Intermission

Halloween is over. And today will start our celebration for Los Dios de Los Muertos, (The Days of the Dead). So, until we complete our fun times, take pictures and gather stories to tell, I thought I'd better have an intermission feature.

So, here's the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, California. The photos were taken as we cruised the area in our friends 39' Sea Ray, also pictured. As I searched for these pictures, I had the bright idea of going back and visiting our dear friends again this year and have another outing on the boat. Looks like a lot of fun.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos, and I'll see you back here in a day or so with a fabulous spread about the spirits that visit us tonight.

There you have it. An intermission from the usual. Thanks to all that visit here. Have a wonderful day.

Peace

Happy Halloween 2010

Hope your day is fun. Happy Halloween from Spadoville.

The wonderful carving artistry by the Spadoman kids

Peace, (and a little mayhem since it's Halloween)

Dagwood of My Own

Haiku My Heart Friday
October 29, 2010

Haiku My Heart Friday is the creation of my friend Rebecca. To see more haiku, visit recuerda mi corazon

Bacon turkey swiss

Tomato avocado

On toasted rye bread

This Haiku was easy to write. The ingredients of my Dagwood style sandwich had the right amount of syllables. I don't always eat like this. Sometimes I eat just vegetables and no meat at all. This was a great tasting sandwich. I like being a little whimsical today as I am in a great mood.

Do you remember the Blondie and Dagwood comic strip? Dagwood was known for these fantastically large snadwiches, so much so, that a stacked one like mine carries his Moniker. I didn't have any garlic stuffed green olives to skewer with a tinsel tipped toothpick for the topper. I'll have to get some of those.

The Days of the Dead are just around the corner, Monday and Tuesday to be exact, November 1st and 2nd. Some blogger friends of mine are going to Mexico to visit folk art galleries and enjoy the celebration. I wish them all a great wonderful adventurous journey. A part of my heart will be with them.

In case you missed it, you're invited here if you want to come. You can read about it in the post below this one.

Click once or twice to enlarge

Have a wonderful time in Mexico friends. The rest of you have a wonderful time where ever you are.

Peace to all

Los Dios de Los Muertos, The Days of the Dead

This beautiful quilted artwork was given to us by a very dear friend

My favorite time of the year is quickly approaching, and I’ve never been so busy. Some short trips, remodeling projects at my daughter’s and here at home and planning for, what we feel, is our favorite holiday, Los Dios de Los Muertos, or translated to English, The Days of the Dead.

Sounds Macabre, but it is a simple celebration, really. It comes from Mexico. On November 1st every year, it is said that the spirits of our loved ones have a chance to return into our world, as spirits, and visit us. We have many loved ones that no longer walk this earth, and our first born daughter Maggie is among them.

An Ofrenda at our home from years past

In the old tradition, family members and friends would gather on November 1st and go to the graveyard. They would sit there all night and “visit” these spirits. They would retire at daybreak back to their homes and have a great feast. The holiday took place over two days, November first and second. Here is a very good site with a description and the history of The Days of the Dead.

There is usually some music

For us, it was a simple stumbling that brought us into the idea that a celebration of our daughter’s life would be appropriate. Maggie passed before us in June of 1991. She died in an auto accident. Later that year, while I was working at a job that gave me November and April off, I took the kids out of school, packed up the family and did a massive 8000 mile road trip.

And plenty of fellowship and food

On this road trip, we passed through Los Angeles to visit friends. While there, we came across this fiesta in the Old Town Square Plaza of Los Angeles along Alameda Street. There were displays set up depicting pictures of people, saintly statues and whimsical bone skeleton figures. We read about these displays and had our first look at a Los Dios de Los Muertos celebration.

