Halloween!  This is not something celebrated widely in Australia so it’s interesting to observe the commercial mania that takes over USA with this event.   The kids seem to have a lot of fun though.  Last night my 18 year-old granddaughter, with her girl friend, drove to the nearby store to purchase two enormous orange pumpkins, grown especially for Halloween.   There were hundreds to choose from. The farmers must have to grow millions to cater for this big event.    Excitedly the girls rushed back in the front door armed with their purchases and the intent to carve these pumpkins into funny faces.  Firstly they had to clean out the insides. When this part was complete they rifled through drawers to find special pumpkin carving tools, purchased years ago for this purpose.  They worked creatively until satisfied with their efforts.  And then came the candles.  They put these inside the hollowed out pumpkins, lit them and took the finished product outside, placing them near the front door.  I must admit they did a great job and had a lot of fun doing it. 

It’s not raining today.  In fact it’s almost sunny!  It’s a great day for my train trip south.   The Seattle area is known for its wet weather so I’m quite used to it, however I didn’t pack many winter weather clothes because I thought I’d only be here two weeks. I’ll be thoroughly fed up with my limited wardrobe by the time I leave for home, as will my family be sick of seeing me in the same gear.  However I feel so blessed to be here.  It makes me appreciate so much the great value of family.

22^nd October 2011