Sam Hood...

Here's a link to a slide-show of Sammy's 2010 Halloween photos...

Halloween 2010: The Neigbhor "Treating" Sammy...

This year, when Trick-or-Treating with Shannon, one of our neighbors gave them a real treat...

Halloween Friends and Family...

Mike, Mayo Brother #1, Mayo Brother #2, and Mark...

...we took them on a tour of the Mayo...

...Mike text-messaged his manager back East...

...his manager asked what he was doing at the Mayo...

...Mike replied, interviewing...

Mike and Mark with the obligatory corn cob portrait...

Pocahontas bailed on us and didn't go trick-or-treating...

Anne figures out Cathy's costume...

Diane's secret ingredient...

Sammy, Shannon, and good eats...

...and a ghost that only appeared in the photo...

Princess of the Night (Brianna),

The Dark Knight -- up way past his bed time,

and Tigger (Becca)...

Smile Diane, you're on Candid Camera!

Halloween Treats

Michele planned a ghoulish gallery of gastric grub for Halloween. We had over family and friends from as far away as Philadelphia (sadly, they aren't Yankees fans!). Michele put a lot of planning into it--and it showed. Diane helped quite a bit as well.

NutterButter cookies covered in vanilla candy with chocolate-chip eyes...

Bones made from Pillsbury bread stick dough...

Spider cupcakes with marshmallow scleras and M&M pupils...

Ghoulish brownies...

Olive monster eyes on mozzarella scleras and tomato slices...

Tomato soup, mozzarella/olive eyeballs, and bat croûtons...

Trick and Treat w/Shannon

The same as last year, this year Sammy went trick or treating with Shannon. Batman and Tuck the Turtle (crafted by Tom himself) braved the cold winds and hit the houses in our neighborhood.

Superheroes were rewarded for protecting the city...

A giant bumblebee gave gifts to our heroine and hero...

Support your local superhero...

Tom, Linda and Shannon...

...and Tom's Halloween costumery...

Sammy's Day Care Halloween Parade

This year, our Sammy was...

The Dark Knight

Anyone remember H.R. Pufnstuf?

The *Brave* Man in the Yellow Hat...

Stories...

Front row from left to right:
GI Joe, Fireman, SpiderGirl, Fairy, Dark Knight, Harry Potter, Raven Girl
Second row:
Barb, Monkey, Pam, Grandma Sherry, Kathy

Pumpkin Hunting 2009...

Today we went hunting for pumpkins. Sammy is still in his "super-hero" stage, so he wore his red rain boots, Superman shirt, and cape to pick out pumpkins.

Faster than a speeding bullet...

more powerful than a locomotive...

and able to choose a pumpkin in 30 minutes...

Sam prepares to take flight...

Sam selects one of the final candidates...

He's Perpetual Motion Man...

Pumpkin hunting 2008...

Back in September we went pumpkin hunting. Here are a few snapshots...

Sammy shows his super-human strength...
...he was juggling those three pumpkins...
...but we didn't get the camera out in time...

So many to choose from...

Sammy posing on a saddle...
...which he was very reluctant to get off of...
...very...

We took a tour of the apple orchard...

Yes, it is what it looks like...
...so far as we could tell...
...a large tree growing out of an old silo...

Serendipitously, there was this sign at the orchard...

Sam-o-lantern...

Sammy's Grandma D is here visiting (while recovering from an operation at the Mayo) and helped him carve pumpkins earlier this week.

Sammy explains his technique...

"I envision the final work of art and just remove the excess to release it."

Sammy working the pumpkin...

Grandma D and Sammy celebrate Halloween spirit with his trademark "silent scream"

Boo!

Son & father...

You got a friend in me...

Sammy was the Lone Ranger for Halloween this year. His friend Shannon was an astronaut. She and her parents (also known as Linda & Tom) came over tonight for some trick-or-treating. When they stood next to each other, it was kind of like "Toy Story" with Buzz(ette) Lightyear and Woody.

Both Shannon and Sammy had a great time trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. The weather was perfect...dry, in the 60s...the leaves were crunchy under our feet.

Shannon and Sammy-er--the Lone Ranger...

They tend to get silly when together...

A picture perfect evening for Halloween...

Getting the candy...

The pleasant Plum Witch presented peanut butter candies while the postiched puppy played...

Comparing their loot...

Who was that masked man?

The Lone Ranger Rides Again...

When asked what he wanted to be for Halloween, Sammy did not hesitate: The Lone Ranger

"Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear..."

The Lone Ranger participated in Sammy's annual day care Halloween parade...

The Lone Ranger paused before embarking on another adventure...

He told his mother how he would brave the scary castle to rescue the Princess of Rochester...

The scary castle that the Lone Ranger faced to rescue the Princess of Rochester...

Even the Lone Ranger is human...
...briefly he recoiled in fear before overcoming it...

After rescuing the Princess of Rochester, Sammy told her of his heroic adventure...

The gracious and grateful princesss grabbed and grasped the Lone Ranger in a thankful hug...