Happy Halloween

I like Halloween. Over the years, we have dressed our kids up as pumpkins, dinosaurs, witches, ghouls, soldiers, princesses, and vampires.

But tonight, for the first time, all of our kids will be going somewhere else to celebrate. Our teenage daughters have a "teenager party", and our son is going to his best friend's house to trick-or-treat.

That means my wife and I will celebrate at home alone. Maybe we'll watch a scary movie or tell ghost stories...like this one.


There are fields in our town near Gary's farm. People say that during the Revolutionary War there was a young man who lived near that farmland. He was in love with a girl from town.

She loved him too, and they decided to get married. But the war intervened, and he went to fight the British. He was a good soldier and fought hard. Even so, he was killed in battle. She was heartbroken. But after many years, she found someone else and married.

If you are near those fields at night, don't linger in the moonlight. You'll likely meet up with that young soldier if you do. His ghost is said to haunt those fields as he is still searching for his girl.

Utah Canyons

I took my son to Utah for the weekend. We went to visit my brothers, go to a BYU Football game, and see the mountains.

After arriving at my brother's home, he offered to take us to a nearby canyon for a quick hike. I couldn't believe that the start of the hike was only 5 minutes away.

We started up the trail and came across this small glade of trees.


A little further down the path, we crossed a small bridge.


And finally came to a rushing waterfall.

It was a little cold to stand under the water, but maybe someday we'll go there in the summer and swim.

Maple trees

We have some very old maple trees in the front yard with leaves that turn yellow and orange this time of year. I like to look out the kitchen window in the morning and see the sunlight streaming through the leaves.

Of course, after I look at colorful leaves on the branches, I can't help but look at the ground. Pretty soon, it will be time to rake.

Misc Japanese Food

I got back from Tokyo on Saturday and am only now starting to get over the jet lag. During the week, I had some great meals with people from work. The picture above is some sashimi (raw fish) at a dinner. It tasted quite good, but I wasn't interested in the raw scallops.

At a different dinner, we sat cross legged on tatami mats in an enclosed room. By the end of the dinner, by legs were feeling a little numb. I'm not as flexible as I used to be. The seafood pot was cooked at the table - kind of like a Japanese "fondue".


And finally, some friends took me to a great ramen place. We tried to get there before there was a line, but by 11:30am, the line stretched out of the door.

They put a spoonful of hot sauce in the bottom of the bowl before they fill it. The combination of spicy and ramen noodles was great.

The "Formal Dinner"

Tuesday night, I joined several colleagues for a formal dinner at Tofuya Ukai, a great restaurant located near Tokyo Tower. The picture above is the entrance and the one below is just inside the restaurant.


This was the kind of dinner where you are seated on opposite sides of a long rectangular table. The seating arrangement is quite important. The most senior (important) people are seated across from each other at the center point. And, there is always some quiet discussion about where to seat everyone else.

The food was exquisite. Each of the eight courses was created with both taste and visual interest in mind.

Eight courses and three hours later, I was definitely ready for a good night's sleep. Here is the menu and a couple of pictures:

• Boiled tender abalone & eggplant

• Deep fried Tofu with sweet miso sauce & egg custard

• Assorted sashimi

• Boiled crown daisy dressed with walnut sauce, Fried chestnuts,

dishes dressed with mushroom & grilled barracuda sushi

• Bean soup with Tofu

• Shiba braised pork belly

• Rice cooked with mushroom

• Wine-simmered pear

Grape Fruit

I arrived in Tokyo last night and didn't feel like eating out. Luckily, there is a supermarket in the Shinagawa train station. I walked in and saw a beautiful fruit display.

In Japan, apples, pears, and citrus are lovingly packaged. I decided against the Grape Fruit (see above) and picked out some nashi (Asian pear). They were next to a selection of perfect apples. Nashi are a fall fruit and taste like a pear with the crispness of an apple.


On my way out, I noticed a Halloween display with mini pumpkins and bags of candy. I had no idea that Halloween was celebrated in Japan.

Autumn Leaves

Years ago, we lived outside New York City. One autumn, we decided to get away, take a drive to Connecticut, and see the leaves.

I remember stopping the car and taking a picture of a Sugar Maple at the peak of color. The leaves of the Sugar Maple have all of the fall colors in a single leaf. So when the sun shines on them, they look like they are on fire.

Now, we tell our kids that people come from all over to see the leaves on our street (like the ones above).

And I get my leaf peeping every day when I drive to the office. The home below is in Concord and is one that I look forward to seeing every year.

What I learned about Las Vegas

I had a meeting in Las Vegas this week. I flew in and out of the city in 12 hours. As we flew in over Nevada, I took the above picture.

During my brief stay, I learned the following:

• Not so many trees in Nevada, but a beautiful western landscape
  
• The adults arriving in Vegas are as giddy as children going to Disney
• These adults can't stop giggling as they ride the rental car bus
• There is a replica of the Eiffel Tower down the road from a medieval castle which is down the road from a replica of the Manhattan skyline
  
• There are lots of buffets in Vegas
• People consume massive amounts of food in these buffets
• There are slot machines in all public places, and finally
  
• The adults leaving Las Vegas on the rental car bus are glassy eyed and quiet

Kashmir

The other day, we were talking with some friends about an Indian Restaurant in Boston. Talking about it turned to deciding that we all needed to go there.

A few weeks later, we met at our place, left the kids at home, bundled the 6 of us in the trusty minivan, and headed into Boston.

At the end of Newbury street, in the lower level of a brownstone, is a cozy Indian place called Kashmir. The food is excellent.

We ordered 2 Heer-Ranjha Dinners for Two which was more than enough for the six of us. From the soup to the Tikka Masala to the desserts, everything was wonderful.

Fall is Here!

What could be better than coming home to New England in the fall?

We are just entering the season. The leaves are beginning to turn, kids are back in school, and the mums are for sale. It has been rainy this week, but even on cloudy days, the colors are vibrant.