The 90th

I promised pictures of the big day - Granddad's 90th birthday party. He said we managed to surprise him. Not with the cake - he was along to pick it up Saturday morning.

The limo was a surprise.
Friends he knew were coming were joined by some surprise guests.

He wasn't expecting the champagne toasts.

Especially not the one with all the hats from his extensive hat collection.

He was a good sport about having hat after hat set on his head.

It amused his guests a great deal.

Notice the bags on the table?
Thanks to our researchers for discovering treats from 1919 and where they could be gotten today. The unique hand made labels were imported from Florida.

Granddad was surprised - and tickled - that a bit of his past from a long-ago newspaper had been tracked down and framed for him.

Not every 90 year old gets a tomahawk for his birthday.

The dancing girls were definitely a surprise.

There are no pictures of the fireworks, but let me assure you that they were spectacular.

"I've had a lot of parties" he said. "But I think this was the best one of all of them."

Announcement

Attention Universe!

Remember when I said I wanted a stone wall? This is what I had in mind.Just wanted to make that clear.
Squirrel is optional.

Pleasant Hill hideaway

We had a room for the weekend in the West Family House at the restored Shaker Village.

You see the house beyond the lake, among the trees.
Our room was on the third floor.

What third floor? This looks like a two story house to me.

A two story, two door house. One door for men and one for women - with Shakers the two never meet.
Inside a long flight of stairs leads up to the second floor.
A hall way...

and more stairs. Up we go.

There is a third floor! See the window of our tiny room tucked under the roof?
It was a cozy little retreat with the cold rain beating on the roof above us.

But running down to the car for something I'd forgotten? Forget it!

Our Spirited Neighbors

We drove through the neighborhood to see the Halloween decorations - loved the circle of dancing ghosts in one yard, the fancy pumpkin carving in another, the graveyard scene with amusing stones and a giant face in the window of yet another. But we awarded first place in our Halloween decorations contest to this entry: the haunted drive-in.

Clearly, these folks had paid attention to each detail.
In addition to getting your treats at the concession stand

one could get a ticket for the show.

Yes, behind the treat stand is a giant screen, surrounded by that big blue frame, and as soon as it got dark they were showing horror movies.

Wish I'd had a trick-or-treater kid or two with me!

A day at the races

It was a fine fall day, perfect for a day at the races.


Our seats were high up in the stands, just across from the finish line

We had a great view from the seats.

Some of us wanted to see things closer - like right on the rail.

They're off!

There they go

flying past us

and on down the track.



A fine time was had by all

and instead of bringing home our winnings, we carried off a t-shirt and a camera full of pictures.

Raisin Jack

Granddad came home from Sam's Club with 5 pounds of raisins. He had the idea that he would make raisin "jack" with them. He'd never made it before but he remembered sailors making it on the ship. He was sure he'd drunk some but couldn't actually remember that - proof that the raisin jack was potent stuff indeed. Naturally any enterprise such as this takes supplies, so we found ourselves at the local brewing supply shop buying buckets and siphons and various useful tubes and so on.

This took some time and I grew bored with the discussion of the ins-and-outs of fermentation. It was a beautiful day so I wandered back outside to look around.

I discovered a tiny, tiny pond with two unusual planters - look familiar?

Now I know what to do with my garden clogs when they begin to leak!

Meanwhile, the raisin jack is bubbling and working in the basement.

A new state?

The hallway to the computer lab is full of fifth and sixth grade projects. One side of the hall is covered with state report posters - I notice Ohio, New Mexico, Alabamba...and

Disneyland.

Saturday

Saturday night - downtown - a local bluegrass band
a local brew...
that's a weekend!

What we learned about fire safety

October is Fire Prevention Month, so we had a visit from a fireman. Check out what we learned.
This would most assuredly be my response.

Expect the unexpected

What happened here? Balloons, presents, a mantle full of cards and pictures...

It was a surprise party!

And yes, I was surprised.

I did have some warning

But I didn't pay any attention to it.

I should have known something was going on when T washed the kitchen floor. But I was busy thinking about all the things I wanted to do over the weekend.
Then people began to arrive.

What a fun ending to my birthday weekend!

The goodies included rich Derby pie and smooth Key Lime pie, home-made by B- a really outstanding treat. Imagine - a party for which I didn't spend days preparing - thanks to the conspirators who pulled it off!