{As the days grow shorter and the temperatures chillier, why not take an entertainment cue from this lovely group of 1950s ladies and spend a fun filled evening playing bridge? (Love their outfits and hairstyles!)}
{With another school year well and truly underway again, it's hard not to feel a surge of pep/cheerleading squad spirit (like this wonderful group from 1960 had) once more, even if you haven't sat in a classroom for decades.}
{Her outfit (those slacks!), that car, even those beautifully classic glass milk bottle - how can one not want everything in this serene slice-of-life snap from 1957?}
{And speaking of style perfection, how awesomely lovely does this mother and her two young children - also coincidentally photographed in 1957) - look in their fall time finery? (This snap was taken in October of that year).}
{Summer is definitely winding down and the days of going bare armed are numbered (if not a memory already) in many parts of the world, but while the last vestiges of warmth remain, I simply had to include this awesome photo of a chic c. 1930s young lady in her fashionable wide legged beach pajama style ensemble.}
{Sister, cousins, besties, possibly even a very youthful looking mom (on the right) and daughter? Whatever the case, one instantly senses that these two lovely 1940s gals had each other's backs no matter what.}
{Two young ladies engaged in one of my all-time favourite activities - especially come autumn - shopping for Halloween decorations. Oh, to be able to go back to the 1950s and pick up some of these delightful festive goodies with them (Plus, as a side note, check out both of their seriously cool pairs of earrings!)}
{This is such an excellent yesteryear cross section of society photo. From the gents in their dapper suits to the men in their work wear, and of course the elegantly attired ladies of various ages, images like this (from December 1942) are about as close one can get to accidentally travelling back in time and landing smack dab in the middle of small town America.}
{Vintage nighttime colour photos taken by everyday folks aren't overly common, so when I spotted this lovely (undated) one - that I'd estimate to be from the 1960s or 70s - recently, given the season that we're heading into, I knew that I had to share it here on the double. This image was captured at the Autumn Festival in Rimouski, Quebec.}
{Two youngsters (from 1942) getting in the spirit of Halloween by carving a cheerfully fun jack-o-lantern. I can hardly wait to follow their lead in a few week's time!}
{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}
Travel brings with it the potential for a near limitless array of gifts, and, unquestionably, this is one of the primary reasons why I adore it to the moon and back. It can - for some people at least - also have a darker side however, too (and I don't just mean things like the inherent risks – whatever their likelihood may be – of visiting a new destination, such as getting pickpocketed, having the airline lose your luggage, etc).
For those, such as myself, who tend to find traveling to be a time of intensely powerful introspection and deep thought, venturing away from home, even just for a few days, can cause certain concerns, worries, stresses, and anxieties to come bubbling to the surface. Or, if they were already there to begin with, to manifest even more strongly.
On our very recent adventure to Edmonton (which we returned home from this past Monday evening), I experienced precisely that for much of our time away.
Though I do not wish at this point in time to delve too much into the specific concerns that were at the forefront of my mind, the fact that they were there, like a heavy grey cloud hovering over the peaceful prairie landscape that was our holiday to Edmonton, rattled me and continues to do so, even though we're back home now.
It is far too early in the year to sum up 2016 yet, but over all this has been a strange one that has seen many ups and downs, curve balls and, to be perfectly frank, moments of being downright blindsided by certain happenings that have come my (our) way.
Throughout it, the elegant quote from Nelson Mandela that opens today’s post has often floated through my mind. As while many of the aforementioned issues were ones that I had little to no say in the (initial, at least) development of, certainly some of them stem from actions and choices that I've taken at various stages along the path that has been my life up until this very point.
I think that all of us, from the dawn of time onward, have wanted our choices to reflect our hopes and our dreams, the things that make us smile and keep our spirits alight.
Yet, objectively, sometimes our decisions are shaped or determined point blank, by our fears, concerns, doubts, and uncertainties. More often than not, it is these sorts of choices and experiences that tag along for the ride when we travel - and, let's be honest, when we're under the safety of our very own roof as well.
Over the years, I've talked here before about how the beginning of autumn has always felt like the start of a new year for me (just as, I know, it does for many others too,) - a point that, historically speaking, has a great deal of merit, as it was just that for many different cultures. No doubt this is playing into why change and choice are front and center in my thoughts at the moment.
I know that there are presently some storms in my life that I simply have no choice, given current circumstances, than to see through to the end – a time that may be months or even years away. There are others though that, ultimately, I have a greater degree of say in and where such is involved, I know that I may need to make some serious decisions in the near future.
This prospect does not scare me per se, but it does call for some tough choices, late nights of pondering, and, looking forward, a coming year that may be at least somewhat different from most others in recent times.
I do not mean to sound/be cryptic and I assure you that nothing truly insurmountable is on my plate right now. From its earliest days, at times, I have used my blog as a place to journal my concerns and, in the process, often find greater clarity, regardless of the issue(s) at hand when I do so.
It is for those reasons that I kicked off this latest edition of Saturday Snapshots with Mandela's poignant words and speak, if only in subtle terms, about some of what I'm going through at the moment.
Though I have had some tough days recently - and throughout 2016 in general - I assure you that Tony and I are both okay. And that, hand on my heart, for each current concern, there are zillions of positive things - many pertaining to autumn itself - to help balance the scales and ensure that my natural upbeat-ness isn't snuffed out at the moment.
Far from it - if anything, turning all the more to the elements of my life that bring me joy will help to make the choices I face not only more bearable, but - I truly hope - more often than not, enable them to be reached with hope and positivity as their driving force.
