Pre-Boo

Song - Werewolves Of London by Warren Zevon

Every Halloween Mr. B and I enjoy coming up with a design and carving our pumpkins.  For the last few years we have made it into a small party with family.  So on Sunday night........

The table was set with parsnip & carrot noses, carving tools and designing tools as well as gut buckets.  Andy even got out the power drill (behind the "noses").

As we began to work our magic everyone got quieter and quieter.......until.......

...Buddy showed up in his Lion costume and we all cracked up as he was so proud of his new look!

Ashley finished her pumpkin fast so she could have some cuddling time with Buddy-the-Lion.

After that Jack-O-Lanterns started popping out all over the place!

And the winner of this years event was Walter's sideways scary pumpkin!

Yikes!!!

 Then we all settled down for some delicious Tortilla Soup & Corn Bread.......

.......with our Jack-O-Lanterns lighting the night.

 As guests were leaving, we found Monica had sprouted fangs and Tyler forgot to go to the dentist....yuck!!!

As the night was winding down, Chewy fell promptly to sleep.

All of this monster stuff was too much for the little guy!!!

And Mr. B and I joined him shortly.

"When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,

may luck be yours on Halloween"

--Anonymous

Muahahaha......

Song - The Addams Family Original Theme Music

Sunday morning we woke up to this.......

yes, it's R A I N !

A good, hard rain that raised our backyard creek within minutes.

Oh but the flowers and soil were happy...

But we needed to head to San Francisco 

to pick up our son who was flying in from attending a wedding in Austin.

And no one remembered how to drive in the rain!

There were lakes and rivers flooding the freeways.

I was able to snap a few shots of Alcatraz and Coit Tower from the bridge.

There was even some sunshine in the city.

When we returned it was time for some serious pumpkin carving!

Jon

Mr. B with his "special" tool

Tyler

Ashley

Andy

We had lunch and put on Halloween songs and carved away!

Everyone of them came out great!

And Grandma Betty came by for a visit with her favorite horsey grandson!

"When witches go riding

 And black cats are seen,

The moon laughs and whispers

'Tis near Halloween."

--Author Unknown

Autumn at Home

 Song - Autumn Leaves by Nat King Cole

The last of the Tomato's & Basil has been picked, the Zinnia's and Impatients are about done for.

The Fall color is beginning to arrive along with the crisp nights.

Last week I did get in my flats of White Primrose and sweetly scented Stock.

If the snails and deer lay off of them for a few days, we will all be happy!  Well, the critters may not be happy but I sure will!!!

Mr. B and I watched our youngest son, Tyler, play one of his last Water Polo tournaments last weekend in Santa Cruz. The end of water polo season is a sure sign that Fall is in the air!

And he made the goal!!! Go Tyler....number 2!

This weekend we had our rotting deck replaced because someone has been watering too many plants on the deck.  But we won't point any fingers.....will we?

As the deck was being worked on, Mr. B and I went up to Napa for a business weekend.  The weather was glorious.  The crush was over but you could still get the scent of the fermenting grapes in the vineyards.

While Mr. B was in his meetings, I walked around the town of Yountville and snapped a few photos.  And of coursed dined on some yummy treats.

The line for Bouchon Bakery was out the door and around the corner at all times of the day.

Mr. B's company had dinner in the wine cellar at Michael Chiarello's Italian restaurant Bottega.  It was a wonderful comforting, family style meal.

After dinner, we headed over to R & D Kitchen for a glass of wine while sitting around their bountiful outdoor fires.

Good friends, great wine and crisp fall air with the addition of a warm fire.  Ahhh, it doesn't get much better than this.

And I found a new favorite wine. Salus Chardonnay from the Staglin Family Vineyard.

Unfortunately, a bottle was out of my price range but I sure did enjoy a glass (or two!).

On Sunday afternoon, we headed home to a brand new deck and to keep a Pumpkin carving date with Andy, Ashley & Tyler.


More on that to come!

BOO!

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  
 -- Albert Camus