The fall extravaganza has peaked in Bethel (shown here) but we had the opportunity to drive to the coast this weekend where everything was bursting with color, as if each tree was competing in a beauty contest in their finest formal wear of orange, magenta, purple, red, crimson, gold and yellow. I know, I know, beauty contests are a sore subject. I do want to comment briefly on the state of our nation so if you want to skip this post, go right ahead. I wouldn't blame you one bit.

When we were living on Skylark outside the US in the ABC's, Colombia, Honduras, Panama and Mexico, we were insulated from the political scene unfolding in our country. It was, I have to say a relief. When we heard Trump was not only running for President but making headway, we were stunned, writing it off as an anomaly that would surely be short-lived, an errant blip on the screen of our history. Re-entering the fray has been sobering, stressful and absurd. If Trump supporters are offended by this post, I am sorry. But if they insist on voting for a man with a full blown narcissist personality disorder (look it up online, you will at the very least know what you're getting into) an unabashed power monger who believes attractive women are his for the picking and who verbally abuses anyone he doesn't respect or who dares challenge him, if this is the best you can do for our nation with your vote, then we will have a long period of healing and rebuilding from the disaster. I don't care if you detest his opponent or not. There is no excuse for voting for a man who will run our country as an autocrat who takes no prisoners and who glorifies his ability to do as he pleases, when he pleases, to whom he pleases any time of day or night. It's enough to make us run back to Skylark and let her find us new countries from which we could live out the next few years.