That's My World in the USA!

A new meme has opened up called That's My World. I am running late getting this ready...I was actually preparing to get this ready to post early in the day when a friend stopped by. And while she was here, I had a phone call. As anyone knows that has followed this blog hardly at all, my favorite thing to do is to get in the car and just take off--destination unknown. Just follow where the inclination takes us.
I have really been enjoying the autumn colors, and hoping everyone don't mind a few more. These three photos were all taken on one of our rambling drives. It was kind of hard to choose just a couple or three.
If you want to join, or just check out more views, just go check in at That's My World.

Still waters...

My brother, Neal of Photographic Memories and I often discuss the merits of landscape or portrait layout for photos. I think I probably take a few more in the portrait style than he does. So I thought I would give you the different versions and ask which you like best and why.
The top three photos are all the same place, up at Mansfield, Indiana. I hope you will enlarge the photos before you pass judgement.


This was a little stream, and I am not sure if I was in Indiana or Illinois. I first thought I liked the portrait layout best, but the more I look, the more I think I like the landscape best.

Views from The House of the Singing Winds...

The above is the drive that led up to the house...and below is Lowell, our tour guide. He was a very interesting guy to talk to...I cannot even remember all the jobs he has held. But he had been a school teacher for one thing. I assumed he had retired from that.

Here is a view leading up to the house from the side...remember I told you I didn't get any actual pictures of the house itself.
I seemed to get bits and pieces of it in my photos, just never got the house itself. I took this one because of the ironwork...this was leading from the front where Lowell was getting ready to take us inside.....
to the back porch which this is taken from. That is Steele's studio we are looking at from here.

The photos above and below are just what you look out on from different areas around the house...don't they look just so peaceful. Makes you want to go take a walk and sit and rest a spell.
And this is their final resting place. He and his wife, and I think her sister, and two or three others were all cremated and their urns buried here, and the headstones set directly on top of the urn.
I am adding this late...should have been my first comment. Day4plus informed me that the plant/flowers shown yesterday was Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandifolia' or Peegee Hydrangea. I am so glad she told me the name...I didn't think it was a snowball bush, but didn't really think for sure that it was a hydrangea. I guess I have either never seen this variety or else never seen one when it got this big. And Mary at Faith, Fabric and Photos had told me they were hydrangeas.