Halloween!

Halloween!  Halloween!  Our first Halloween in Mexico, we opened the door to the perimeter security wall to kids (and their parents) screaming "Halloween!  Halloween!"  We made the mistake of letting them choose what they wanted from the basket of candy, and we ran out after about 15 minutes.  No surprise, especially when we looked out on to the street and saw busses lined up in the residential neighborhood with families getting out to shake down any house for free food.  I guess some things just don't translate. 

Anyway, Happy Halloween.  And, with everything else, this year will be different, except for the fact that we have not had one trick-or-treater ever, and I'm pretty sure we'll keep our record intact.  It doesn't stop us from buying candy though, just in case.  Just in case we want to gorge out a little tomorrow.  Nothing like a sugar high, even for seniors.

On second thought, this year we may just have a couple of tricksters, as Annie and Sankar are coming up for dinner. They are packing out, and ready to move down to Virginia this week. Just in time since they're not too crazy about cold weather – it snowed here on Friday.  I should mention that we joined them for a pumpkin tour of Naumkeag, a house museum with beautiful gardens in Stockbridge.

Halloween elsewhere? Check out these few photos here of the next generation vainly trying to make things seem normal.  Simon was a hot dog, and it looks like Matthew is in full holiday mood with Donald and Everett having Halloween cupcakes. 

Down in Brazil, they're trying to let Halloween sneak by.  Hasn't really hit that far south yet.  Thomas started back up at school this week, following a two-week quarantine since they returned from Portugal.  Baby John is eating solids, as is Simon, and both seem ecstatic about all the new tastes from the photos.

We had a wonderful long weekend down in DC, with Margaret, Andrew and Simon, who is getting so big.  He's at a great age, sitting up, sleeping well and laughing on cue. 

Illinois Andrew sent a few pictures of Billy's children, who are getting so big. Myles is in 4^th grade – can it be?  Auden second and Elliot in pre-K.  They by the way will moving into their new house in Dundee this coming week.  Lur's parents continue to struggle. 

Speaking of packing out, Timmy left Pittsfield for a new adventure out in Washington state.  He pulled out of here one early, cold morning with a very full pick-up truck. We checked in with him through the week and one night caught him stranded in a ditch in Montana, having hit some black ice.  A tow and two new tires later, he was on his way. His birthday is coming up.  Happy birthday Tim!

And there were a few others.  Billy, Claire, Kathleen.  Happy birthdays!

We officially left fall this week, with the closing of Arrowhead (no more tours) and the end of my Pilgrim class (phew.)  What to do?  Plenty of projects have been awaiting, including, I hope, back to scanning the old, original Pops Weekly Letters.

We hear Peter is in the middle of Zoom trial.  That must be weird, and difficult. 

We've been trying out a new diet around here, since Mary had her heart operation and wants to get cholesterol and other numbers down a little.  Meat, dairy, sugar and alcohol are on a "rare to never" list. Some of it is even rubbing off on me.

Did someone say elections? We don't see many ads up here, but then again, we don't have television, except for streaming. Not too many lawn signs either.  A quick geographic tour of the family leads me to believer the same is true for most of you, with the exception of Claire in Michigan, and John and Marilyn in Florida.    

And with that, we'll sign off with wishes for your health and happiness.  Love from up here.

 

 

 

 

Hoodwinked

How many times has hoodwinked appeared in a weekly letter?  Read on.

What is about a sunny, warm day in October that beats any day the rest of the year?  Probably the light filtering through the yellow leaves on the beech trees.  Or the crunch of the leaves under your feet.  For some reason, today on my walk through the woods, that noise sent me off thinking of Cunningham Road, retracing the steps to the path that shot off from the Kites' driveway and snaked around to a lookout over Camp Denison.  Funny how memory works.

It is hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago, Mary was swimming in the lake, and we were taking our kayaks out there. Not so, now.  We have moved back to the wait until next year phase.  Even had a few fires in the fireplace.

Big news for us this week was Leonor's safe return to Brazil, after a couple of months away. She had to wait until everyone had a negative Covid test, after Thomas had tested positive last time around. It must have been a false positive, since she, baby John and everyone in her family tested negative.  And then, a couple of days before they left Portugal, Thomas was negative as well.  One good thing that came out of it is that Thomas thinks he's a superhero name Corona-boy.  Anyway, glad that everyone's home, safe and healthy.  With a story they will tell well into their 90s.

Tomorrow, Mary and I head to DC for a weekend with Margaret, Andrew and Simon. Simon just passed his six months, and is moving into the solid food discovery phase.  He's not so sure about some of the foods, and his facial expressions are so, well, expressive.  Anyway, looking forward to the visit.

