural lawn mowers and seem pretty easy to keep. 
They were finishing up the second house, for her sister to move in, which was looking really good. Now the focus is shifting to the main house, with a goal of being finished by their annual New Year's party. Here are some other shots of the place. 
I can't wait to see the place as it comes along. On about 40 acres, the land has a stream that goes through and what sounds like many beautiful features. Too cool.
