Halloween-een

Tomorrow night my children will go Trick-or-Treating.  But today at the Farmer's Market I was "Reverse Trick-or-Treating" with a bunch of fine kids from the same Middle School club that helped me out back in May.  They did an excellent job, handing out fair Trade chocolate samples and information on how to help improve the lives of cocoa farmers (buy fair trade, of course, and lobby the major chocolate manufacturers).  A couple of the girls were there for a full four hours and showed awesome dedication to the task.

So that was a tiring but very satisfying morning.  There was then just a little turnaround time before we set out to the annual Halloween party at our ex-English friend's house.  As usual there was a potted panto, followed by much eating, drinking and conversation - while kids of all ages and sizes marauded round in packs inside and out. 

Here are just a few of them mucking about by the lake.  Looks cold, doesn't it?  Of course, one fell in* -  and it wasn't one of mine, yay!



*He was fine.

The Man adds...later I enjoyed a rare Saturday night out with work colleagues in Saratoga Springs. Being Halloween, the city centre was very lively and we were virtually the only people in the bars who were not in costume (unless you count "middle aged balding geek").  It was a long evening - I got home after three - and a fun one, but tempered with underlying melancholy: we were bidding farewell to a friend who is going back to England tomorrow at the end of his three year contract in New York. He and his wife will be greatly missed.