Pumpkins look fine during the day, but they are really meant to be seen at night properly lit with a candle. For Halloween today we had the pumpkins on the bench in front of our house, and after the sunlight faded they looked great. Eva and Will carved their own pumpkins this year, I 'helped' Lyra with hers.
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Pumpkins look fine during the day, but they are really meant to be seen at night properly lit with a candle. For Halloween today we had the pumpkins on the bench in front of our house, and after the sunlight faded they looked great. Eva and Will carved their own pumpkins this year, I 'helped' Lyra with hers.
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Via iPad
Via iPad
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When we went to buy pumpkins today, I think Will was satisfied with the first big pumpkin he found. Eva on the other hand spent a lot of time looking for a nice symmetric pumpkin with even coloring and smooth skin all around. She did find a really nice pumpkin and it will almost be a shame to carve it.
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When we went to buy pumpkins today, I think Will was satisfied with the first big pumpkin he found. Eva on the other hand spent a lot of time looking for a nice symmetric pumpkin with even coloring and smooth skin all around. She did find a really nice pumpkin and it will almost be a shame to carve it.
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We went out this morning to pick out pumpkins. Carving will occur next Saturday. The weather was perfect and the kids loved exploring the pumpkin patch.
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We went out this morning to pick out pumpkins. Carving will occur next Saturday. The weather was perfect and the kids loved exploring the pumpkin patch.
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Via iPad
We have a small pond in our garden that is home to a number of goldfish, a few small koi and a voracious catfish. For the first few years after we moved into our house we also had frogs. The frogs were naturally occurring. I don't know how they found our pond in a walled garden in the center of Old Town, but they did. However, several years ago all the frogs disappeared and we have been trying to get them reestablished. We have probably put 25 tadpoles in the pond in the last four years and I don't know if we have had any frogs. I suspect the catfish may be partly to blame. This year in addition to half a dozen small tadpoles from the fish store (all gone as far as I can tell) we inherited a partially transformed tadpole from a friend. That tadpole was already named Konrad, and Cathleen believes it is the one that turned into the frog pictured here. This is a small frog, but it looks healthy and is quick. I hope it survives the winter and maybe next year we can find it a companion.
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We have a small pond in our garden that is home to a number of goldfish, a few small koi and a voracious catfish. For the first few years after we moved into our house we also had frogs. The frogs were naturally occurring. I don't know how they found our pond in a walled garden in the center of Old Town, but they did. However, several years ago all the frogs disappeared and we have been trying to get them reestablished. We have probably put 25 tadpoles in the pond in the last four years and I don't know if we have had any frogs. I suspect the catfish may be partly to blame. This year in addition to half a dozen small tadpoles from the fish store (all gone as far as I can tell) we inherited a partially transformed tadpole from a friend. That tadpole was already named Konrad, and Cathleen believes it is the one that turned into the frog pictured here. This is a small frog, but it looks healthy and is quick. I hope it survives the winter and maybe next year we can find it a companion.
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This is a ride where we sat in a raft and were towed up a long hill then spun down in the water. I think the ride was called The Penguin (many rides had Batman themed names).
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This is a ride where we sat in a raft and were towed up a long hill then spun down in the water. I think the ride was called The Penguin (many rides had Batman themed names).
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Will and one of his friends and I went to Six Flags today. We mostly focused on riding roller coasters, but made a short detour to the bumper cars. Will was an aggressive driver, I think I need to get him out to the skid pad to learn how to handle a car long before he is near a public road.
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Will and one of his friends and I went to Six Flags today. We mostly focused on riding roller coasters, but made a short detour to the bumper cars. Will was an aggressive driver, I think I need to get him out to the skid pad to learn how to handle a car long before he is near a public road.
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You could almost imagine these three are a band of angels. Not quite...
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You could almost imagine these three are a band of angels. Not quite...
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Not quite the first day, but Will, Eva and Lyra are ready for school with their *huge* backpacks. I think Lyra's backpack is wider than she is (but Will's is by far the heaviest).
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Not quite the first day, but Will, Eva and Lyra are ready for school with their *huge* backpacks. I think Lyra's backpack is wider than she is (but Will's is by far the heaviest).
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I had dinner last night, or more accurately a heavy snack, at Cumulus Inc at 45 Flinders Lane in Melbourne. The location was great, about three blocks from my hotel. The restaurant is very casual with tables, a drinking bar and an eating bar looking into the small kitchen. I was able to watch a lot of the food prep activity, which in some restaurants would be scary but at Cumulus demonstrated the attention to detail that is so critical for good restaurants. The guy opening my oysters went over each one with a paintbrush, brushing out flecks of shell, sand or whatever from the opened oyster. The person doing salad sorted through each bowl of leaves tearing off the tough lower part of the leaves so only fresh young greens were used. So much attention is being given now (rightfully) to fresh local ingredients but without attention to detail during prep, the ingredients are wasted. I had one each of three different farmed oysters from the same "oysterage" (the menu's term). It was interesting to see how differently the oysters tasted based on the way they were raised. What we would need to get in the wild from different regions we can now get from one producer using a variety of micro environments.
Cumulus is worth another visit.> >
I had dinner last night, or more accurately a heavy snack, at Cumulus Inc at 45 Flinders Lane in Melbourne. The location was great, about three blocks from my hotel. The restaurant is very casual with tables, a drinking bar and an eating bar looking into the small kitchen. I was able to watch a lot of the food prep activity, which in some restaurants would be scary but at Cumulus demonstrated the attention to detail that is so critical for good restaurants. The guy opening my oysters went over each one with a paintbrush, brushing out flecks of shell, sand or whatever from the opened oyster. The person doing salad sorted through each bowl of leaves tearing off the tough lower part of the leaves so only fresh young greens were used. So much attention is being given now (rightfully) to fresh local ingredients but without attention to detail during prep, the ingredients are wasted. I had one each of three different farmed oysters from the same "oysterage" (the menu's term). It was interesting to see how differently the oysters tasted based on the way they were raised. What we would need to get in the wild from different regions we can now get from one producer using a variety of micro environments.
Cumulus is worth another visit.> >
This was taken after makeup, costumes and wigs before the Sunday matinee on the 15th. Not everyone made it into the photo, but quite a few of the group are here. I like this photo because it shows the variety of costumes (and wigs). All of the costumes seem to be variations on a pajama theme. Will's striped costume is so much like pajamas that he is now sleeping in it.
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This was taken after makeup, costumes and wigs before the Sunday matinee on the 15th. Not everyone made it into the photo, but quite a few of the group are here. I like this photo because it shows the variety of costumes (and wigs). All of the costumes seem to be variations on a pajama theme. Will's striped costume is so much like pajamas that he is now sleeping in it.
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I have the camera in my right hand taking this, trying to use the light from the plane window. We are on the plane from Boston to DC getting Eva back home from camp in Maine.
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I am a technologist, foodie, photographer, gardener, music lover and political junkie. I have always saved ticket stubs, old business cards, doodles and other ephemera in shoe boxes, scrapbooks or desk drawers. Some things get saved and some are lost over time. I travel a lot, take many photos and try to keep notes of my experiences, whether interesting meals, great bottles of wine, or cool articles I have read. This site is my latest attempt to consolidate this content for the entertainment of my friends and family.