HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm enjoying Halloween like a kid since I went to a Halloween party and remembered what fun it has been. Keoni was having fun trying to decide what to be. He sent these from Georgia...

He says he chose Jim...

...and his friend took on the Trump supporter idea. No doubt he melted into the Georgia crowd.

Over in Utah Sonja and Jeff have applied creative talents for the three sons...

Grandson Dimetrios Dracula.

Grandson Elijah ready to terrorize the neighborhood.

Practicing Zombie scare tactics.

Kingston all bulked up and green.

Watch out neighborhood!

Sonja and Kingston.

Marge and I at the party. 

People kept asking where I got the shirt! Actually, it is my old Walmart shirt with packaged letters stuck on with kids' washable glue stick.

Bonfire and story-telling.

Now it's time to appreciate the second cataract removal taking place last week and a so-far-so-good report on that. It is great to have clearer vision. Wow. And, you can say that again. Wow.

BOO!

Corner Trees, Corner Kick, and Cornered Chicken

A pleasure to see the color even though everyone is saying Fall isn't as brilliant as some years due to extra dry (drought here) end-of-summer gasps.

There was rain last night that floats these leaves. Not enough wet to reverse the dryness. Yet, it brings a fresh, bluster with a temperature drop.

Marge says to wait on the leaf-raking until they are all down. In the meantime, they're blown all over the neighborhoods and forests and fields and great swirls of them flutter in voluminous wakes behind moving vehicles.

Aidan's summer soccer team won their championship...

Trophies in hand.

Alas, one of the elderly hens on the farm met her end. Wendy thinks now it was a hawk because of the reactions of the remaining chickens to a buzzard flying low. Sebastian was having a taste of the chicken when Wendy ran outside to investigate and Toby was rolling in the feathers so we are hoping they didn't have anything to do with it. She says those two have been known to hunt mice together.

Aidan Corner Kick

The CD, Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra (by Mike Mills of R.E.M. fame and Robert McDuffie, McDuffie Center for Strings), that involved also Keoni and others to record over the Labor Day Weekend, was released yesterday. By evening time, Keoni text messaged that it was #5 on the iTunes classical chart.

Shoutout to Keoni, et al, who accomplished this recording: Bravo! Well done.

and...

Aidan at work.

Aidan earned the Principal Cello seat in Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra this past week.

Shoutout to Aidan: Bravo! Well done!

Their musical lives are marching on. The daily work, commitment, just plain enjoyment of making music, family, friends, communities of involvement all come together every once in awhile for a  moment when everything makes sense and I feel like the world really is going to be okay.

I heard that Cousin Jackie has quickly tried out the train that connects a mile from her new Illinois home to within a mile of Susie's on the Missouri side of the river. It cost her a whole $1.25.

Jackie is pleased with crossing the Mississippi River for $1.25.

Shoutout to Jackie: May you have many, many more happy outings via train!

Everything is orange again. I hope everybody has a great Halloween and the run-up to it. It made me want to draw something...

A plate of Fall from the Farmer's Markets.

Friend Sarah and family had their fall bonfire yesterday evening. The warmth was welcome since summer had her last gasp not long ago.

This week brought me a reminder that life is ephemeral
Not a substance I control--
How it's startlingly transient
But a blip in the Universe,
How this week scientists are saying
There probably are a couple trillion galaxies
Instead of one or two hundred billion as thought
How my cellular-level structures
That fired on schedule for many sun-circuits
Are no longer all that reliable.
Yes, a rude reminder happened to me
But I am okay.
Today, I sit in wonder that I have been here at all.
That exquisite gift,
My dear friends and loved ones,
Makes me smile.

Yes, I'm back at home, but not before another day at Susie's that included a lunchtime at Jackie and Taylor's new home across the river. It was great to see their move reflected in the happy, smiling tour of their lovely new dwelling. Lunch was on their patio complete with toss out table settings and napery so as to avoid adding to their moving chaos list.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous home Jackie and Taylor.

My pony and I finished our Midwest visit returning to Susie's side of the river...

I don't have to name this place.

The next day and the following day were mostly sunny like this, as the miles (920 of them) rolled away beneath. An unfortunate stop early the first return day found only a MacDonald's in view. Oh, what the heck, I thought. Bad thought. Bad food. There were several days went by before that payment was made in full.

