iknowyouarebutwhatami?

Song - The Laughing Song by Dan Hicks

Mr. B keeps me laughing....

He borrowed the tie from the "photo booth" during the wedding.

Now he will keep our new daughter-in-law laughing too!

Did I share with you that the wedding was magical?

Well, it was!

"Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, 

but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, 

ah, now that's a real treat." 

--Joanne Woodward

Where's Waldo?

Song - When the Leaves Come Falling Down by Van Morrison

The sunrise from our bedroom deck.....was amazing!

Later that night I got a text from Mr. B.....

Who is that silver fox at the football game?

Waldo....errr....I mean Mr. B!

I know he is kind of hard to pick out in a crowd!  

“The problem with winter sports is that -- 

follow me closely here -- 

they generally take place in winter.” 

--Dave Barry

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

The Rat Pack

Song - I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone

Last years jack-o-lanterns.....

...and this years roses.

 

Andy circa 1991

Halloween is this guys favorite holiday.....not the guy in the photo above 

but the photo of Mr. B below....

Can't you just see the love and determination on this guys face to carve the best pumpkin to date?

Last year Tyler did a "Mr. B" jack-o-lantern....pretty good imitation!

Here is Tyler a few years ago, balancing a pumpkin on his head for some unknown reason.....

And this year we have a new member of the Baird Halloween Rat Pack - Ashley!!!

Go TEAM Girls!

Boys - 4 Girls - 2

We're gaining...

Of course when the boys are as cute as this, who cares?

I forgot to tell Ashley that her new husband is a Joker....oops!

Happy Halloween!

"How beautifully leaves grow old. 

How full of light and color are their last days."

 -- John Burroughs

It's Coming!!!

Song - GhostBusters Theme by Ray Parker Jr.

Andy - - as in our son that just got married - and just when did he grow up???? - - 

and a witch at the Nut Tree in Vacaville just a few years ago!

The pumpkins are waiting to be carved and the only decoration I have out is a rat skeleton! Boo!!

This time of year makes me feel nostalgic.  The days are cooler and the nights are refreshing.  

The sun is rising from a more southerly place through my bedroom glass door.

It's dark so much earlier!!

My garden is looking a little tired.

In the Spring I planted the above Limelight Hydrangea's for Andy & Ashley's wedding.

 Yesterday I decided to cut some of them to see if I can dry them.

Today I was looking at soup recipes to eat and good books to read by the fire. 

Time to turn inward....

After I have a good laugh at my brother Tim's mustache from 1987!

"Laughter is an instant vacation" --Milton Berle

Our Family Has Grown

Song - Family Tradition by Hank Williams Jr.

Some chapeau huh?  

I have been working on my family tree since I was a teenager and would record my Italian grandparents stories and share family photos.  It is something I have always been fascinated by.  It is kind of like putting together a puzzle and making sure everything fits.

Since September 17th, I have an even larger family thanks to Andy & Ashley's wedding!

The woman in the photo above is named Amy Wilson Ross 

and she is Ashley's second Great-Grandmother. 

Isn't she a beauty?

This is her husband, George Clark Matson -

Ashley's second Great-Grandfather.

Above is a "selfie" taken in the 1870's. Such a handsome couple.

Then they had children.....

and her sister moved in....

Mama is looking pretty good still but dad is losing his spark.

They had 3 more children after this was taken.

Just imagine that photo!

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. Marcus Garvey
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/roots.html

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, 

origin and culture is like a tree without roots." 

--Marcus Garvey

Confusion in My Garden

Song - Harvest Moon by Neil Young

Fall has arrived in Northern California.  The squirrels have busily gathered the acorns and the trees are just beginning to change color.....although some are undecided if it truly is Fall or still warm Summer days or maybe it's already Spring!

I have Azaleas and Iris and Narcissus blooming which usually bloom in the Winter & Spring.

And the wall of Limelight Hydrangea that I planted for the wedding are beautiful!

Some plants are slowing down and going inward for this time of season.

Within two days, I could see the change of color in a new Maple we planted last year.

However my Dahlias are still hopeful.........

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." 

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

New Artwork

Meet Homer, Stanley and Elmer......

I just posted them today on my painting website - you can view it here -

jeanettebaird.com

Peace

Song - Going To The Chapel Of Love by The Dixie Cups

I have to tell you first and most importantly - we just had a wedding!!! 

Do you remember the children's rhyme about the old lady who swallowed a fly? That keeps going through my mind lately as I have been unusually busy for the last few months. So like the old lady who continues to swallow larger & larger animals to catch the fly, I have been embracing one event after another, after another!

In July we had a family trip to Montana....where I proceeded to get a bronchial/sinus infection for several months! Never went to the doctors as I have this little stubborn side of me that Mr. B knows ahhh so well....

 I also had a solo art show at Chow restaurant in Danville.

And a large solo show in Benicia during the month of August that took me months to prepare for. I then needed to plan for a reception and the show needed to come down after Labor Day and be stored somewhere.

"My Little Helper"

Also during the month of August we cleaned out our garage and remodeled/redecorated our downstairs bedroom & family room! 

 This meant picking out paint, molding, carpeting, light fixtures & furniture. And we also  helped to move our middle son from LA to Monterey!

 

Concrete color choices that don't match - let's see - do I really want a PINK patio....NO?

Garland making on the new patio

We had a new patio poured around our pool and a lot of yard work was done all in preparation for our eldest sons wedding in our backyard! (Insert a big smile here!) 

Lighting was strung up all over the yard.....above is the father of the bride working with two of our sons on the hanging of lights.

...and it turned our yard into lovely magic in the evenings.

I took endless trips to the nursery to purchase more and more plants - just because I did know what else to do with all of my excitement!

Boutonnieres were done with backyard flowers & succulents.

Two of the brides best friends came over the day before the wedding and we all worked on making the flowers for the wedding.  I just loved, loved, loved having women in my house!!!  (Just to remind you - I came from a family of 2 brothers and had 3 sons - that's a lot a guy energy!) 

The wedding took place on the evening of September 17th and it was simply beautiful. The lighting, food, ceremony, dancing, friends & family were all wonderful.....as were the bride & groom!

  

Several days after the wedding, Mr. B and I headed up to Tahoe for a much needed time to relax.

However..... 

We have had bears, Yellow-jackets and loggers around our cabin.

Not as peaceful as we were hoping for....but we are grateful for it all.

Peace

Tis not in seeking 

Tis not in endless searching

They quest is found

Be still and listen

Be still and drink the quiet all around

--Engraved on the back of Edward Rowland Sill's chair at The Greek Theater in Berkeley