The annual Texas-style Bar-b-que provided by the Wilcox clan (aka the clown family:) was the neighborhood event of the season, as always. Matt outdid himself, starting the brisket 24 hours before the gathering; it paid off as hands down the best brisket ever! The costumes in the “hood” were so creative, each and every one; however Mamou had a few favorites. The bear has a neighborhood history as one of the neighbors found a bear cub in their basement window well recently. The momma bear was nearby trying to get her cub out while animal control was called in the middle of the night. By the time authorities arrived, momma and cub were long gone. A few days later, Mamou put the garbage can out the night before collection. Bad idea! The next morning our garbage was up and down the street. The bear apparently enjoyed leftover coffee grounds and a bit of leftover potatoes (raw no less:). Mamou came as a Winter Park carpenter, which I aspire to be in my next life since they now charge more than brain surgeons. The little astronaut named Cameron was a hit, reminding me of our favorite Clear Lake astronaut (for real) Ken Cameron, comander of a Muir docking mission back in the day.

Ika did the decor, and it was amazingly creative as usual. Matt spent most of the night carving up brisket and handing out drinks. Considering the fact that he would be getting up at 3:30 the next morning for a 5 am flite, he was the host with the most. Fortunately Halloween fell on a Monday night, so all retired early. Mamou put the kids to bed while Matt and Ika cleared the tables. It was a bit of work for all, but so worth it.

Not to be outdone, my hometown Granby had a celebration as well. My neighborhood is mostly second homes for skiing and retirees (like me:) One of the neighbors put out a message for all the kids to come to their house offering to drive them around in the pickup, while neighbors who were there posted their addresses so the kids could find the treats. It was kinda like a google scavenger hunt. We visited the weekend before, and took advantage of some really cool deco of the season.

As always, I can’t wait till next year. The kids will be a bit older, the costumes even more creative, and maybe by then Mamou (with any luck) can get a local carpenter lined up to prepare the Granby place for Halloween. In the meantime, Bo and Hanna are looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving with Swedish and American cuisine combined!