And, the upgrade to Sierra on this machine put everything back a little since the Photos thing and all else on my beloved laptop took another byte of me. (My little error checker doesn't do puns.)

From over in Utah I got a pictorial update of the three great-grandsons...

Kingston. Captive long enough to eat, I see.

Elijah pours it on for homework. Go, Elijah!

Dimetrios examines the wheel operation and keeps it running.

Kingston is getting some spin on his knuckleball.

Sunset in Utah.

And, Keoni over in Georgia was smiling...

Smiling, no doubt, because lovely Caroline is in the picture.

Phil, over in Tucson, has been turning out clay sculpture all summer. Here is one of them...

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Aidan shared some recording expertise he has been playing with. This one combines five different cello parts to a simple, familiar tune. He recorded while combining each part he played...

Days Daze

I think we are on four through six days of this adventure. Here I am again warmly greeted by Susie my sister of the St.Louis address.

Let me back up to where we left off on Saturday. Jeanenne and Larry's grown kids with their busy lives and families made time for us to be together in their homes. This summer two of the three families each birthed an additional daughter to make my sister and brother-in-law's grandchildren count now at seven total--Ollie, the oldest, leads the pack with his eighth birthday next week. Before I upload some photos of them all, I want to say it was pleasant and really pretty special to see the happy energy of them all, caring for their youngsters, keeping house and homes and jobs together in a close-knit family of happy, noisy exuberance.

Here they are in no particular order...

Jeanenne with some of her flowers.

Larry with his new machine.

It's a good thing there is a shiny new riding mower to replace the old one that died because there are five acres to mow.

Ballerinas--Harper and Kensie.

Alexis ("Lexie").

My nephew David with his newest daughter Lexie.

Lexie with her momma Sarah.

Jackie with her newest daughter Adeline ("Della").

Nephew Jonathan's youngest daughter Eleanor ("Ellie").

Grandpa Larry with Ellie and Della.

Grandnephew Oliver and his Uncle Chad.

Me with Oliver

The weather, though grey skies, was pleasant enough for the kids' table to be outside.
Clockwise: Ellie behind the cup, Ollie, Emory and Harper.

Dessert.

Jeanenne and me with five of her grandchildren and the dog is Oogie.

Ellie and Grandpa.

Now that I've managed to name nearly everybody, I see I missed capturing a picture of my nephew Jonathan and his wife Krista. Sigh. I'll share with you that I enjoyed talking with all these young parents who grew into new family branches from Jeanenne and Larry's lives. It was a new experience to visit with the younger generation in their own settings.

Sunday morning saw Jeanenne, Larry and me at Daniel Boone's homestead for an interesting visit. 

Not so wild looking now with the electronic device in the view.

The ceilings revealed beams shaped by human hands and tools. I doubt this house ever was "flipped".

This view from the house shows (almost) how remote it all was when it was built--it was still under Spanish rule.

Jeanenne and Larry.

...and adding me.

 Lindenwood University did an outstanding job turning the homestead into a beautiful, well-managed historical attraction and adding a number of buildings from that era and Boone's family's homes. It is commendable and an excellent experience. Once  upon a time, the homestead without roads leading to it was accessible only by canoe from the Femme Osage Creek. It was a great visit there with a nice outdoor lunch we shared at a picnic table.

Monday brought niece Paula...

Paula.

...to Jeanenne and Larry's for dinnertime and a visit in the evening. We hadn't seen each other for a long time, so it was especially good to reconnect and learn what is happening in her life and about her  family that has now extended to include a daughter-in-law and grandchild.

Larry was digging out in one of their gardens and was surprised to find a spear point by the first people on his property.

Larry found this on their own property.

It is always tough leaving Jeanenne's loving household. I said goodbye this morning and headed for my sister Susie's in St. Louis County. Another warm welcome awaited me and we went in the afternoon to Missouri Botanical Garden--one of my favorites.

Chihuly glass floating on a reflecting pond.

Susie at Chihuly adorned gate to the rose garden.

Chinese garden.

A different sort of oak tree made this acorn.

JM.

George Washington Carver.