CHANGE UP: So, we didn't plan to go to Mukilteo today, but since CJ left some important stuff in G&G's car, up to Muk we went, after the kids' guitar lesson. Turns out it was a happy accident. It was warm and lovely out today, and we five, plus two pups, went for a walk along the waterfront in Mukilteo, WA.
The kids hunted Pokeman and we all herded Havanese. ;)
Beyond the kids, you can see Whidbey Island.
We had Insider Connections during our visit to the lighthouse. We learned how to ring the dinner bell ...
and we got to see inside the grounds' work shed.
The little lighthouse in Mukilteo is more than just a pretty place. It has historical significance.
Boeing planes, trains, automobiles and ferries, the Mukilteo waterfront has it all!
HUMANKIND: One of CJ's latest obsessions is how humankind populated the various continents, islands, etc. Christian found this video online, which we all watched tonight. https://youtu.be/HfLVYr38D0Q
ZOMBIE NATION: This morning, as an eerie fog enveloped our neighborhood, Annabelle and I were up working on a cake for a friend. Specifically, a zombie-themed cake. The fog was so thick, at 6:20 a.m., I couldn't see the streetlights a half block away! To finish the cake for a 9 a.m. pick up, we had to make a marbled blue and purple fondant wrap for the sides of a three-layer cake, add 'dirt' to the top, affix zombie silhouettes to the perimeter, and then plant the gumpaste zombie hand and fingers, and then add rocks around the bottom perimeter. There were a few tense moments, but it turned out OK, I guess. My photos of it are less-than-stellar. I really need a new camera. My Nikon is failing. :(
HELL FREEZES OVER, GOAT IS GOT: Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win! Baseball fans that we are, we've watched every game of the 2016 World Series. This year's match up was compelling: The Cleveland Indians versus the Chicago Cubs. Combined, it's been a 176 year drought (108 years for the Cubs, 68 for Cleveland). Ironically, with the Cubs winning it all last night, now Cleveland is the Major League Baseball team with the longest drought since a World Series win. (Their last time was 1948, just after World War II.)
The Cubs' World Series woes are, well, were, legendary at this point. Some blamed a billy goat for cursing the team. We turned to the History Channel to learn more about the story.
The hex in question dates back to October 6, 1945, when the Cubs were taking on the Detroit Tigers in Game Four of the World Series. Back then, Chicago was a perennial powerhouse, having won back-to-back championships in 1907 and 1908, and in the years since, they’d been to the Series seven more times. As one version of the story goes, on October 6, 1945, a man named Billy Sianis strode up to the stadium, two tickets in hand—one for himself, and one for his goat “Murphy.” A Greek immigrant, Murphy owned a local bar called Billy Goat Tavern, and has a real live mascot, Murphy, to go with it. It's said Sianis and his goat were turned away at the gate, and at that, the man put a curse on the team. Another version of the story has Sianis and Murphy making it into the game, but nearby fans called 'foul' when the goat started stinking up the place during a rain delay, and Sianis and his goat were booted. However, Cubs historians Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson contend the "curse" was nothing more than a joke started by the Chicago sportswriters who frequented the Billy Goat Tavern.
Whatever the case, the curse of the goat is over for certain. The Cubs are the newest World Series champions having bested Cleveland in a 10-inning game. Remarkably, there was rain delay between the 9th and 10th innings, as if Mother Nature herself wasn't quite ready for the baseball season to be over. Our season ending tradition is always listening to former Major League Baseball player Bernie Williams play a mournful, beautiful version of "Take Me out to the Ballgame." GAME GURUS: This evening, in a full on family effort, we - along with a number of other awesome volunteers helped host a game night for about 100 people (preschoolers to adults). For the event, we partnered with Blue Highway Games, a great, independent game store on Seattle's Queen Anne hill. My mom, Christian, and I toiled in the kitchen, selling pizza by the slice, cookies and serving up Italian sodas. Annabelle and her grandpa were out working the floor, helping people learn to play games. CJ floated between duties. It was a busy two hours. There were dozens of different games to play. Annabelle's favorite she encountered was "One Night Ultimate Werewolf."
The Blue Highway web site describe it as a 10-minute game for 3-10 players "in which everyone gets a role: One of the dastardly Werewolves, the tricky Troublemaker, the helpful Seer, or one of a dozen different characters, each with a special ability. In the course of a single morning, your village will decide who is a werewolf...because all it takes is lynching one werewolf to win! Because One Night Ultimate Werewolf is so fast, fun, and engaging, you'll want to play it again and again, and no two games are ever the same."
Sounds like fun to me, too!
WINNER, WINNER, LUNCHBOX DINNER: Today, we received an email letting us know Annabelle won a coloring contest! For her birthday dinner, we went to Lunchbox Laboratory (her choice), and while there, she colored a scarecrow-themed coloring page in Seahawks' colors. I remember thinking it was very good at the time, and carefully, clearly writing my email address on the back in case she was the winner.
We're not sure what the prize is, but we'll swing by there to pick it up this weekend!
INSIDE OUT: See that above? It's the innards of a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). For weeks now, one of our NES's has been torn apart, undergoing a modification to supposedly transform it to a Hi-Def NES via a kit from Game-Tech.
The initial work was stymied by the fact the kit was missing two super important parts (the interposing boards). Fortunately, we eventually convinced the retailer that we didn't receive those, and so those parts were shipped. The project has taken a back burner for a long while, but got back on track this week. After following the instructions online, it was a big disappointment that the update/upgrade didn't work as hoped. Of course, all the steps will be checked and re-checked. Things often don't work out as quickly or easily as planned. ...
MEANWHILE, IN THE KITCHEN: Zombies. Yes, I know Halloween is over, but I have a zombie-loving friend who deserves a cake, so that's what we're working on. An early version (pre-accent painting) of some zombie fingers.
COSTUMES ON: Almost without fail, we're in the 'we make our own costumes camp.' That always looks good on paper, but when it comes to executing it, well, that takes time. Lots and LOTS of time. And can I just say, it's *not* a good thing when both of the two costumes you're sewing involve fake fur. It's up my nose and all over the house, for who knows how long. Annabelle opted to be a magical unicorn. CJ went with Buddy the elf, from the iconic movie "Elf." Speaking of costume nightmares, can I share that Value Village has an entire aisle dedicated to clowns. Shudder. CJ seemed to think it was OK.
Today, we had all sorts of things going on at a Harvest Party. We made pumpkin patch cocoa rice cereal treats, Halloweenies (hotdogs cut into the shape of squids atop a bed of orange noodles), spider bite (sriracha) deviled eggs, plus some fruity 'candy corn.'
And we made some fun Pokeballs by dipping apples in candy melt and using cut 'sugar sheets' black and white as accents.
