Those boys in the cul de sac 11-04-21

Since the pandemic started I haven't seem much of those two nice brothers who live across the street in the cul de sac.  They have been at home trying to learn on ZOOM and their father has been working from home all this time, so he is always there and can drive them wherever.  But yesterday he had to drive into his office in Los Angeles for the first time.  I had to ask if he remembered how to get there!  In the past he took the train from Fullerton and then a bus to his office place.  So, yesterday the boys needed a driver.  They go to different schools now - Immanuel is in middle school and Julian still goes to grade school.  I drove Immanuel to school after his dad had delivered Julian to his school.  Then in the afternoon I picked up Julian and we went out for ice cream.   Of course, he had Cookie Monster. However the blue color really turns me off so I had my favorite Razzmania - raspberries and chocolate chunks in a vanilla base.  We came back to my house, but I don't know how he could access my Internet, so we walked over to his house where he played computer games and I read stuff on my cell phone.  They have been renovating their house and have the loveliest pale cedar "siding" in the living/dining room and it is laid diagonally.  Looks so clean and "modern".  The work is not quite finished and the refrigerator is still in the middle of the room, but they are almost ready to get back to normal.  We have three houses in the neighborhood being remodeled and it is taking forever for all of them.  Delays in appliances, shortage of lumber and wall board, slow delivery of materials all around.  I don't know how they all manage with the disorganization.  I live in great disorder with piles of everything, but I don't have to put up with the dust and tools and noise and just always having others in my house.  However does Mr. John get any work done?   Mrs. John is a nurse and has worked through it all.  Anyway, I loved seeing the boys, they are so polite and well behaved.  And so TALL now.  Kids grow up very fast.  

Julian ate almost all of it and then went to the restroom and washed up!

Julian and Immanuel - 1st day of school Sep 2021

#   #   #

Wordless Wednesday

 

#   #   #

A little more Halloween 11-02-21

 Missed a couple Halloween pictures on Sunday. 

This is pretty silly, but makes me laugh when i see it - twice a day!  It actually glows in the dark so if we walk late we still see it.  There are quite a few of these free standing basketball hoops around and this one is the only one I have ever seen anyone throwing balls.  So they do put it to good use.  

Great jack-o-lantern, eh?  Those scraggily teeth are toothpicks.  Very original.  Should I ever carve a jack it will have these teeth! 

And a look back....

This is a quilt I made for the monthly mini at Surfside Quilters Guild in 2013.  At that time I was still doing one monthly mini a year and this one was fun to make.  I haven't been asked to do minis lately, guess those days are over.  It is a pretty good fund raiser for the guild.  Tickets are six for $5 and one ticket is drawn for the winner.  

"Jack"  Del Thomas 2013  Approx 30" W x 24"L

I know I have posted this several times previously, but I do really like it!

https://delquilts.blogspot.com/2020/10/halloween-quilt-in-past-10-31-20.html

#   #   #

Halloween 10-31-21

Lots of pictures tonight.  First of some decorations in the neighborhood.  Not so many this year, but they all went up early in the month.  

I posted an image of this guy on Oct 4th when he first appeared.  He is 12 - 15 feet tall.  I have added KoKo to this picture to provide a comparison.

Since that first picture this unfortunate child was added.  A little too creepy for me, but not as bad as a whole yard full of huge skeletons all the way down to cat and dog skeletons smaller than KoKo.  Br-r-r-r-r!

And here is KoKo with the skeleton's foot - about the same size!

Three houses north of us there is this skeleton family roasting marshmallows.  Again we have a child skeleton on someone's knee.  

At night there are blue lights and blazing coals (lights). 

This guy looks too happy to be a ghost.  The black bump at the bottom is a giant inflated spider.  Fortunately not lit so he isn't terribly scary. 

I like this row of "The Scream" ghosts made of corrugated fencing. 

Here are some of the skeleton animals.

Who appear in the front yard of this over-the-top display.

We don't usually do Halloween.  Just leave all the lights off until the Tricker-Treaters have finished their rounds.  However, this year some neighbors arranged a parade and asked us to set up a table on our driveway and greet the kids with treats.  I hauled out a chair and a bowl of quarters. KoKo wore his bunny ears, some of the time.  Great crowd of kids and parents, but they preferred the other side of the street and I only gave out 24 quarters.  NO leftover candy.  I always preferred coins over candy when I was a kid.  Of course, back then it was nickels or dimes.

They all gathered at the southern end of the street - SO many!

Neighbor Don led the parade in his Jeep.  Don't understand why, but he backed up all the way - at least to the corner five houses away.

Lots of costumes, even a dinosaur.  And see that tiny guy in blue at the far left - he was determined to walk/run by himself, but his dad was running close behind. 

This blue gal is one of those wind blown creatures used to attract attention at new businesses - they wave their arms and bounce on their skinny legs.  In the foreground is Muttley the dog who is always walked without a lease.  I am afraid someday a coyote will jump out and nab him for breakfast.  

The crowd in the cul de sac across the street, they were giving out candy by the handsful.  In the background one neighbor has put up a bounce house, but I didn't see anyone using it.  In costume?  Nooooo.  

Here is KoKo in his bunny ears.  He wouldn't wear them for very long, nor would he sit still for this picture. 

I had better luck with his back view. 

I think we will go back to no lights next year.  This was very tiring. 

#   #   #