October Snow

 

 

 

 

Aside from the snow-covered pumpkins and leaves, I now understand the implications now of heavy snow on top of full unfallen foliage: Our yard and driveway are a mess of giant maple branches and show-dropped shrubs. Last night our street was blocked by a down tree. Neighbor's VW was impaled by a limb, into the engine. Power out in much of the town, though ours has mostly been on.

And... the cleanup crew:

 

Plum Island in October

 

 

 

 

 

Topsfield Fair (2011)

Rides (we sent the kids on their own this year):

 

The giant pumpkin:

 

Waiting for more rides:

 

And... a corn dog, bunnies, sheep, baby chicks (we got to hold one, even), duck races, saw milk extracted from a cow, a blacksmith heat iron, bees making honey, tractors... the usual stuff.

Wet Grass Contemplation

 

 

 

Tashlich in Concord

As an atheist-Jew, there are certain rituals I enjoy. Tashlich is one of my favorite - throwing sins (or, as we explained to Zach, "bad decisions") of the past year in the form of bread into the water, to be consumed by scape-fish. Zach has apparently been telling the folks at daycare that "mommy has a baby in her belly so she yells a lot" (true story, I'm sad to admit) so there were a bunch of bread crumbs thrown on that count. Our co-Jews, Jer, Sha and Lilia joined us with some old rye bread at the Old North Bridge in Concord.

 

 

 

 

Free-Range Peacock

 

At the Franklin Park Zoo. Thankfully, peacocks no longer instill mortal fear in my son, as they did when he was 2.

100 years

Levie van Dam, crossing the century mark.

Levie is my stepmother's father. He still walks and manages his paperwork, though not quite as briskly as he did at 90. Outliving all your friends may have its downsides, but nonetheless, think of all that has passed and changed over the course of those last 100 years.

Snack

 

Reading with Opa

Sharing a deck chair

 

Sydney (with the blue toenails) and Zach.