Happy Halloween!

The girls selected and put together their own costumes this year: V is Wall-E (complete with a bug on her shoulder); E is the angel (thanks, Grandma, for the dress; we found the wings at the same shop). They also designed and drew their own pumpkin haunted houses. I used a jigsaw to cut out the big pieces, and they did their own shaving using a vegetable peeler; the old-style where the peeler actually has its own rounded end for scooping out potatoes' eyes.

We trick or treated the neighborhood, and, as per our tradition, handed out special treats to our neighbors and friends. This year: Angel food cake from the angel & DUSTED brownies from Wall-E. :)

We started November with a hike with friends on the relatively new Buchon Trail south of Montana de Oro State Park. This trail has been behind a locked gate for decades, but this year was the deadline for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant to make that section of the coast accessible to the public. We had to fill out waivers to gain access via the guard shack and there are lots of rules (basically, pedestrians only on very clearly marked trails bordered by electric fence), but it's a beautiful stretch of coastline and a VERY easy walk.