Green Thumb

Austin frequently mocks my inability to keep plants alive, which in general is true. So I am especially proud of my Hibiscus.

This is just after it was planted in April of this year.


























And these are today Oct 31st in all it's flowering glory. The plant is 3 or 4 times bigger than it was in April, but that doesn't really show with the picture angles.

























One thing we're not sure about is why it has two types of flowers. Here are some close ups of the two types. Perhaps someone like Allison or Jered know why?

BL Strikers

The regular season play in the Fall Season of kick ball ended this past Sunday with a match up of the BL Strikers (undefeated) against the Natural Born Kickers (also undefeated). After the spring league we had many more people who wanted to join the team, so we split the players into half and added half new people to each team. The other team created was the Natural born kickers, BL Strikers is the team we were on last season. So this was the game for all the marbles and bragging rights.


















After seven intense innings the BL Strikers emerged victorious by a score of 8-2.



















After the game we went to Bonna Bella for dinner on the deck with a view of the water. It was a beautiful evening, great way to celebrate. Most the group is playing corn hole while waiting for the food but you get the idea.



















There is suppose to be a post season tournament in mid-November, but we are not sure if that will happen with schedules. Go Striker!

Fall Weather

The cold spell that came through last weekend was refreshing and great for the pumpkins. The normal fall weather of mid-80's that returned mid week is not.



















Although these are very scary looking pumpkins, especially the spider one I carved that is now a black furry spider mush.

Halloween Dinner Party

We had some friends over Saturday night for a Halloween Dinner Party. Austin made eyeballs out of radishes and green olives to put into the Bloody Mary's, very creative, they looked very real. I made orange juice ice cubes of sculls and brains out of a trays I bought, not so creative but the kids liked them in the punch.

We BBQ'd fresh local shrimp, steak and potatoes for dinner.

After dinner frosting of sugar cookies.

Austin looking at an image on the computer and free hand drawing it onto the pumpkin.

The group carving away at our masterpieces.

Classic, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on in the back ground.

Piper sporting some Beaver pride, much to her father's dismay.

And for the unveiling of Austin's pumpkin this year.......remember he looked at a picture on our computer, drew this on the pumpkin and picked how to carve it.

It's a retro Benny the Beaver. Allison challenged him to do the retro version and I think it turned out amazing. I am still in awe every year at his capability to draw and carve to such perfection.

And the entire group of pumpkin masterpieces. The bottle bleach in the back ground is suppose to make them last longer by killing the bacteria that starts to rot them.

All lit up...the spider is the one I did, off of a tracing book.

Wine Tasting, Greek Festival and a Spider

This Friday we went to a wine tasting event and to the Greek Festival in downtown Savannah. The Greek Festival is put on by our friend's church and is mostly a huge dinner with dancing.

Katie, Me, Christine (the three of us have shared an office for the past year) and Michelle. This was our first chance to wear a sweater for the year. The temperature has dropped significantly lately and is ~20 degrees below averages for this time of year. We are enjoying the cooler weather because it actually feels like Fall right now.

And this is Austin's foot after a spider bite at the softball game last week.

Austin got bit on the front of his left ankle while watching our game late Tuesday night. Wednesday night his lower leg was VERY swollen and tingly. It is hard to tell the extent of swelling from this photo, it is a bad angle. We took pictures to see if the swelling was going down or getting worse...it was back to normal by Friday night.

McGlovin'

We don't have a lot of pictures of the season but a group of people from the mill and their families have been playing in a softball league. It was a very competitive league, which we were not expecting, apparently that's what people do around here.


The season ended this past week with a tournament (that went until way too late at night). We won our first game in the tournament and played a lot better then we did at the beginning of the season.

Photos by Austin, he didn't want to play, but he did come watch our end of the year tourney and took a few photos.

A'hoy Matey's

The annual Pirate Festival arrived with a ship hitting land on Tybee Island and taking captive the Tybee mayor. We went to Tybee on Saturday for the parade and events. It was a hot day, in the 90's, which brought an afternoon thunderstorm right when the parade started. Luckily we stood in a restaurant door and then under the event tents and could still see the parade.

Here is a view of one of the craft tents with the beach in the back ground for a perspective view.

The end of the parade route, which people who have visited probably recognize at North Beach.















The rain made it difficult to get good pictures.
















Pirates take the streets...
















Christine and I hiding from the rain, which you can see from the above pictures most people were fine getting soaked in the thunderstorm.
















This was a Jay Leno moment photo. This couple was sitting under the "No Smoking" pirate having a cigarette.

Jazz Festival

The annual Jazz Festival in Forsyth Park was last weekend. We don't listen to the music so much as socialize with friends and have a picnic in the park. The music is a good back drop to the conversation.

















This weekend is Oktoberfest on the River, but I believe my current cold will be keeping us home for a movie rental night instead of the Oktoberfest Fun. I need to be well for next weekend's Pirate Festival, we can't miss that!