Saturday playtime

Well, I started the day with a big blob of shampoo in my eye (ouch!) so I'm late to visit my computer. On top of that, Nova was the fun distraction around this house. And what a sweet little clown, she kept us laughing all morning.

A snack at the kitchen table...

Showing off those new teeth...

Hard to beat a margarine tub for a fine toy...

Or an early morning story.

November sunshine

What is November doing
With the disturbance of spring
And creatures of the summer heat...
T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets


The rain will be back for the weekend, but we've had two days of record high temperatures in Seattle-- over 70 on Wednesday. Perfect weather for walking and looking at the brilliant fall leaves. Nova and I spent four hours alone together yesterday, while Amanda took a break and visited friends. We had a great time, and not one teardrop the entire morning. First, we took a long walk in the stroller.

"Roger" and I stopped to admire Seattle across Elliot Bay (Nova snoozed and missed it.)

After lunch, what to do? Well...there's always my old treasure trunk to get into. And along with the dolls and toys, we found Amanda's English baby coat, that she wore when she was exactly Nova's age.

A perfect fit...

Playing out on the porch, I had to do some double takes. Was I looking at Baby Amanda or Baby Nova?
And here's my favorite picture of little Amanda in Germany, in the same coat.

Hutton's Vireo

On Halloween morning we had a short break between storms. The sun actually came out for a few hours, so I headed across the street to rake up more maple leaves. I kept hearing this persistent bird in our holly tree whistling like a chickadee, but not exactly. It makes me crazy to hear a bird I can't ID in our own backyard. With my Birds of Seattle and Puget Sound, I can usually cut to the chase in a hurry. Unless it's some exotic migrant blown off course (and this has never happened) the birds in our neighborhood are always in this book. But this one was a plain LBB (Little Brown Bird) so it took me quite a while to find it. Finally! Hutton's Vireo. Here's a quote:

It is a year-round resident of Seattle's thickets, but it is never so common that it fails to challenge the birdwatching community. They are relatively inconspicuous, and are usually noticed only because of their monotonous, ceaselessly repeated 'zwee-zwee-zwee' song.

Hutton's Vireos eat insects and spiders, and we have plenty of those. Here's a view out the window when the sun came out that day-- like living in a real haunted house on Halloween.

We have visitors

Amanda and Nova arrived yesterday to stay with us while Tom finishes up some big construction projects at home. Nana's new toy basket was ready and waiting for Nova...and it turned out to be the perfect place for a sippy cup break.
We're having dry, sunny weather with near record high temperatures. Perfect for stroller walks and playing outside in the leaves. More pictures soon.

Dia di los Muertos

Candied sugar skulls

The Mexican Day of the Dead celebration corresponds with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. The traditions include honoring the dead with sugar candy skulls, flowers, altars, and visits to grave sites with ofrenda, such as the favorite food and drink of the departed. The holiday occurs right after Halloween, but despite the common symbol of the skull, the two celebrations have little in common.

The Day of the Dead traditions can be traced back 3,000 years, when it was common to keep skulls as trophies and use them in rituals symbolizing life and death. In many Mexican towns today, people plan months in advance for the holiday, and entire families go to the cemetery to clean and decorate graves once a year. Then they have an evening picnic there in honor of their departed loved ones.

Old Town San Diego

We've never been lucky enough to spend this holiday in Mexico, but American communities with large Mexican populations sometimes have similar celebrations. On November 2, 2004, we were finishing up a nice California vacation and we spent our last night at a hotel in San Diego's Old Town. Along with the Day of the Dead, it also happened to be presidential election night. (Somehow, that seemed fitting.)

Casa de Pico

Anyway, we always visit historic Old Town when we go to San Diego, but this was the first time we stayed in a hotel within walking distance of everything there. It has a wonderful atmosphere with adobe buildings, shopping, and of course delicious Mexican food. The outdoor Casa de Pico is one of the most popular restaurants. Way back in the 70's when I was a student at San Diego State, it was a big treat to eat there. I'm sure there is better Mexican food in San Diego, but they serve those huge, dripping platters of cheese-covered food and goldfish bowl Margaritas, so tourists love it. And any November dinner you can eat on an outdoor patio next to a fountain is a good meal.

After we ate, we waddled off to the Old Town Cemetery to see the traditional Mexican altars that were set up on the graves. I remember candles and flowers, and a "Haunted San Diego" history tour was going on nearby. Then, back to our room to watch the election returns.
And so the country signed up that night for four more years...

.

Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico

The next morning we headed to the airport, and it felt like the entire state of California woke up with a hangover.

November

The Book of Hours calendar turns to November, and this page is one of my favorites. For once, the miniature painting doesn't show a French castle owned by the rich Duc du Berry. Instead, the countryside is inspired by the artist's imagination, and shows the autumn acorn harvest. A peasant is throwing sticks into the trees to knock down nuts that his pigs are gobbling on the ground. I like the quiet dog in the left corner, taking it all in.

This porcine treat of acorns and hickory nuts is called "mast." Pigs love eating forest mast, which supposedly makes the most delicious pork in the world-- a gourmet's delight. And these fellows look nice and fat already.

November 1 is also All Saint's Day, a national holiday in some Catholic countries. Christians celebrate the day because they believe the living can have a prayerful communion with those who have died-- whether they are already in heaven, or still thrashing around in purgatory. Today is not to be confused with the celebration of All Souls' Day on November 2 (Day of the Dead) which commemorates the departed who have seen the "beatific vision."

I'm having my own "beatific vision" about something else tomorrow: the end of the election and political advertising.