Trick or Treat

 

This year's Jack-o-Lanterns carved out at Back Lane Gardens.  It is looking like we will have a very wet evening for trick or treating, but my kids are super excited despite the rain.

 

Happy Halloween!

Maze

Recently, my family visited the small town of Prineville on the east side of Oregon.  Prineville's claim to fame is being the home of Les Schwab, the tire company.  Our fun activities included a trip to a pumpkin patch with a big hay bale maze.  Most of the kids seemed to enjoyed running on top of the hay rather then exploring the inside of the maze.

 

The Birth of a Jack-o-Lantern

Lizziviggi digs in and hollows out a pumpkin at our annual pumpkin carving bash at Back Lane Gardens.

The Tasting Table

Despite growing up just five minutes from Cloud Mountain Farm, until this year I had never attended the annual fruit festival they host.  This tasting table was the highlight of the day for me.  Nearly every imaginable variety of fruit was available to try.  One side was dedicated to different apple, pear and asian pear varieties.  The grape table ranged from from eating grapes to different types of champagne grapes. Another table had quinces, berries, currants, peppers...I can't begin to remember what else.

Inflation

 

Luckily, it was free to use today.  But back in this door's day as a pay toilet the jump from 5 cents a use to 10 cents was probably a steep increase.  I bet people paid it though.

Sugar Pumpkins

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I've never baked a pumpkin pie from scratch, but this fun display at Bellewood Acres kind of makes me want to try.

Bayview Cemetery

With Halloween creeping around the corner, misty photos of cemeteries and headstones seem appropriate.

Music

 

A beautiful arrangement of guitars and banjos decorate the wall at the New Green Frog.

Gathering Circle

The Firs Christian Retreat Center is a 7-acre campus set amongst the trees in the Geneva neighborhood.  The campus can accommodate up to 220 people staying in a variety of dorm style units.  Its been a neighbor of mine for several years now, but until recently I had never explored more of its grounds then what can be seen from the road.  I was suprised at all there was tucked back under the trees.  

It's Been 2 Amazing Years

 

Happy birthday to my youngest daughter!  She is sweet, playful, just a little devious and I can't wait for more birthdays to come.

Tractor Pull

The kids enjoyed a tractor ride at a recent birthday party.

And the Fog comes Rolling In...

Summer may have come late this year, but it's been beautiful since it arrived.  With the exception of a brief sprinkle in early September, we haven't had any rain since mid July. The morning fog has been starting to set in though, and by this weekend we should get our first real rain in nearly three months!   

Searching for Light

 

The rooftop skylights at Geneva Elementary school give students as much light as they can in our increasingly grey fall days.

Night Neon

 

A late night staple downtown is 20th Century Bowl.  The bowling alley has around for fifty years and I hope it continues another fifty.

Date Night

 

After a wonderful dinner with my husband, of the best pasta in Bellingham, at D'anna's Cafe Italiano we had these yummy drinks at The Fountain Bistro.  It was the perfect nightcap for a great evening.

Pumpkin Patch

We've been having the best October weather I can remember. By afternoon the temperatures have usually been getting into the 70's and there hasn't been any rain since early summer...perfect conditions for fall colors. Today we're heading out to Cloud Mountain Farms for apple tasting.

Skywatch Friday: In the Morning

Joggers and kayakers were already circling Lake Padden when I arrived to wait for sunrise.

Bellewood Acres

Long known for their apples, Bellewood Acres branched out into the craft distillery business last year.  We picked up a bottle of their apple vodka last weekend.  I'm not normally a vodka fan, but it was quite good.

Window

 

This wooden screen in the window of a house in the Columbia neighborhood caught my eye.  What a wonderful way to still achieve some privacy, but allow the light in.

Camouflage

It might be hard to tell, but there is a pretty knobbly stump under all those ferns and moss.