Halloween - Colorado-style!

First, Halloween Jane-style - as a really frightening princess of the night...vampire girl with some really well-done horror makeup courtesy of Dad. This is Jane minutes before the candy-gathering sprint through the neighborhood was to commence:



scary - but soooo cute!! Please note the running shoes to optimize the frenzied pace with good friend Alex (who I believe was a zombie cheerleader).

Not much to say about Halloween except people REALLY enjoy celebrating it here in a big way.

In Fort Collins, we celebrate with the annual Tiny Tots Halloween Parade on Old Town Square. Legions of really little kids (6 yrs and younger) invade Old Town for some seriously cute trick-or-treating during the day.

In Boulder, the annual Naked Pumpkin Head Run is a pretty big deal. (http://nakedpumpkinrun.com/) Fort Collins is a little more conservative but still has its weird moments.



And, in our beloved Parma, Ohio - ghosts were apparently out in full force for the celebration:

You know in your heart it was really:

your favorite blueberry marshmallow-laced cereal icon!!!

c

The dream Series not meant to be

Clearly Cleveland and Colorado were not meant to face-off in the World Series this year. That makes it so much easier for me! It's a shame though - if only the Indians had remembered how to play baseball during the last three games of their season...

Sadly, we won't have an opportunity to break out the dreaded midge masks again!


Go Rockies!

c

What if....?

So, what IF the Indians and the Rockies get to face off in the World Series? I can't think of a more exciting match-up. And, I get to cheer for both teams!

c

Municipal railway

Two blocks south of our house you can ride Fort Collins Birney Safety Car 21 - one of four cars purchased by the City in 1919 that provided daily service until 1951. Car 21 was restored and rebuilt after it spent almost three decades in a park . You can now ride the trolley on West Mountain Avenue on weekend afternoons from May through September.

One last look before the snow flies

Less than a mile from our house you can visit the Annual Flower Trial Gardens on the campus of CSU. This 2.9 acre park provides education, research and outreach for the annual flower trials to students, home gardeners, Master Gardeners, community members and green industry personnel. The All-American test gardens evaluate the performance of over one thousand different annual flower cultivars for plant vigor, uniformity, floriferousness and tolerance to environmental and biotic stresses unique to the Rocky Mountain/High Plains region.

It is one of the most beautiful displays I've ever seen.

c

Let's not forget Homecoming 2007

Last weekend was Homecoming and Parents Weekend at CSU. Lots of tradition, celebration and running around. But it was a lot of fun.

This is Kate and Sam (one of her dorm-mates in the sunglasses) with Cam the Ram - the official mascot of Colorado State University. His name bears CSU history in that he is named for Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College (the university's former name). Today, CAM is a Rambouillet Ram and is the 21st CAM to represent CSU. CAM lives at ARDEC, the Colorado State University College farm, and has his own troop of Ram Handlers to help him out. CAM makes regular visits to University events and local schools.



Sadly, the Rams are having a really bad football season.



A giant letter "A" adorns the western hillside of Fort Collins because Colorado State University was formally called Colorado A & M, and students were referred to as "Aggies." The "A" was first white-washed in 1924. It became a tradition for freshmen to paint the letter every year. The Tradition continues today as freshmen football players and members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity hike up each fall to spray the timeless letter.



Following a homecoming carnival, mammoth bonfire and fireworks display on Friday night, the A was set aflame the night before the big, unfortunate game. Hopefully their luck will turn around soon - go Rams!

c

Much cooler than playing cornhole!

Back in Ohio, September and October is the time we take our kids apple and pumpkin picking, for rides in hay wagons or running through hay bale mazes. Here in Colorado the corn maze is this craze. (sorry...) They have these really elaborate mazes that go on forever. These are aerial photos of the Fritzler MAiZE. Six miles of trails in an elaborate design that's usually designed to be a tribute.

The 2005 maze design is a tribute to the "Kings of Soul and Rock-n-Roll" - Ray Charles and Elvis Presley. [Joe - this is for you! xxx]



The 2006 design is the Colorado quarter, released June 14th, 2006.



The 2007 maze design is the Fritzler MAiZE tribute to legendary Country-Western singer and bareback rodeo cowboy Chris Ledoux who died of a rare cancer in 2005.



Remember that these are made from the remaining corn stalks after the corn has been harvested. I've never seen anything like this in my life!

c