Octoberfests (Sans sausage and beer).

I love October.  Not only because of Thanksgiving and Halloween (as though those aren't reason enough),but because it's autumn, the leaves and sky are gorgeous, the sunlight is poignant, the air is fresh and the apples are crisp and delicious. Also because it's my birthday month, as well as the birthday month of two of my children so there is always a lot to celebrate- hence Octoberfests.  Although M's actual bday is 27 years, 363 days after mine and she is therefore almost exactly 28 years younger than me and we do celebrate together- it is with my son that I mark the decades. He is just about 30 years younger than me and so we have celebrated our 0/30 (ok, only I did this one- he was just a couple of weeks old), 10/40 and 20/50 birthdays together. We are also planning (in the "far away" future) for our 30/60 birthdays cause we are going to have a BIG BASH and invite all of our friends! It's gonna be CRAAA-ZEEE!

This year Al's birthday fell on Thanksgiving

the birthday boy waiting for his banana pancake (aint he a beaute!)

and that was pretty great because everybody (except my hard working son-in-law, whose absence made it less than perfect) was home. I really missed Phil and wanted to tell him that we missed and loved him so I tried to face time  (ya I'm technically savvy dontcha know) with him (no pick up) and then called him on his cell- he picked up- but he was in the middle of work in the hospital-("oops sorry guy that I'm trying to resuscitate, I need to take this call from my M-i-l"- not really but that was the joke in our house) so not actually the best time to talk.

For Al's birthday I got him, among other things, a pair of shoes. The gift was based on Al's dissertation that everybody needs just 5 pairs of shoes and that he was down by two- Shoes required are: 1. dress shoes for  weddings and funerals,(got em -bought by yours truly), 2.winter boots, (got em- bought by Mr. L), 3. crappy casual shoes or as I like to call them shoes for walking in the mud (and also til now his every day shoes and date shoes- seriously, Al do you mind!)

couldn't you at least use the two purple shoelaces I gave you?

4. good casual shoes and 5. good running shoes for sports. I figured theses sweet treads would help with #4 and hopefully replace #3 entirely (except for walking in the mud).

ah- keens!

Al is a practical guy and a frugal one. (He's in the 3rd year of his doctorate program in Economics at Queens studying stuff like this:

whatever!

Need I say more? He's an Economist. He would never spring $150 for a pair of shoes so I had to help him step up! He once said to me that if I wasn't shopping at Value Village I was paying too much for clothes. What are you going to do with that?

We also went for a family hike, (which activity was approved by the birthday boy) to a spectacular place on the Bruce Trail that the kids have been going to since birth, about 40 minutes from our house but so worth the drive.



see Al in protective colouration at the end of the bridge

Because it was a beautiful day and a holiday, everybody and his brother was out in "our" spot but can you blame them?

on a side trail escaping the hordes

Still we were able to have a wonderful 2 1/2 hour romp in the woods (and part on a side trail ) and come home for eggplant curry for the vegetarians and  turkey sandwiches made on whole wheat wonder (Al does not eat white bread) with mayo, dressing and cranberry sauce right in em. Yum yum. I love October!