Instead, I'm just going to share a few photos from Halloween weekend.
As I've shared before, my teenage daughter has developed a passion and creative talent for photography this year. Over the weekend, I took her up to the reservation for some fall foliage photo opportunities. She brought along a friend which I should have known instantly changed my role in this trip from companion photographer to mere chauffeur. I drove them to the head of a trail that goes around a lake and we weren't even ten feet from the car and my daughter's asking, "You're not really going to go with us, are you?" I looked down at my camera hanging around my neck ... "Well, actually... " and before I said anything else, I realized that even though this was my idea to come up here together, it's not the mother-daughter outing that I thought it was going to be. So when we get to the part of the trail that goes around the lake... I went one way and daughter and her friend went the other way. :(
Here are some photos I took on my solitary walk around the lake...
I took the photo above from the end of the lake. The lake is above that stone wall, the water level of which is low at this time of year, but during heavy rain and snow melt, the river would overflow at this point into the stream bed in which I'm standing to take this picture.
Most years, we try to make a family event out of driving to a farm, going on a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins, displaying them on our stoop for a week or so before carving them for Halloween. This year found us at the farm stand down the street ten minutes before closing time on the night before Halloween, picking a pumpkin from a selection of pumpkins laid out on wooden pallets. We didn't even get to carve it that night, but on Halloween afternoon. Talk about last minute! At least it was finished by nightfall.
Photo credit to my husband
Canon EOS 40 D
Li'l Monster Pumpkin
Photo credit to my husband
taken on his iPhone
I later escorted the Powerpuff girls--Buttercup, Blossom and Bubbles trick-or-treating. I barely got them to stand still for a picture as they were on an important mission... get as much candy as they could before they froze. It was a very chilly Halloween this year, but they managed to trick-or-treat for over two hours. ^_^
The Powerpuff girls...
Buttercup, Blossom and Bubbles :)
Pretty Kitty :)
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| Photo credit to my husband Canon EOS 40D |
My eldest daughter left for trick or treating while I was out with the Powerpuff girls, so I didn't even get to see her before she went out. Fortunately, my husband snapped a photo of her with his phone before she left.
I guess two hours was the chill factor threshold for trick-or-treating this year, because my eldest and her friends lasted about the same amount of time before they called it quits, too.
I don't know how it is where you live, but in our area a lot of teens in high school still go trick-or-treating. When I was a kid, most of us stopped in middle school! I used to think that teenagers were too old to be trick or treating, but now I think it's kind of nice that they're still interested in having some wholesome fun. But I still expect to hear "Trick-or-Treat" and "Thank you" when they ring the doorbell!
How old were you when you stopped trick-or-treating?
If you live somewhere other than the US, do kids trick-or-treat in your country?
I'll remember the first year I didn't go out trick or treating, for a very long time. It was 1991, I was in 9th grade and the reason I'll remember so clear is that we got a big blizzard the night of Halloween. A blizzard that continued into the next day. It was just crazy. But it didn't stop the trick or treaters much. :)
ReplyDeleteI never went trick or treating very often (I know, I was so tortured! lol) so I can't remember when I stopped...it's sad. :)
ReplyDeleteThose PPG are awesome! I can't believe you made them with no pattern. I can't even think about what a costume I made with no pattern would look like! lol
And a very cute kitty your oldest made but as cold as you say it was she gives me the shivers just looking at her. :)
Thanks for sharing your pictures. That pumpkin rocks.
Gorgeous photos! I'm impressed that you made your own patterns. They turned out well.
ReplyDeleteI was in 9th grade, I think, when I finally stopped trick or treating. I never liked the candy, I just loved dressing in costume. I'm so excited to have a little munchkin to dress up!
Those were beautiful pictures. Too bad about your mother-daughter time being co-opted. It hurts when they don't want to hang with you... I'll go with you next time :)
ReplyDeleteYou have beautiful girls. Mine was out about 30 minutes on Sunday and called it a day. She didn't even wear her costume on Sunday, just put some make up on and kept it moving. I didn't even get a picture of her when she did wear her costume for school Friday. I had to leave for work and didn't get the chance. If it warms up she might wear it so I can get a picture ;)
I was never allowed to go trick-or- treating... Dominican dads don't like that stuff. Begging for candy, big NO! He got us the candy we wanted instead :)
Beautiful pictures Christine. I miss the leaves changing colors. I have to head north if I want to see that. :)
ReplyDeleteI know I didn't trick-or-treat in high school. 8th grade was probably the last time I went. In high school we went to Halloween parties.
We only had about 50-60 kids this year but I must say they were all very polite, from the little 2 & 3 yr olds to the teenagers.
No trick-or-treating in my country. We don't celebrate Halloween even though our stores do have some Halloween stuff. The only thing that comes close to that is our Easter tradition. In Finland (and in some other Scandinavian countries) Easter tradition include egg painting and small children dressed as witches. The children go collecting candy door-to-door, recite an old saying while waving decorated tree branches. People give them candy in exchange for those decorated tree branches.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.fi/images?hl=fi&q=p%C3%A4%C3%A4si%C3%A4isnoidat&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi
No trick-or-treating in my country. So I never enjoyed the experience. However, I do remember my daughter stopped around 9th grade, but she never stopped enjoying Halloween. I went from taking her trick-or-treating to driving her to Halloween parties.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember when I stopped... but it was young. I've never really enjoyed trick or treating. Sure, the candies were great... but the rest - dressing up, answering questions, etc.