Another Ofrenda

We liked the idea. In our own culture, we would go visit the grave site of our loved ones in the cemetery, but didn’t have a party. This was a full out gathering of friends and family complete with great food, music, laughter and some tears. The decorations are colorful and full of whimsy. My daughter loved theatrical arts, her doll skeleton had her on stage, a place where she loved to be when she walked this earth, in a bright red dress for all to see. A few years later, we lost Bobby, Maggie's boyfriend. He was sure to be my son-in-law, but fate had different ideas. Now they are together at our celebration.

More food!

We love the idea that these spirits visit us. We recall their time here on earth with us. An alter is put up and pictures of our loved ones are placed there. We also put things they might have liked along with them. My daughter always has Diet Coke and Nacho Cheese Doritos. My Mother-in-Law has a pack of Pall Malls and a Schlitz. You get the idea. We always put water, salt and bread on this alter. The spirits need these things to travel.

For us, we gather every year, always on November First. Even if it falls on a weekday, like it does this year, we do it on the first. It’s nice and many more people show up when it happens that November First is a Saturday night, but Monday it will be this year and Monday we will celebrate. People will come and bring pictures and mementos for the altar. They will bring food and we will share each others company for however long they want to stay.

Maggie and Bobby take center stage

We leave our alter up for about a week. Here are a few photographs of the alters we have prepared over the years and the tables full of food. As you can see, it is a celebration. Sure, we are sad that our daughter and others we have lost through the years are not amongst us any longer, but for this night, they could be in the next room, frolicking and having a great time right along with us.

And still another

This is what we do here in Spadoville. 2010 will be the 19th time we open our home for Los Dios de Los Muertos. We learned about it in 1991 and started our own fiesta in 1992. I invite you all to attend. If you can’t make it and want a loved one remembered at our ofrenda, (altar), send me a picture and I’ll make sure it has a place. We have done this in the past, and those that have sent me a photo, I want you  to know that I save these photographs and put them up year after year.

If you have any questions about The Days of the Dead, consult the links above or search it out on the web. I hope you are receptive to our tradition and come on over, or be here in spirit, along with the spirits of those we no longer see amongst us.

Double Click it to enlarge

May peace prevail on Earth

Peaceful Southwestern Mission

Shadow Shot Sunday
October 24, 2010

Shadow Shot Sunday is a fun meme that emanates from Australia. To see more fabulous Shadow Shots and find out how you can participate, see Hey Harriet.

In September, I took a motorcycle trip to New Mexico. I rode in the mountains as I usually get down that way in Winter and never get to cruise the likes of Taos, Angel Fire, Espanola or the Carson National Forest because of the snow and cold.

The shadow shot above was taken in the morning. The sun was shining brightly and the steeple of this little mission caught my attention as I was slowly riding by on a two lane rural road. The photos below are of the front of the church and a side shot again showing the shadow of the cross. I love this type of architecture, especially the coloring.

Peace

The Water Calls

Haiku My Heart Friday
October 22, 2010

See more Haiku My Heart at Rebecca's recuerda mi corazon blog.

Mother Earth life blood

Gently cleansing rocks stones and sand

Rhythm feeling love

I'm drawn to the water. Some people are drawn to other natural features of our Sacred Earth Mother, but me, the water. I tried living on the Western Slope. Beautiful weather, but something was lacking in my life. I would forget to look up at the mountains as my eyes cast straight ahead seeking the water. The river flowed by, but that wasn't the same. I craved the big lake they call Gitche Gumee.

We left after only 15 months, returning to Superior. Drinking the water, feeling it, cleansing our crystals. Glad to have had the experience, yet so relieved to return. This experiment was in 1994, after the life changing tragedy, searching for something that was there, by the water.

More on this thought soon on these pages as the time the Spirits will fly around and visit approaches. We're getting ready for Los Dios de Los Muertos here in Spadoville.

Peace to all

Monday Mystery Tour, October 18, 2010

Logo for the Proviso East High School Pirates mascot

I've been away for a few days and I want to mention a little something about my trip. I went down to the Chicago suburbs and met up with a few old friends from high school. Not a school reunion as they go, but rather a few people, some who knew some better than others, but friends from school more or less. 2010 saw Proviso East High School commemorating 100 years of existence with an all-school reunion. There were some activities, but no one I knew was planning to go. Then one of my friends, a great gal named Kathy, rounded up some folks and got us to gather at the 2010 Homecoming football game and escape to a local hangout after.

