Pumpkin Carving in 2012

This may have been an unusually creative Halloween at Wolverine Lake--but as Monique says, "We say that every year." Tradition, tradition. In conversation we were able to determine that we've done this for nine years running already. The event was, as usually, also a celebration of Monique's birthday:

It came after the pumpkins were hollowed out but before they were carved. Wendy's Lexi and Anna, grown again--as time demands--were unusually helpful and also innovative this year:

I like the color contrasts here. And Tigers paraphernalia littered the house. We tried, as it were, but the Tigers lost the third game of the World Series this night and then lost the last one on Sunday.

I also liked Monique's photo of Brigitte communing with Katie. Brigitte helps with designs, and such, and comes always laden with gifts for the girls. But her own pumpkin decoration takes place later. She does the pumpkins intended to be seen in daylight, and I'll post them when they're done.

The occasion was quiet, unhurried, pensive. As if our inward attention were already on the approach of Hurricane Sandy to come--the winds of which lashed inland enough far enough to touch Michigan. The carving was on October 27, 2012.

Halloween 2011

I note here a neglect of this blog. It was August when the last post landed. Today we changed the clocks to gloomy Winter Time. Many excellent Halloween pictures resulted from our annual tradition of Pumpkin Carving at Wolverine Lake, but I intend to focus on a single one, Monique’s last oeuvre of the night. Being last, it was left out of the collective pictures. Taking pity on this wonderful opus, we brought it home. Indeed it is still out there up front, but here I bring two images of it, one in the daylight and one on October 31 when, lit up, it supervised the Trick-n-Treaters:

By light...

By night...

Happy Thanksgiving from Paris

Bon appétit!

A close-up of Max who has now reached the age of discretion...

And a belated Happy Halloween from Stella...

Soon Michelle will penetrate the Google wall and post here ad libitum—as we who speak Neanderthal might say—but this time she lacked the time.

A Michigan Halloween on Wolverine Lake

A few pictures of our annual pumpkin carving get-together, a favorite event around here. This year we combined this event with birthday cake and gifts for Monique's birthday. However, as she was the photographer, a roll she likes, there aren't any pictures of the birthday portion of the evening. It was fun!

We'll start with pictures of the finished pumpkins.


In the dark....


and in the daylight.

These were carved, clockwise, starting on top, Monique, Anna, Arsen, John, Wendy, and John. Busy knife, there, John! The hearts, we think, have it!

And here are a few of the artists at work.











Hummnn... looks like we have mostly pictures of the cleaning of the pumpkins, which was fun. Let's see, any of actual pumpkin carving?

Ah, here are a couple of the artists really carving away:






And there was chili too. It really wasn't very spicy as Monique made it to be enjoyed by people who have varying levels of tolerance to spiciness. John decided to spice up his bowl a bit and then forgot to stir before eating so that first bite was... HOT.



In addition to chili and two beautiful and tasty cakes—yes TWO cakes!—there were...



COOKIES!

A very fun evening, indeed. And, we can not conclude a Halloween posting without a picture of some costumes. Here are Anna and Lexi in their trick-or-treating duds, Anna the Avatar and Lexi the butterfly fairy.



All for now.
Cheers!