Pumpkin Carving

 Song - A Little Spooky Halloween Mix by Kevin McCloud

Carrot & Turnip Jack-O-Lantern Noses

We had our pumpkin carving party early this year because Mr. B will be out of town on Halloween.  And that just happens to be his favorite holiday!

So I put on a big pot of Tortilla Soup and lit a fire while Mr. B laid out the newspaper, knives, saws and pumpkins. It was a cozy and fun evening!

Who would of thought that Ashley's pumpkin at night.....

Would turn into this fright?

And Tyler's creative pumpkin that came from a dream......

 

 

Would cause me to scream?

And Andy's sweet little guy......

Would just make me cry? (I want my boys to be little again.....sometimes!)

Questioning Mr. B's intricate carving is just below......

Look it's Gravediggers who glow!!!

And my jolly guy has a Turnip for a nose.....

So he is happy to pose!


OK....I'm all done rhyming for now. Maybe forever......

Hope you have a safe, fun and Spook-tacular Halloween!!!!

And make yourself a big ol' pot of yummy Tortilla Soup! I've included the recipe below.

Sopa de Tortilla Recipe

3 lbs chicken
6 qts water + 1 can tomato sauce
1 t celery seed
2 T diced garlic
1 lg can diced tomatos
1 onion - diced
1/2 red or green bell pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 t gr. cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
1 c rice
1 bag frozen corn
2 T parsley
Tortilla strips
Jack Cheese
1 bunch green onions diced

Cook the chicken in the water with the first 10 ingredients.  When the chicken is done, remove from the pot to cool & add the rice.  When it's done, add the corn, parsley and shredded chicken. When everything is heated through, ladle the soup into a bowl with tortilla strips & Jack cheese on the bottom. Top with the green onions and any of the ingredients you like below.

Avacado
Sour Cream
Salsa
Hot Sauce
More cheese


Enjoy!


"A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween."  ~Erma Bombeck

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

Spirit Rock

Song - Water Buddha 

 

My niece, Katie and I spent two days this week at a wonderful retreat at Spirit Rock in Marin.

Of course BART was on strike so we had to leave and extra hour early to get there on time. This was a good teacher for me in the art of patience.  I forgot that I love to watch the sunrise!

Our Teachers - Donald Rothberg & Heather Sundberg had us practice a combination of silent sitting meditation and silent walking meditation for their class "Awakening the Heart: Practicing the Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) - Loving kindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity".

 

The walking trails meandered up the mountains and into the forests. I chose this mild trail and as I turned a corner I came upon this giant Buddha.

The mornings were crisp and the afternoons warm.

The leaves were just starting to change color and on one of my morning walks, I found a floating leaf that stopped me, deep in the Bay tree forest. It slowly moved up and down & to and fro.  I'm sure it was on a spider web hanging from the high Laurels but I could not see the filament.  The little leaf gently spun around as it moved towards me and then moved gracefully across my path and way up the mountain, then back across the dry creek bed.  I was enchanted by this little gift from nature - a tiny dancer.....

There were little Quails scattering about, wild Turkey's that greeted us each evening as we left our meeting room and they had absolutely no fear of people (I guess they knew they were on vegetarian turf!), Rattlesnakes, Deer, lot's of gray Squirrels, Hawks and other birds.

We began our practice on Monday morning with Metta - lovingkindness.

In the afternoon, we moved towards Caring and on Tuesday it was all about Joy and Equanimity.

But my favorite time was laughing with Katie!  Thank you Katie for this special time together......

"No one saves us but ourselves.  No one can and no one may.  We ourselves must walk the path." - Buddha

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html#F0XVAetF6u5h3utc.99

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddha.html#F0XVAetF6u5h3utc.99

My Busted Halo

Song - Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys

I have been out of the "Blogging Community" loop for awhile as Mr. B and I went to visit our son, Jon in Redondo Beach for 6 days and I have been painting my little heart out trying to prepare for 3 new shows!  I even brought my painting supplies to Southern California so I could fit in an hour or two whenever it was possible.  We had great light and a view of the marina and a partial ocean view.

The weather was perfect and living by the ocean fit me just fine!   We had a good visit with Jon and spent some time walking on the beach.....

Newsflash - Mr. B without his shoes on!

Attending a car show across the street...

Watching the surfers in Manhattan Beach......

Enjoying the tropical flowers that don't grow in Northern California.....

And the beautiful sunsets......

We went to Art Galleries in Torrance and Laguna Beach.  The guys were not too keen on visiting galleries so I was pushing it at two!

We also visited Mission San Juan Capistrano which is beautiful and serene during the week but on Sunday (when we went) there were 4 weddings going on and groups of soccer kids running amuck.

Jon had some great recommendations for yummy dining from around the world!  

But mostly we just hung out and enjoyed our time with Jon.  Thanks Jon-E-B for sharing your little corner of the world!


"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back to whence we came." - John F. Kennedy

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/ocean.html#O1J4mxhJrB6aqrFC.99

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/ocean.html#O1J4mxhJrB6aqrFC.99

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/ocean.html#O1J4mxhJrB6aqrFC.99

East Meets West

Song - 'Tis a Gift to Be Simple by Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss 

East meets West

While in Lake Tahoe last month, I found an incredible little shop that sold items from Tibet & Nepal.  And since I began meditating this last year, I checked out their "singing bowls".

The saleswoman had me hold several different size bowls while she ran the mallet around the rim of the bowls. They all had a distinct tone and vibration.

Then I heard this one......in the key of G.

It is 100-200 years old.

It comes from Kathmandu at the base of the Himalayans in Nepal.

It vibrated through my entire body and spoke to me.  It was simply amazing.

I wanted it.

More importantly it wanted me.

It was singing to me.

I struggled with the expense and the "do I  REALLY  need one more thing" dilemma.

Mr. B just smiled and shook his sweet little head.

He knows me well.....

I asked the saleswoman to put in on hold while I thought about it..... she gave me a full week.

In 3 days, I returned and learned how to "play" the bowl.  I tried several more myself but kept coming back to this little gem.

I decided to buy it and bring it home with me but first we stopped at Baldwin Beach for a swim and the sunset.  When hardly anyone was there, I played the bowl and introduced her to the Lake.

She is a beauty huh?

Come over some time and play her!


"The sounds generated by Tibetan Singing Bowls are a type of energy medicine that promote healing from stress disorders, pain, depression, and most forms of dis-ease." --Jevon Dangeli

To read more about healing and Tibetan Singing Bowls follow this link:
http://jevondangeli.com/tibetan-singing-bowls-the-ancient-brain-entrainment-methodology-for-healing-and-meditation/