Halloween 2010

Last week Potwin neighbors were asking each other.... Do you think Halloween falling on a Sunday will discourage Trick or Treaters?  I don't think so.  In fact, we may have set a new record.  One neighbor counted 1,501 by 8:00 PM.  Another reported 1,709 by 8:40 PM.  We stayed open later.  

Mega thanks to Bobby who served hundreds of kids.

Honest Jonas had some friends over too.

And many were pleased to see Tommy the Terrible.

I wonder what Tommy will do for Thanksgiving?

Happy Halloween 2010.

Playing hookie with Jonas and Nick

We took Jonas and his friend Nick (from Bergen, Norway) out of school on Thursday and Friday to provide them with a different kind of education.  On Thursday, Helen showed them the Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows at the First Presbyterian Church where subtle light seemed to make the art come alive .... 

and we showed them the Kansas State Capitol Building which has been undergoing major renovation since 1999 (no kidding) ...

but which featured a different kind of art ...

then off to the Zoo to visit the Tropical Rain Forest ...

and then for a vigorous hike along the Kansas River where we witnessed nature's art ...

and then to tour the building (designed by renowned architect Michael Graves) and the art gallery in the Topeka & Shawnee County Library followed by the culinary art of a chef at a local Japanese steakhouse.

Friday, we took Jonas and Nick to Kansas City to explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

With the recent Bloch Building addition ...

the two museum buildings are amazing pieces of art themselves.

 Next was cultural art ... the art of dining and shopping on the Country Club Plaza.  

But, when all was said and done, I think Helen most enjoyed the musical art of the Kansas City Symphony hosting Spectrum ... A Tribute to Motown.

Yep, it was an artsy couple of days.  Worth playing hookie for.

Potwin Halloween Party

Today was the Potwin Halloween Party ... the party for the neighborhood kids.  The weather was perfect and the kids (and Charles) had a blast!

Some were scary ...

But most were not.

Cowboys, Arty Party and Wedding #11

Flashback .... Shortly after Jonas arrived from Germany in August, he announced that he wanted to buy some beautiful cowboy boots, a ten gallon cowboy hat and some Levi jeans.   Since there is nobody in our family more qualified than Granddad to shop for western wear, I gathered him, SACII (who was in town so Cheryl could host SRC's wedding shower) and Phil to accompany Jonas as he shopped.  While at the western wear store, Phil suggested that we all try on some boots and hats for a cowboy photo.  Here is the result ...

SACII never took his off.  You might have seen him wearing them during the wedding weekend.

Earlier this month, Helen and I attended an interesting party hosted at the new Downtown Lofts.  Known as the Arty Party, it focused on art and was mostly attended by young people.  Helen and I fit right in.

Last weekend I performed my 11th wedding ceremony.  It was extra special because it was my assistant's son.  I made the Bride and Groom pose with me as my fee.

The weather was perfect, the little kids were cute ...

and the wedding dress was amazing.

Oh yes, we have also attended two West Side Folk concerts so far this month.  Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin were the featured performers.  

More later.