Summer Fun

Lake House, 2022 So many memories are made at the Lake during the summer. Now, it's back to school, fall colors, football and Halloween. Thought for the Day: What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning. Senator …

Witch’s Brew

DUI I came across this crash scene in a small Nebraska town. Too much "brew" for this witch. Still hung over from Halloween. Thought for the Day: Give my people plenty of beer, good beer, and cheap beer, and you will have no revolution among them.Queen Victoria

Halloween

With Halloween just around the corner, the family gathered for their annual Halloween "reunion". This collage of past years' celebrations was made for "giggles and grins". Trick or Treat? Thought for the Day: The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.Thomas …

Creepy Tree

Winterthur Gardens - Delaware I found this tree while roaming around the Winterthur Gardens in Delaware. I wish I had written down the species. Looks like it would make a good backdrop for a scary Halloween scene. Thought for the Day: Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good …

Trick or Treat

Look who rang my door bell last night! I recognized Harry Potter, forehead scar and glasses, but had to ask about his sidekick.  Ronald Weasley, I was told, and his friendly rat, Scabbers.  Having never read any Harry Potter books, the bell-ringers were polite enough to indulge me.  The black cloaks, lined with red satin, …

Halloween Costumes

Here's an idea for Halloween.  This was taken last June at the Elkhorn Days parade, promoting a haunted house for Halloween.  The costume is fairly easy to make, but I'm not sure where to get the tongue extensions. Now I understand why little kids are afraid of clowns. Thought for the Day:  The essence of true …

Halloween – 2017

Halloween is right around the corner. The family Halloween party was a little different this year; i.e. held in two locations.  What was typical and expected about the party was the Des Moines group won the best-costume prize ... AGAIN ... as usual ... as always. Omaha was a mixed bag of good efforts, like …

Halloween, 2016

Being an election year, you can bet the most popular Halloween masks will be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Uggh, gives me chills just thinking about the possibilities. Check out these costumes of 3-4 year olds.  Decent costumes: wholesome, All-American, tasteful, fun and not scary.  Oh, and let's not forget politically correct too ... unless …

Apple Bobbing

The family Halloween party always includes bobbing for apples.  Typically, the older kids are the ones participating, but this year all of the younger ones gave it a try too, even the youngest, Ava. Dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, she stuck her head in the water and tried to get an apple. …

Angry Birds

In the spirit of Halloween, this family dressed up as Angry Birds, complete with a mean pig.  The costumes were 100% home-made from top to bottom by the yellow Angry Bird. In case you're wondering, Angry Birds is a computer game where the birds launch themselves with catapults at the pig's various fortresses.  The birds …

Northville, MI Halloween

Northville, MI, is a quaint little town (relatively speaking) northeast of Ann Arbor and due west of Detroit.  The "downtown" is no more than 2-3 blocks in any direction from the epicenter.  What makes the town most interesting is the charming residential neighborhoods, with Victorian style homes built in the early 1900's. Every home is different and …

Halloween Parties

Halloween parties create a lot of angst.  As an adult, there are other things to consider than just the candy.  Especially in this day and age, with all of the social media, who knows where a picture of you in a silly costume might show up.  Do you know the crowd that's been invited?  Do …