A Pumpkin in Honor of Our Salem Visit

And here are some of my other Halloween decorations.

Lennie at home

Well, Lennie is feeling right at home. I started puppy classes and he gets to join me on Tuesday. He had his first on camera appearance for Bridget, but was a little out of it. You can see now he is alert and feeling more like himself as he gets acquainted with the family.

Claire's Creation

Claire out did herself on this years jack o lantern.

WSR Update

White Stone REIT trading at $13.15

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=WSR

Knitting Again

I have taken up knitting again after putting it aside for many months. The first thing I did was to return to a project that I had left off. Here is the belt that I am making. This process is called blocking - you wet the piece with warm water and then pin it to the size you would like it to be.

If anyone wants to make any requests for Christmas gifts, I am in the market for a new project. I make no promises and I don't do sweaters.

Saturday with Laura

Today we woke up and went into Maryland in search of a vineyard. We went to Elk Run for a wine tasting and left with a couple of bottles. Then we went on to Frederick MD for lunch. It was a cute town. Then back to DC to have dinner and drinks with Laura and her roommates on the roof of the Hotel Washington. It was a nice day.

Trip to Salem

So as I mentioned before, we went to Salem on Columbus Day. It is an interesting mix of small port town attractions and witch tourism. We went to one of the many witch museums there. We tried to choose the best, but they were all rather cheesy. It is a bit strange, because they spend a lot of time talking about how the women killed at Salem were wrongfully accused of being witches and then they sell you witch souvenirs.





At the Salem Visitors' Center, we learned about the many industries that have supported Salem, including shipping. They did not mention tourism of course. We ate at a restaurant on the wharf that was recommended by Aurelie. The fish and chips were very tasty. There were also some great antique shops there.




The second big attraction was the mansion that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables. The tour was very well done.

Halloween Preparations in Providence

I went to Providence this past weekend for a visit. The new cat apparently was pregnant which I did not know, but a few days before I arrived, these 3 kittens were born. I have forgotten their names, maybe one of the kids could blog with the kittens' names, or add it as a comment to this post.

In Providence, I did lots of art and some crafts. We did some for John and Katherine's school and some for Halloween. Sandra made these cupcakes and then we decorated them like little monsters.

On Columbus Day, we went to Salem, MA. I will post some of those pictures soon. When I make these cupcakes again in the coming weeks, I will post the recipe and more pictures.

The latest addition to the family, Lenny

Well, the wait is finally over. Today I went and found Lenny. He is an Australian Shepherd and was born August 19th. Like we needed another August birthday. I am taking the fact he was born the day after Bridget's birthday as one of many signs that he is the right dog for me. He is 1 of 7 pups and rivals one of the females for being the prettiest of the litter. His owner is retired military, the second sign that I have chosen the right puppy. He was a little standoffish, but was the first one out of the pen and appeared the most curious of the group. The third and final sign that this may be destiny, is the fact he rolled in poop before I showed up. Obviously he knew he would be completely cute even though he was a mess. I will keep you informed on the status. I pick him up October 25th.

Sharon visits Texas

We had a nice time with Sharon visiting. We spent a weekend in San Antonio and then she came to Austin. We also had a chance to spend some time with Frank who was in town on his fall break. I have included a couple of pictures from San Antonio and a photo of hand made paper art that Sharon and I found at a store on South Congress.

Claire Swimming

Claire's first swim meet of the school year. Here she is winning the heat in the 50 Free. Aunt Sharon was in town to watch her swim.