Dia de los Muertos

Saturday evening we drove to New Haven for the Dia de los Muertos celebration.  The parade and evening celebration is an annual remembrance of deceased loved ones.  Jorge, Sue, friend Alicia, and I made traditional masks on Thursday night to wear during the parade.  Many skeletons, huge "spirit" puppets, children in costumes, and adults wearing masks paraded along the streets in New Haven.  A Chinese dragon, the train La Bestia, and a car with loudspeakers for Mexican music were all part of the show.  New Haven police assisted at each intersection blocking traffic to allow the parade to pass.                           Above is Jorge on the left and Alicia on the right. l                                                                          

 This is Sue on a balcony where she was giving out paper lanterns.

 2 very well decorated puppets.  Each is carried by 3 people.  One person in the center carries the weight of the structure and the other 2 people wave the arms of the puppet.

Above photo, the person wearing the white hair and black jacket is me.  A better photo can be found on the website of New Haven Register,  the local newspaper.
    Photo to the left is the Phoenix bird, again carried and animated by 3 people.

 The Chinese Dragon getting started.  Photos on Jorge's Facebook are better.

Motorcycle rider with a skeleton passenger. He was great.

Parade is underway.  2 skeleton puppets, blue Dragon in the background, and many people walking along.

Late October

Temperatures were cold for several nights with frosty grass in the morning.  Sue harvested all the unripe tomatoes from her garden for Green Tomato Marmalade.  Saturday was unusually warm and sunny for early November so we had brunch on the porch.  Torta Fritas and toast with marmalade and blueberry preserves that she made this summer.   Yum,
yum !
    I used to walk out in the morning wearing one layer of clothing, a sun hat, and the binoculars.  Now its warm coat, fleece-lined hat, mittens, and boots.  Ugh.  Winter birds like Juncos are increasing.  Scenes like these are more common.  Leaves on shrubs and bushes are changing to red and yellow, as are the maples and oaks. 
    
 A spider web in a field.  Milkweed pods bursting full of seeds.

 Greater Yellowlegs in a coastal NH marsh.  Below, a White-tailed Deer stops to look at me.