I always have so much fun carving pumpkins for Halloween. Last year I went with a musical theme by carving artwork from Samhain and The Misfits. This time I decided to redo my Jack Skellington with an awesome white pumpkin I found. I think it turned out pretty good!
I then carved a bunch of smaller pumpkins before I tackled another large one. For this last one, I wanted to do something a little different. I used the stem as the nose and carved out round eyeballs. The mouth had tons of teeth. Surprisingly, I didn’t knock out any of the teeth while carving them all out individually!
In New York, it was against the law to play with fireworks in the county we lived in. Here in Washington, it is legal between 11am and 11pm only on July 4th.
So earlier this week Jennifer and I went to one of those fireworks stands that seemed to pop up at almost every parking lot in the area. Luckily the first one we went to was being run by some very friendly people. I explained to the guy that I was a fireworks newbie. He was very patient and spent quite awhile explaining everything to me.
I ended up going with his recommendation. I got the “Big Timer”. It was a package deal that came with a wide variety of fireworks. Plus he gave me a huge discount. I also picked up sparklers and some of those things that pop when you throw them on the ground.
The movie above is of Jennifer launching her first set of fireworks. I like when she says “Do I light it and run?”
Our neighborhood really gets into the 4th of July celebration. It was like a war zone. Every few seconds there were fireworks going off all around us! In the movie you can here them going off in the background.
It took a few hours, but when we ran out of fireworks we had some fun with the sparklers. I ended up getting some pretty cool pictures.
I had such a great time. I can’t wait until next year!
Last night I went to the annual Fort Lewis Bodybuilding Show. Lots of people showed up to check out some of the amateur bodybuilders from the area. I was excited to see some of the men and women compete from one of the gyms I frequent. Well, I was thoroughly impressed! It takes a lot of courage to get up on stage.
The first group up was the men over 40. One competitor was 67! Another was a father who’s son was also competing later that night. In the picture above is a mother over 40 years old! Seeing all these people is proof that great fitness is possible at any age! Whether it’s weight lifting, running, biking or whatever else you might choose.
It’s not just about looking good. It’s also about being grateful for the body you have by taking care of it. It’s about investing in your health and fitness. It’s about staying fit so you can live a long healthy life. It’s about seeing your children and grandchildren grow old. It’s about being alive long enough to pass the wisdom that you learned onto the next generations.
I don’t want to deprive my future family from having a “grandpa” or even a “great grandpa” from running around!
