Halloween 2010

Another Halloween, Luster's Mill style! Thanks to the Hobarts for the hay wagon and the Wilson's for the party locale. This is clearly our best neighborhood holiday! We hit the 15 or so houses here as a group, sparing folks the endless doorbell ringing, and finish up with the now annual Haunted House and homebrew drinking at the Wilson's.

This year, after the dads scared the pants off the kids, the kids took over and ran the adults through the haunted house.  The Wilson's do it up big and they must almost certainly have the biggest collection of Halloween paraphernalia that I've ever seen - light up skulls, framed pictures with blinking eyes, brains in jars, chains, theme towels...you get the idea!

Pumpkin carving

Spencer handing out candy at our stop

In our matched set of battery-powered "target detecting" tshirts that sense other tshirts in the vicinity

At an adult "beverage station" along the way

Grant the author/composer

Last week, Grant's 3rd grade teacher and summer drama camp leader, Alicia Lloyd, came to the house to hear Grant share the series of stories he had been writing about "Fluffy".   According to Grant, Fluffy is an oversized cotton ball-looking creature. He loves junk food and has a hamburger girlfriend. He has a lot of funny stories.

Grant, Ms. Lloyd, and Trixie

Grant has been a writing machine, churning out episodes and Fluffy-themed songs. Ms. Lloyd said one of the songs was so catchy, the whole 3rd grade class was singing it for a week.  She convinced him to work on the company song for the play next summer.  We downloaded some software and he has been composing away.

Homecoming 5K

We seem to have a flurry of activity from Spencer's corner of the universe lately!  He participated in the Homecoming 5K on the hilly cross-country course and put in a solid effort, finishing strong. Coach Jake was on hand to encourage him.

Anxiously awaiting the start, checking the GPS watch!

Hanging with the Homecoming King and Queen

Up the final hill

Finished!

With Coach Jake

Spencer's Together We Can Reflections Project

Here is Spencer's submission for the PTA's art contest.  He entered the photography category, writing the following:

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Together We Can

I created these figures from small discarded components from electronics and computers.

My photos show a group of robots working together to make a community on Mars. The scenes (clockwise from top left) show them: first arriving; taking first steps; building shelter; and meeting to create government. It would take robots with different skills, abilities, and sizes to do the tasks to develop a Martian community.

Our communities also need lots of different people to make them function well. Just like the robots, together we can have strong communities, especially if we understand and value differences.

Figures, staging, and photography by Spencer Martin
Grade 5, Harding Avenue Elementary School

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Spencer's Virginia Regions project

Pumpkin Hunting

We tried out a new pumpkin patch this year after the disappointment last year when we discovered the pumpkins had been purchased and scattered in a field, not actually grown there. This year we went to Joe's Trees in Newport who are branching out into Pumpkins. They had a whole little fall festival thing going on with vendors and activities and we enjoyed the beautiful drive out 42!

Blacksburg XC 2.5K

The boys ran in a local 2.5K (about 1.5 miles) for elementary school students on the hilly grassy terrain of the new Blacksburg Cross Country Course. That morning had been an invitational High School meet and so the whole race setup was in place. They got to run with bib numbers, go with the starter's gun, run along flags, and come through the big finish arch and chute.

Grant had a soccer game that morning and Spencer had a pretty tough workout at the gym so both were a bit low on energy reserves, but they did a heck of a job! Grant ran just under 13 minutes, finishing 13th out of 40 and Spencer was around 20 minutes.

One thing's for sure, there is this look of a spent runner coming through the finish that is the same whether you are 8 or 80!  I was impressed by the intensity of these kids!