Annie and Sankar are winding down their Berkshires stay.  They have found their next adventure, near Laurel Canyon in Virginia.  They have a nice rental, with, dare I let the cat out of the bag, a spare bedroom!  They came up a couple of times this weekend, after hiking up Mt. Greylock and then joining us for a fajita dinner with Pittsfield folks.

I admit to being a bit of late arrival, and it's only recently that I began to understand a new term – influencer.  For me, since I am on Twitter, quite frequently, I admit to being influenced by Johanna, Jeffrey, and occasionally Annie – three of the five people I follow on Twitter.  They pretty much keep me up on everything I need – national politics, local DC politics and overall angst in the air.

Speaking of angst, we here in the Berkshires made national news when a local farmer put up a Biden Harris sign using hay bales in their field.  Apparently, this political sign offended a local resident that he decided it was appropriate to burn it down, unaware of nearby propane tanks.  Fortunately, the propane was spared, and in our quiet way, we reenacted the scene with Grandma's blocks. (Above photo.) I think she would approve.

One thing for certain about this electoral season – I will be glad when it's over no matter who wins.  I will stop getting so many emails and text messages asking for money.  Relentless.

We had some foundation work, and there's a story there that you will have to ask Mary about.  Let's just say that I got hoodwinked.

Andrew surprised me with this photo, also above, one day.  Took me a minute to figure it out, thrown off because it was the baseball playoffs and it looked like he could be relief pitcher on any of the major league teams. 

Looking over Pop's Weekly Letter, I am struck by how many times Pop mentions getting a haircut.  So, in that tradition, both Mary and I got haircuts since the last letter.  And, for me at this late stage in my life, it was the first time I had my hair cut by an African American barber.  Not really worth a mention, except that I wondered why it took so long.

What's in your Netflix queue?  We have been watching and recommend a British crime show called Broadchurch.  Besides being quite good, it reinforces my belief that there are only five actors in the UK.  One of the leads was Queen Elizabeth in the Crown; Phoebe whatshername from Fleabag and a few others.

So, what's new with you?  Birthdays, yes.  Happy birthday, Janet, and Auden.  Happy anniversary Sean and Erin.

That's it from up here, love and stay safe.

 

Autumn leaves

Today is Johanna's birthday.  I remember many weekly letters where Pop tells the story of a fishing trip in the Adirondacks with David when they heard the news of her birth, and headed home.  Happy day,  birthday girl!

It's official.  Fall is here.  And so far, it is glorious.  Certainly better than California. But, we're not gloating here; in fact, feeling pretty bad for friends out west, and we've spoken to a number of them.

Fortunately, Annie is not there, at the moment.  She extended her stay here in the Berkshires for another month, and has found a new place in Virginia for a few months. Neither she nor Sankar have to be physically at work for a while, so they're footloose and nomadic and taking advantage of the opportunity to check out places to live, far and wide.

They came over for brunch and a hike recently to Pittsfield State Forest, a wonderful benefit for having them close by.  They also have been checking on their radishes, kohlrabi and spinach they planted in the garden.

Speaking of the garden, does anyone need plum tomatoes?  I think we planted too many.  Pretty much everything else is gone, though we did plant some fall lettuce which is almost ready to be harvested.

For various reasons, Leonor is staying in Portugal for a little longer, but hopes to rejoin Joe in Brazil soon. We see a lot of photos of the beach, and I'm sure Joe wishes he were there too. She applied for a job at the Embassy there and got it, so she's now going through all the lengthy clearance procedures.  Here's one form – list every foreigner you've had contact with for the past 5 years.  It'll take some time.

Simon had his 6-month birthday recently – hard to believe. He's at day care and is now sitting up.  Margaret and Andrew are back at work, and like many young parents, balancing all those competing demands. 

Mary's brother Timmy flew out and back from Portland to check on potential places to rent; he found one and is planning on moving out there in a few weeks.

While he was there, Mary and I headed east for a weekend with foreign service friends in Exeter NH.  These were the two couples that we hiked the Camino de Santiago last year.  So, we relived those days without masks by taking walks around that lovely town and along the beach, with masks.

Lest I forget, Paula also had a birthday which included a visit with their grandchildren.  We see pictures of Donald and Everett in their respective school/day care sites. 

This letter's photos include one of Peter and Janet's house, recently painted by Sean and Erin (looks fantastic!), Claire at an outdoor restaurant (check out the disinfectant wipes) and Mary swimming in the lake with her wetsuit. We've had our first frosts, but she's out there a few days each week. 

As she heads out to the cold water, I am lying in bed, reading the on-line paper, or books on the Pilgrims for the class I'm teaching now, or fretting about my tours at the Herman Melville home. 

Tough life, but we all continue to be affected by this #%**!* virus and pray that you all are safe and healthy.

There, I got through the letter without even mentioning the debate the other night.

Love from up here.