ReplyDeleteThose are gorgeous pictures, Christine!! I mean, it's hard to imagine they're real and that you took them! (I mean, I know you're very talented... but they look like postcards or you know, exhibition pictures :P)
Next time, don't let her bring a friend :P
and your daughters were cute in the costumes. Maybe you can keep the how to sew a Puff costume for next year ;)
Anna: A blizzard on Halloween!? I suppose that's Minnesota living, huh?
ReplyDeleteTracy: Thanks, Tracy. Don't be too impressed with the non-pattern sewing. It was all of four straight lines! LOL!
As for eldest, I'm just glad she had the sense to change her costume from Arabian princess with a bare midriff and nothing but tulle to this layered cat costume. AND she called an hour and a half before curfew to be picked up because she was cold.
Ciara: Thanks! I love how you created Juniper's Hedwig costume! I saw her photo on FB... so darling! Having a munchkin to dress up for Halloween does bring back some of the magic of the holiday for parents. It's nice. :)
Mariana: I think next time I need to make it clear to my daughter when I want a mother-daugther outing. Usually she wants those to be shopping-related...
It was so cold on Sunday, wasn't it? In a way it was good because they came home with less candy... we have enough as it is with two girls out for two hours! Yikes!
It's interesting how different cultures perceive the American custom of trick-or-treating. Does he object to your daughter doing it now or has he come to accept it more after living in the States these years?
Leslie: Don't the leaves drop off the trees in hot, southern states, too? Isn't it caused by the amount of daylight and hence photosynthesis stops, etc.. and not temperature? I have to read up on that. I always forget exactly how that all happens...
Maija: Thank you so much for sharing the Finnish Easter custom of children collecting candy door-to-door!! It sounds like fun... plus I love that the children have to give something in exchange for the candy. Those photos of the children dressed as witches are adorable.
Hilcia: We had a Halloween party once when the girls were younger and Halloween was on a Sunday.. our party was on a Saturday. It was a lot of fun. Maybe next year I'll suggest hosting a Halloween party at our house. Maybe. LOL.
nath: Aw, thanks! I'm glad you like my pictures. I did adjust the exposure in a few of them in iPhoto after the fact, though.
I was thinking about maybe posting the "How To Sew a Puff" costume next year. I made the costumes up myself because I couldn't find a pattern or instructions online, so maybe it would be useful.
Your pictures are gorgeous! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year just because of the colors in nature. Not to mention it's cooler. *g*
ReplyDeleteYour PPG's looked great! WTG! And your daughter as a kitty was cute!
It was cool here Halloween night, but our kids were out about 2 hours as well.
I don't remember when I stopped trick or treating, but I don't ever remember going all that often, either. My Daughter is in 9th grade and this was her last year trick or treating, but I know her brother will share with her next year. *g*
Hope you're having a good week!
Sorry to hear your mother-daughter outing didn't go as planned :( But I love your photos, particuarly the second one! The ripple effect in the water is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGreat costumes too BTW! And that pumpkin - WOW!
Trick-or-treating is beginning to take off here. It wasn't really around when my brother and I were younger, but my parents wouldn't have allowed it as they, like Mariana's father, considered it begging. I only had one group turn up at the door and I told them I don't celebrate Halloween. I don't. If it was the neighbourhood children, that I knew, and their parents had let me know first, that would have been OK. Maybe this is my parents talking, but...I don't feel comfortable with complete strangers appearing at my door asking for sweets. *shrug*
How did I miss this post? I like the first and next to last lake pictures best. Your pumpkin is amazingly cute!
ReplyDeleteI already forgot your questions.
I think I went out until I was 16 or so, but I had little brothers to escort until about then.
Whoa. Gorgeous pictures!
ReplyDeletePS I <3 the Pioneer Woman too!
Sorry I'm so late responding to the new comments here!
ReplyDeleteBrandy: I love fall, too! It's definitely a colorful time of the year and I love the cooler weather, too! Every year I keep thinking it'll be my teen's last year trick-or-treating and every year she still goes! LOL!
orannia: I think I just have to be more specific with my daughter next time when I offer to take her on a photo shoot if I just want it to be the two of us. I don't blame her for preferring her friends. That's totally natural. I totally miss the days when I was her number one companion. ... like when she was 0-6 years old. *sigh*
I understand how odd trick-or-treating must be to a lot of people, but when it's a common custom ... it's totally normal. LOL!
Lisa: No worries! You're sleep deprived and insanely busy with your impending move! Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. :)
Juju: Hey, thanks! :)
I could spend HOURS at the Pioneer Woman's site... her photography and sense of humor is all kinds of win! Are you on the Tasty Kitchen Forum?