Halloween

The Prince of Autumn greeted Halloween with a suit of white and black.
"Sir Pete, Sir Arthur, get off your gourds and protect me from the paparazzi!"The Royal Cow walking on his hind legs.The Royal Cow relaxing on the couch during story time."Mmmm, the candy you tithe me is good. Come, let our band of merry marauders hit the streets of Westville. My soothsayer tells me the proletariat gives away such bounty on only this day!"The Prince deigning to snuggle his pack mule.We actually saw no children trick-or-treating at 430pm on Halloween. We'll need to figure this out before we go out for real, like Vikings with pillow cases of plunder.

All Hallow's Eve

After de-leafing the yard, Prince of Autumn DHV ordered us to the tarpaulin for pumpkin carving.
"All hands to the pumpkins, my swarthies, lest the House of Hawk be without its guardian glowing gargoyles!"
"Standfast my bespectacled friend, I think I spy this poor creatures brain! Abandon all hope, ye pumpkin, as my royal ladle dips into yon cerebral cortex!"DHV knighted them . . .
"I name you, Sir Peter, He of Snarky Humor and Furious Yoga; and you, Sir Arthur, He of Biceps Most Grandest and Hair Most Longest!"

The Prince of Autumn

HusbandKV fired up the leaf blower today and did some yard work. Young DHV assisted.
That's a bit of apple on the Prince's face.
"Hey, I'm not done with that apple!"
"For you, sir, TWO handfuls of leaves!"Danny's first ride on our swingset.

Firewood

This weekend we got a cord of wood delivered. Some people may want to know, "How much wood is a cord?"
A lot.
HusbandKV spent Saturday building racks and stacking this cord of wood. Now we have indoor, porch, and patio stacks of wood. We also have a fire.
In the foreground is a pallet that some furniture came on, reborn as a firewood rack. You can see more wood in the background, and then there's the wood you can't see.
DHV had been working on his balance. Here he brings me some coasters.
And in live-action.

Steps!

Exciting times here in New Haven. DHV took some unassisted steps, and it looks like Uncle Pete "I'm not edible" Rock will be right in his prediction.

Vermont Day 4

Our last day in Vermont started off mysteriously dark and foggy!
It lightened up right quick.
DHV told HusbandKV a joke about tourists who fall into a lake.
A water bottle!
"When I get out of this thing, you two are in BIG trouble!"
High above Woodstock was the perfect setting for lunch.DHV worked on his rock and grass lecture some more, "Now this morsel is from a particularly good igneous year; note the deep grey color and smooth texture."
"First you should gnaw on it to release the scent (or 'nose') of the rock.""I then recommend ramming it home all at once to get the full flavor.
It helps to have a servant standing by with some squash to cleanse the palate."
"Let me back at those rocks!"If our guy can just let go of that second hand we'll be rockin' and rollin'!

Vermont Day 3

DHV conquered Mt. Cardigan on Wednesday.
Member of the traveling party who sat during the ascent found themselves colder than the more active participants.
DHV found some good rocks to eat as appetizers.
Always wear a bib when eating Alpine style.

Vermont Day 2

Dawn on Day 2 brought a cold but beautiful autumn day.
DHV again showed us his independence on Dartmouth Green.
He wanted to start a class on rock and grass eating but . . .
. . . no one showed up to the first lecture.DHV struck a pose for the Dartmouth ladies.
By afternoon it warmed up and we hiked up above Woodstock for a family portrait.
The padding in the backpack evidently wasn't enough, as DHV stuffed it with grass, like a bird building a nest.If only DHV could walk, he might find that stick useful.
Here's a random 8 month old named Jane that DHV crawled over to, kissed, and then stole her water bottle.Fall in New England!
Sunset was brilliant. . .
and provided DHV with yet more ham opportunities.

Vermont Day 1

DHV left Haddonfield without solving the case of the wet shower, and we brought him to Great-Auntcle Joe and Alice's place in Vermont the next day to investigate some mysterious trees and their yellow, orange, and red leaves.
DHV started out by getting a feel for the land.
DHV liked his carriage, and liked being photographed in it even more.
We let him loose in this field to see how far he would go before he turned around. Pretty far.
DHV and Mommy share some ham time in front of the New England foliage.
When night fell, Chief Inspector Hawkins demonstrated the effect a rogue wave would have had on Noah's Ark: complete and utter destruction!Ham time ensued.