Have a spooky Halloween, everyone!

A World for Ants

Ernest agreed to let me visit classes during Fall Family Weekend. I used the trump card only available to mothers of seniors:  "but this will be the last time I get to meet your teachers."

He is slightly bothered that AP Statistics isn't "real math" (seemed like math enough to me in college), so to console himself he visits the calculus class on his free period. I would too, if only to hear the teacher's delightful Scottish accent.

In English, they have been working on college essays.

Music is delightful, of course.

He is happy to have been able to load up on science classes this year: Physics (we got to play with motion detectors), AP Chemistry (we did an experiment),  and AP Environmental Sciences, where they have made little habitats.

Start this video at about 1:20 to get the reference.



Ernest's habitat is a center for a small green critter.  And some dead mealworms.

Misty Mornin'

Misty mornin', don't see no sun;
I know you're out there somewhere having fun.
Mysteries I just can't express:
How can you ever give your more to receive your less?
Like my good friend said, in a reggae riddim:
"You can't jump - you can't jump in the water, if you can't swim."

--Bob Marley

Orange Saturday

I visited "A Day in the Country" yesterday.

It was nice that the parade started early while the street was still shady. The parade was short and very local. On the animal side, there was only one horse, 2 mules, and 4 miniature donkeys. There were a number of old cars and maybe 20 tractors! Two of each of the people groups: school, 4H and dancers.

Some nice fall colors...

The last two are probably available for sale here.

Star Boy

We had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Thomas overnight as his parents had an event to attend.

I think I should change his name to Mr. Lego Mini Fig because that is his current obsession.

He has been working his way through the Star Wars movies.  Like many younglings, he started with Episode I.  I was delighted that he was ready to watch Episode IV which, for oldsters like me, is the true first Star Wars movie.

He had his trusty Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia by his side.  As each character came on the screen, he showed me the corresponding mini fig.

He also played Monopoly and Risk with his cousins. And Lego Star Wars on the Wii. We worked on a secret project for Christmas. It was a fun visit.

Lemon Shrimp Salad

It may be fall but summer-like food is still welcome around here.

I had a vision of a lemony shrimp salad and this is what I came up with.  It was excellent.

More or less, this is the recipe I used for the dressing:  Creamy Lemon Dressing.  Plus shrimp, wagon-wheel pasta, celery, asparagus and broccoli (lightly cooked and cooled in an ice-water bath), served on a bed of spinach.

It's so nice when your vision matches reality.

Peace Love and Guacamole

Yesterday we went to the Avocado Festival for the first time. 

I enjoyed it much more than the Lemon Festival the previous weekend.  

Location had a lot to do with it.  

A tree-lined street in a seaside town has more atmosphere than a flat tree-less soccer field.

The mascot did his part to spread peace, love and guacamole.

Hope it rubbed off on this guy!

There were all manner of avocados, from the pristine and untouched...

To the pulverized...

An avocado-headed scarecrow was one of the more creative touches.

I couldn't find the avocado ice cream, but I saw avocado bread and avocado oil.

I ate an avocado BLT and Handy had a tri-tip and guacamole sandwich.

Of course, there was guacamole.  On everything.  

Holy guaca-moly, I love the stuff.   

I brought home a small tub of prize-winning guac to share with Frank and Ernest.  

Ever since Ernest had guacamole made table-side (in New York, of all places) this summer, 

he has been working on perfecting his guacamole recipe.

Perhaps he'll whip up a batch this weekend.

Run Squirrel, Run!

It was a hot day at the trailer show.

My F-I-L is almost 87 and doing pretty well, but not as spry as he once was.

So we sent Handy to the far away parking lot, and waited for him.

As Handy approached us in his truck, 

Handy Grandpa pointed out the activity up the road.

The squirrel ran out in the street 

to save a bit of food from the voracious crows.

Got it!

Run squirrel, run!

Made it to safety.

At least from the truck.

I'm not so sure what the crows are planning!

Thematic Photographic: Multiples

Multiples I saw last weekend:

Multiple vintage kiddie walkers...

And multiple human hamster balls!

For more takes on "multiples" visit this week's Thematic Photographic at Carmi's Written, Inc.

Trailers

I just love vintage items.  And my husband loves cars.
What a way to combine interests but to go to a vintage car show!
Or more specifically, a vintage trailer show!

My favorite bus was there!

Handy loves to see vintage vehicles pulling the vintage trailers.

The Camp Host

The Yellowstone Bus!

The Futurliner!

And of course there were trailers,

 from the small teardrops...

To the colorful mid-century mid-sized...

To my dream of dreams, the sleek and sexy airstreams.