Halloween 2009

Okay, this post is a special treat and thank you for American Power readers.

I periodically get requests to see family photos; but considering how much hate mail I get (or hate e-mails and comments at the blog), including occasional death threats, I've been careful with how much family information I post online. But yesterday my wife and I took our boys over to the local pumpkin patch, AND, my wife said it'd be okay to share some family pictures, so enjoy this: It might be a one time shot, or at least a once-in-blue-moon Douglas family photo-album.

Okay, that's yours truly below. We visit the Johnson Brothers Pumpkin Patch, which is an area tradition. After Halloween, the location goes up as a Christmas tree lot in mid-November. Lots of good stuff, including farm animals and pony rides:

I'm 5'10", so their "How Tall This Fall" sign is accurate. No measurement on the waist, but I'm a 36" in work khakis, although I'm totally saggin' in my Urban Pipeline shorts here [UPDATE: 8:00pm and doing a bit of laundry ... turns out I'm a 38" in the waist, as per my Nordstrom slacks for work tomorrow!]:

This is my youngest boy, 8, in one of the bounce houses. Ain't he a darlin'?

Here's the big turkey. The farm animals are out next to the pony rides:

She came out of their little barn for a drink of water. It's been hot in Orange County - Santa Ana wind-weather, in the mid-80s:

It felt good to be out and about:

Okay, here's the moment you've all been waiting for: The full family portrait! My oldest boy is 13. He's shy and didn't really want to take pictures. And that's my wife of 15 years. You've already met my youngest son at the bounce-house above:

Here's a couple of the headstones lining the side of the Haunted House area:

My oldest again, checking out some additional "grave markers." He's never without the iTunes headset:

Okay, back at home a bit later, my youngest is getting ready for Trick-or-Treating. He's "Optimus Prime," from Transformers 2:

My boys made these artsy-pumpkins a couple of weeks ago. We placed them on the front porch. Lots of parents took their very small children Trick-or-Treating. I love that (we had some big kids too, but the babies are so fun - they'll walk right in your front door and grab a whole bunch of candy from the bowl):

Remember when you were little?

No comment needed here - only a reminder to keep both your faith and your children close:

Holiday season's almost here, notwithstanding the hot temperatures. Here's wishing folks the best this season, with love from my home to yours.