A Happy Halloween break (Kauai posts tomorrow)

For each year that passed since moving here, Halloween has become less and less of a date to celebrate and more of a wake-up call to start organizing for the holiday season. I'll usually carve one pumpkin at the last minute and that's it, but this past weekend we picked up a themed cake and sicilian cannoli before popping over to my inlaws for the seasonal tradition of feasting on cassoeula - the heavy, hearty, gut-busting cabbage and pork dish that sits like a bomb in your stomach but makes you feel oh so satisfied after 2 or 3 helpings. Mamma always makes plenty so that we can take some home with us, and sometimes I'll stretch it a bit by adding stock and turning it into a thick soup when the forecast says snow.

So....funny that I should even let Halloween come and go without fuss as my neighbor just rang to invite us to a party. Cosa fai stasera? What are you doing tonight? When she asks me stuff point blank like that with an almost mischievious look on her face, I know that a wild party is about to take place. Oh, is that my Gemini party antennae quivering in anticipation? I better dust off the broom, iron my cape and ready myself for the river of alcohol that will be flowing tonight. Heck, maybe I'll even be coherent enough to pull off a few pictures.