My high school Alma Mater in Maywood, IL

Proviso ended up losing the contest against Morton, 28 to 14, but we had fun cheering and visiting in the stands. I knew there was going to be a gathering and I wanted to go, but waited until the last minute to decide I was actually going. When I got a couple of calls asking if I would be there, I quickly threw a few things in a bag and jumped in the Focus. I made the 7+ hour trip on Friday and arrived on Saturday morning after a motel stop in Janesville, WI.

Saturday morning I had breakfast at a place I hadn't eaten in since probably 1967, the Harlo Grill. I lived less than a block from Harlo. In the early days, my Mom would give me a dollar and I would get a hamburger, fries and a chocolate malt and have change. Harlo opened its doors in 1953. I would get to eat lunch "out" about once a month. I always went to the Harlo Grill.

Harlo Grill on North Avenue in Melrose Park, IL

The breakfast was so-so, for sure not as big and hearty as I remembered, but the place looked the same. I enjoyed the nostalgic return to my old neighborhood and just walking into the place brought back a flood of memories of my childhood as I lived in Melrose Park pretty much since I was two years old. I didn't leave until I got drafted in 1968.

From Harlo Grill, I cruised where I lived and where I went to elementary school. I went to the cemetery to see the new headstones that were placed for my Mom and Dad. My Mom passed this past year. Dad has been gone for quite some time. I said hello to their spirits and snapped a picture of their markers.

An old friend called, a fellow I have known since third grade. We met for lunch at a place of his choosing and talked for a couple of hours. I probably hadn't seen Marc since high school. It was a grand visit as we rekindled our friendship. After that, I fought traffic and made my way to my Alma Mater, Proviso East High School, home of the Pirates.

I navigated my way to the grandstands and looked for my friends. It was then that I saw Kathy, the great ring leader and organizer, standing and waving at me. I climbed up the stands and was greeted by a cheer. I just couldn't believe where I was and what I was doing and who I was with. A little overwhelmed, I settled in and started talking non-stop with people I remembered, remembered me or didn't remember except for their name.

Some friends I met at the Homecoming game. The people here might look a little old, but we were all young at heart this particular Saturday afternoon

Folks started to peel off and head to the gathering place right after the celebrated Proviso East High School marching band performed. They were great! Marching, dancing and drumming. I failed to take a picture or get the motion picture function on my camera to chronicle the event, but here is a stock photo of the band showing the blue and white school colors.

Proviso East High School Marching Band, 2009

We went to a local watering hole called Doc Ryan's in Forest Park. When I got drafted in 1968, the induction center was in Forest Park. I felt like I completed a big circle to return here after almost 43 years. We stood around and talked, drank and nibbled appetisers for a few hours. Folks started to peel off and I found myself left with about a half dozen old friends. Since we decided no one wanted to attend the huge expensive all-school reunion banquet at a fancy hotel, people made other plans for Saturday evening. I left for home.

During my drive, my cell phone rang and it was Kathy, the school chum that planned the small impromptu gathering. She wanted to know if I had a good time. I gave her a resounding thumbs up and thanked her. The next morning when I got home, I found a message on my Facebook page from Kathy and some new "Friend" requests from my old classmates. All in all a very nice weekend and some memories galvanized in my mind. Next time they get together might be some time away, but I plan on being there. I wonder why I waited so long to get involved, but that's no matter. I found that even if it was just a few of the 900 plus in our graduating class, I was remembered, and I remembered them. We are all aging together and still laughing at ourselves from an era long ago.

Overall, I had a great time of it. I have never attended a reunion of any kind. I was delighted to be asked to attend and honored to be back amongst folks I attended high school with from what seems like a very long time ago.

Peace