Happy Halloween all you ghouls and goblins

Whooohoooohooohooow.... Whooohooohooohooow...

(Just in case you don't recognize that, it is supposed to be the creepy laugh of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers)

Dang, I do look a little scary don't I? I scared Kevin this morning... I am actually kind of scaring myself. I really thought I would scare Jack, the dog, but I think he is too blind. The cats just kind of looked at me and kept walking. 

Not bad for first thing in the morning, or maybe that's why I look so scary...

Whenever I think of Halloween, I remember trick or treating in my old neighborhood as a young teenager and one of the boys broke an egg on my head and ruined my new leather coat. (FYI: Jimmy Lillard)

My favorite story of Halloween is when I was even younger and went trick or treating in that same neighborhood with my brothers and sister. On our way home, we decided to trick or treat our own home and surprise mom and dad. We knocked on the door, and slowly the door began to open with nobody there. We watched and waited, and when the door was open, we saw the ghostly creature approaching us from the foyer. As we were entirely rapt by this, my dad jumps out from the sliding doors off to the side, also wrapped in a sheet, and scared the beejeezus out of us. It was a rare moment that my parents actually worked together (although I am not sure there was a great deal of planning). I have always wondered if they knew it was us, or they just scared all the kids in the neighborhood that night. Some of our old friends might still be in therapy for this...

Prom night

The "When in Rome" Masquerade Ball was this last weekend, and it felt like we were getting ready for the prom. I have to admit that the most fun of the evening was getting ready. 

Kayla, my neighbor Jill's daughter, came over to complete my costume with a greek goddess hairdo. That was fun. I love getting my hair done, especially when the hair stylist comes to my house and works on my "do" in my own bathroom... very convenient.

Kevin may not look like a greek god, but he does look like a god in that tux. I think he got more compliments than me Saturday night.

Tubbs Hill in photos...

Photos only... words are not necessary.

You will just have to visualize this one...

I stupidly opted not to bring my camera on what proved to be an absolutely gorgeous walk around Tubbs Hill yesterday. I hope not to make that mistake again. 

I walked with Melanie around Tubbs Hill, a beautiful, relatively untouched natural hill on the lake in Coeur d'Alene. I tried to go online to find a good photo and info on it, and while I found plenty of information, I couldn't find a good photo. I guess everyone else forgot their cameras, too.

So I will just try to describe the amazing feeling of sitting in the sun talking to Melanie about life on a rock overlooking the lake with crystal-clear water below us, and the bluest of blue fall skies above... no clouds. Warm, but not too warm. The trees on the hill behind us in various colors of red, orange, yellow, or brown. There was one part of the trail where the trees bowed overhead, and the yellow leaves had fallen on the path making a golden trail for us to follow.

We bounced on the suspended bridge... I almost pee-d my pants. We hiked up and down to the point where I wasn't sure where I was anymore. I have been on this hill before, but it has been awhile... and even I had not been to some of the places we went.

If you are ever in Coeur d'Alene and like walking at all, you must traipse around this gorgeous little piece of paradise stuck in the middle of a cool little town.

First frost...

It is 28° this very crisp morning, but the sun is peeking out over the horizon, and it is promising to be a beautiful day.

My gorgeous greens are looking a little droopy this morning. I am going to spray them with water before the sun hits them in the hopes of perking them up. I have invited my friend Nancy to dinner tonight, tempting her with marvelous steamed kale, and now I hope I can deliver. I remember hearing about this little trick... I will let you know if it works.

Gorgeous vibrant colors...

As I said recently, I love fall in Idaho. The sky is so blue as a backdrop to the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges of the changing leaves.

I thought I would be really sad to leave Florida... but I have to admit, there is no place like this part of the world. I thought I would have a hard time adjusting to the temperatures, the crisp, cool days and nights. But I realize now that it is a welcome relief to the hot and humid.

I am now formulating a plan that involves going south when the weather gets ridiculous, which is usually right around February. And as we saw earlier this year, actually didn't end until around July sometime. 

But the rest of the time, I think you might find me right here.

As Dorothy says, "There's no place like home."

Last day in florida

The last day is always sad... we are all leaving today. Ann and Allen are driving to Miami to catch their flight tonight, and Scott and Beth are taking Kevin and I to Orlando tonight and we catch our flight at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning.

I am not sure of the weather in Ireland, but I see that our lows in Idaho are in the high-twenties, with highs in the mid-fifties. BRRRR... I cannot even imagine what that will feel like after the 3 weeks here with hot and humid days and nights.

It seems like forever ago that I got here, and yet in a moment, the whole trip is done and time to go home and get back to work. On the other hand, I can't wait to sleep in our own bed and see Conor, Bec, Jack, Christian, and Jugs, not to mention all our friends that I have missed.

We have loads to share with anyone who wants to hear/see all we have done. Just let us know...