We went trick or treating with friends tonight. Barkley was a trouper and kept her 'costume' on for the whole walk around the circle. The best bit though was a small tot backing away into daddy's legs saying 'that's a scary cat!"....:0)

Happy Halloween!

What better to do on a snowy sunday than build zombie cupcakes! Watch out, they eat brains.....

Snowtober....

If this is a sign of the winter to come, I say "Bring it On!"......hard to believe just a few weeks ago I was wearing shorts and t-shirts! I love the snow. Maybe i'll get over it after a few years, but for now, lots of snow this winter will mean I actually might have time to enjoy it this year (unlike last) and go snowshoeing, skiing and maybe even look up some dog mushing. Today is not the nice white fluffy snow though, it's wet and heavy and will turn into a mud pile in a few days i'm sure....but still, for now i'm enjoying seeing the white stuff coming down. 

Barkley, is not so sure. My little Hawaii girl was having more fun with the sticks blown from the trees than the white stuff, but again, it's really not the fun fluffy stuff just yet, so i'm hopeful. She did the same with rain to begin with here too, and now goes running out in it, so a little acclimation might be all that's needed. 

Snow coming down in the night. 

It doesn't look like it, but it is actually still snowing, and it's supposed to keep going until a little after mid day here. 

Miss Barkley, really not so sure....

Fall has fallen...

Did I mention we have snow predicted for tonight??

More Pumpkin Festival & AAUS Week

Finally getting around to catching up! A whirlwind few weeks to catch up on - the last few days of the pumpkin festival (the weather was fantastic!), the diving meeting (AAUS - the meeting and my talk went well), saying goodbye to Laura (:0(, accepting a 6 week teaching position in Woods Hole for SEA in January, papers, proposals and even looking at houses to buy (gulp). Whirlwind is very true. Next week Dad and Sanchia arrive too, so i'm scrambling to get a bunch done and dusted before they get here. Some photos from the last few weeks.....

The pumpkin catapult, flinging pumpkins into the river....:0)

The pumpkin canon....

....blasting the truck! 

As part of the diving meeting Laura and I went out to Monhegan, and I got to play with my camera a little more. 

Laura and a starfish! 

I still can't get enough of the number of lobsters you see around here! 

Sam, you're adorable....

It was so nice to finally meet you! 

Hanging out with Hawaii Peeps

It's been so wonderful to see Jenny, Doug and Hannah, and to meet little Sam. They left this morning for Portsmouth and then back to Hawaii. I miss them already! Luckily Laura is here for another week (yay!) and of course Miss Barkley, who was well behaved and is happily snoozing away on her bed after a few days of excitement. 

Hannah and I hanging out on the stairs. She's such a star, and so much more vocal than last time I saw her in April. 

Hannah and Mamma trying out Hannah's bed. 

Dadda and Sam, catching up with Outside magazine....:0)

Checking out the giant pumpkins at the Pumpkin Festival in town....

.....and the not so large pumpkins.....:0)

A sacked out Sam. He is totally adorable. 

We went down to the DMC and checked out the beach for a few hours. Hannah was in heaven with all the rocks, week and snails......and Barkley was in heaven with all the dead things to eat.....

Mamma, Dadda and Hannah

Looking at a crab cage. 

Hanging out in the canoe with Laura. 

Giant pumpkin carving! 

Giant Pumpkin carving! 

Laura watching the parade, after the family had headed on out. 

The parade

This one caught my eye......

Monhegan Diving

The week has flown by again! Saturday I went out on the boat to Monhegan and got in three awesome dives. The weather above was no so great, but the visibility below was great. I had my new underwater camera with me (the one that was for Alaska, but because of the lack of any visibility, never got wet!). The photos came out great, i'm really pleased. 

This week i've been under the weather for the last couple of days, not sure if i've picked something up or am just a little run down. Either way i'm taking it easy, because I have some fun times to come this week. Jenny, Doug, Hannah and Sam are coming to visit for a couple of days on Thursday, then Laura arrives from Hawaii on Friday for ten days! I'm so so excited and a little emotional about it, i've really missed them all. I really don't miss Hawaii. I miss my friends. 

Next week is a SCUBA diving conference here in Maine (which is why Laura is here), so it's going to be a busy few weeks. I'd better get my talk together sometime soon too.....

Alcyonium corals on an overhang at 20ft

Feeling crabby? There's a lobster in there too! 

So much color, I love cold water diving! Loads and loads of tiny starfish too! 

Lobster hiding away! 

Two of the students above us on a wall. 

Lots of bright red and green algae. 

Look at the eyeballs on this guy.....

Fields of bright green algae

A not so lucky lobster!

"Lobstah" - it's a Maine one, so the accent is apparently important....

Loads of old abandoned traps down deep (~80ft), all broken open but they still seem to attract fish and critters. 

Another trap. 

Doesn't seem like it in this photo, but this guy was a big'un!