Halloween Costumes

Last night, like so many others, we walked around begging for candy from neighbors. We did so well bringing home the loot that I suspect we live in a development full of ruthless dentists.

When I say we, I mean me and the little guys, Gregory and Katerina. Gregory was dressed up as the recently quite popular pirate, looking for all the world what I'd picture a young Wesley in The Princess Bride may have looked, but judge for yourself:

Katerina, meanwhile was a rag doll, but had no idea why people were asking her if she was Raggedy Ann. I guess she'd never been introduced to the doll after which her costume was modelled. Here she is:

We were also joined by Katerina's friend, Muye, but I don't have a picture of her because I only took a couple of photos at home. She looked quite good as the Queen of Camelot. She told Gregory who she was dressed as, and he exclaimed, "The Queen of Camels! Ha!" A piratical view of things, indeed.

Elizabeth spent the evening at a friend's house, disinclined to have a costume, but happy to have a good reason to further indulge her make-up obsession to create spiderweb eyes. She sent me this picture of her with friends:

Fright Fest at Six Flags

Last night, I took "the little guys" to Fright Fest at Six Flags. I'm really feeling pretty good about getting season passes!

Despite it being chilly and windy, we got out there with (most of) another family, Kevin and his two kids, Preston and McKenna. It was dark, so I didn't really get much in the way of good pictures, but here's one of the four of them lounging around one of the Halloween displays.




We went into the haunted house as the first thing we did there, and it scared the bejeezus out of the three younger ones. Katerina was quite as scared, but it started to get to her by the end, too. Particularly scary for them was being chased out of the final room by a madwoman swinging an actual, running chainsaw (sans chain.)

There weren't many rides to go on, but there was some trick-or-treating, a really bad Monster Mash show, and the Prop Room was open. That's a big room with thousands of little Nerf-like balls and stuff like air-burst ball launchers. I was standing there watching the kids run around and throw balls around when I got hit in the back of the head with a ball. It didn't hurt, it was just startling, so I didn't really care. Then a moment later, I got hit in the back of the head again. It was too directed to not be intentional. I waited about ten seconds, then whipped around and caught some little kid trying to look innocent, about to throw another ball at me.

Trying to be a good sport, I spent the next ten minutes following him around and trying to pelt him with balls, too, apparently to his great amusement. I thought I had him cornered on a platform up a few ramps near the top of the big room, but he flung himself down a slide I hadn't even realized was up there. I tagged him a couple times, though mostly, he was pretty good at eluding me by going in areas not really conducive to adults. And then he left with his mother, who probably would have been none too pleased with him (or perhaps with me) and also probably has no idea that she's raised a hellion.

Leaving after 9pm, there was the usual whining about not wanting to leave, but the park was going to close anyway, so apparently the trip was a winner for the kids.

Billy Goat Trail Hike

It's been awhile since I went hiking, but I managed to pull one off this past Saturday. I went with Olympia, Gregory, Katerina, and Buck to the Billy Goat Trail, Section A in particular. The trail runs along the Great Falls section of the Potomac River and starts at a trailhead that's only a twenty minute drive from my house.

The Maryland bank has huge rock piles along the edge of Mather Gorge.

Mather Gorge

While the complete circuit is only about 3.8 miles, I ended up as exhausted as on the eight mile hikes I did last year. Some of that is probably from being a bit of a slacker when it comes to exercise lately, but the difficulty of clambering over boulders also had a lot to do with it. However, unlike Cunningham Falls, where I went with Gregory earlier in the year, this hike raised my liking for the Maryland outdoors.


Potomac River

Olympia (with some occasional help from me or Buck) spent a fair amount of the hike helping Gregory up or down the most rugged terrain, although the following picture certainly suggests it wasn't so hard she couldn't get a glamorous smile in at the same time.


Olympia, Helpin' and Grinnin'

It was also nice to have a chance to hang out with Buck outside of the office.


Buck on a Rock

About two thirds of the way through the hike, there's an "emergency exit" that takes hikers that are too tired back to the towpath that leads back to the trailhead along the canal. Olympia took the kids that way, while Buck and I pushed on to what ended up being the much rougher last third. I slipped at one point and came down really hard on my shin on a rock outcropping, turning a hunk of it into a nasty hamburger looking wound that required a stop to clean off some blood and use (for the first time since I bought it) the first aid kit I always carry on hikes. I don't have a picture of that, although Buck took one I probably won't share once I get a copy.

Oh, no activity involving photography and Katerina would be complete without her getting her chance to pose, so here's one of her:


Katerina and the Muddy Creek Bed

All in all, this was a good time, about four hours out in the hot, summer sun. It's a strenuous hike and probably was a bit much for Gregory, but I recommend this one to anyone that can go.

That's a Seven-Year-Old?

Elizabeth bought a pair of black platform boots from Hot Topic, wore them once, and decided she didn't like them after all. She's selling them on eBay. She tried taking some photos of herself wearing them, but they didn't come out very well, so Katerina offered to model them. They dressed her in a short skirt, fishnet stockings, and the boots - Elizabeth got three great pictures.

Katerina decided all the poses herself and they came out so cute! You also can't tell it's a seven-year-old modeling the boots. Here's the listing.

Katerina meets a snake at a school Reptile Day.