happy halloween

aquatic life

In between the Halloween festivities yesterday, we actually did look at some of the animals at the aquarium. Unlike Tony, who never thinks to bring the camera on weekend outings with the boys, Tracy added to her resume as the official family photographer. Please enjoy the following portfolio.

Presumably some sort of catfish, the little stripey guy is one of our favorites from the Amazon display.



Logan touches one of the stingrays.



Another species from the Amazon exhibit.



An aquatic bird hanging out by the turtle tank.



There is currently a large seahorse display in the rotating exhibit portion of the aquarium. Among the many featured species are the following:

Yellow Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda)



Barbour's Seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri)



Slender Seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)



Pot-bellied Seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis)

scarium at the aquarium

Although long-time participants of "Boo at the Zoo", sadly we had never attended "Scarium at the Aquarium"...until this year. Enjoying a rare Sunday off from work, Tracy was able to join the boys at this spooktacular event. In addition to the regular displays, there was trick-or-treating, games, crafts, and lots of decorations.

I call this photo "New arrivals on the lookout for candy". Logan's pumpkin suit is missing the crucial stalk/hat that really completes the costume. I have somehow misplaced it since attending last weekend's zoo event. On the plus side, Tracy recently found my missing van key (and only a mere 40 hours after we finally purchased a new one).



Owen explores the haunted house.



Both boys enjoyed the little ghost hanging from this tree. In addition to vibrating in a very jiggly fashion, it also emitted a theremin-like wail.



A view of the aerial lift bridge.

happy birthday goodies

My nephew celebrated his first birthday on Monday--Happy Birthday, Gabriel! Now that the birthday goodies have safely arrived in his hands, I can post the handmade items here. A must-have for a one-year-old in our house is some sort of bag to carry important toys and books. I repurposed fabric from somebody's too-small pants, added ribbon handles, and freezer paper stencilled the "G". Sticking out of the bag are the arms of a long-sleeve shirt from this summer's tie-dyeing frenzy.



Also included in the package were books (of course), a bath toy, and a birthday crown, fit for a young prince.

wool for sale

Deb and I both agreed that we didn't need to go into that building, the building labelled "Fleece Sale". So, we didn't. We went into the alpaca tent instead. One half hour later, Deb walked out with a bag of gray fluffy goodness that had recently warmed the body of New York resident alpaca "Magic". The line that had wound around the sheep fleece building was completely gone. Now, we agreed that it wouldn't hurt to peek in, just to see what it's all about. Fleeces of all colors and breeds still filled the long rows of tables, but now the rabid shoppers were gone, leaving us elbow to elbow with polite fiberjunkies like ourselves. Of course, you know what happened next. An hour and a half later, I was toting a gray Romney from Maine and Deb was flipping a bag of Lincoln and a bag of Romney over her shoulders. I blame it on the wool fumes that circulated into our brains, clouding our memories of the bags of fleece already gracing our spare rooms at home.

rhinebeck report

I have wanted to attend Rhinebeck, the premier wool festival that everyone talks about, since becoming a fiber fanatic years ago. Last week, I flew out to visit my aunt Deb who lives in southern New Hampshire and we joined a chartered bus group for the first day of the festival. We were not disappointed. With over 20 buildings to explore, we were on the move the entire day. Every sense was (over) stimulated: yarn in every color imaginable on view, exotic fibers to fondle, interesting food to taste, handmade soaps to smell, and the sounds of sheep baaing in the barns. I took few photos; I was so busy checking out the handknits on parade and wool goodies in every nook and cranny. I will admit it was a bit overwhelming, but now I know how to manage my time on the next journey.

Wooly mice.

The Rouge Lucette had one of the most interesting items at the festival: the lucet. I thought the kids would enjoy making cords with me, especially Logan.



Stay tuned for more wooly goodness...

the adventures of owen and corduroy bear

Owen recently checked out the book Corduroy from the library. The book tells the story of a teddy bear named Corduroy who wanders around a department store looking for his lost button. Owen especially likes one page where the bear is tucked into bed with only his ears showing.



A live action reenactment from Owen's Masterpiece Theater.

apple mania

Apples, apples, and more apples. We've been busy processing the great apple harvest of 2008. Despite our best efforts we still have a bushel riding around in the back of the van.



The boys love using the corer/peeler/slicer thingamabob...



...to make dehydrated apple "worms".



In addition to dehydrating, we also made sauce, butter, pie filling, and crisp. The crisp didn't last long enough to be photographed.



Our top secret private reserves revealed to the public for the very first time.



This empty box provided a day's worth of entertainment for Logan and Owen.