~:: Tales of Salmon ::~

The house is getting itself ready for Autumn.  The mountains have faded now – but if you want to see gang-buster images of a few weeks ago, please look here.  If you don’t look, you will be very, very sorry for the rest of your life.  Really Mar is killer at catching the flashing foil magnificence of earth.

The yard leaves are only just getting ready to change.  Those paper pumpkins and cats and ghosts are almost thirty years old.  We stick them in the windows EVERY year.  And the ghost on the front porch was first hung there by my mother on the very day Chaz was born, a couple of decades ago.

But the house has put on Halloween quite earnestly.  All the more because THIS year, there will be grandchildren hanging around to SEE the traditional scary stuff.

These people came.

And this person.

And my brother and Lorena came down to see those people up there, because those people brought a traditional and insane gift of roasted chilies for them.  If you go to Gin’s link there, do NOT look at the newer post, because she put up the Christmas picture, which is just wrong, because it is A) mine, dang it and B) not Christmas.

We are guitar people.

And then we had a tremendous dinner for Cam’s birthday (there are a few small people missing from this shot, as they absconded, looking for toys early on in the dinner).  This dinner, I realized about half way through, felt just like Thanksgiving to me – the family, the joy, the noise and laughter and love.  Except we ate grilled franks and sausages and smothered them in sauteed peppers and onions and mushrooms or salsa and sour cream or chili – or – what else did we have? I can’t remember.  I LOVED it LOVED it LOVED IT!!!

Then we retired to the LL (long, light room) where I can’t seem to get a decent shot, color-wise (not colorways).  Which means that g and I are going to have to actually take an afternoon – a spare one (excuse me while I laugh till I sputter) – and experiment with white balance till I figure out these new “green” flipping light bulbs.

Here, Cam opened his presents.  Or tried to.  He had help.  Lots of help.

And babies were traded around from one family to the other.

And Andy danced in her sparkle skirt.  Have you notice the hat?  It’s a Mad Hatter’s hat from Disney that has been designated Official Birthday Hat.  In the background, Chaz is opening a belated but shockingly delightful birthday present of her own.

Yes.  That hat.

Happy Cam.  And since we’re on the subject, I am including – gratis – shots of Chaz’ birthday which was just ten days before this.  But didn’t get put up yet.  Because – of everything, which is why I’m so behind (in case you thought I’d forgotten you, which I haven’t).

Same room.  Same people.  Football game shirts.

I let the shots speak for themselves.

Chelsea, getting a big darn kick out of the present she’d bought RIGHT UNDER CHAZ’ NOSE in Santa Fe.

Newly weds.  One and a half months.  Eh??  Cool??

Chaz and audience – ritual birthday candles – which, come to think of it, Cam didn’t get.  How did that happen?  Must have been the cheesecake.

When comes the time that you really don’t want to count the candles anymore?

The Explorer’s Bike Club rides the Mountain Ways.

And portraits of Sand.

I hear those dogs . . .

Just such a cheery guy.

 And then the next day came, and off she went – off to collect Dr. Bike Guy so they could  get back to real life.  To me, it’s like the holidays are complete already.  Let me tell you this: yes, it’s sad when your kids grow up and take off on their own lives – but if you work it right, they come back—and it’s great.  They love you (BFFs).  And it’s FUN.  And you don’t have to get up with the baby at night because they do.  So – I don’t know.  Growing up?

It grows on you.