This Week's 🍂 FALL 🍁Flowers

The first fall flowers of the season. Note our neat coin there on the bottom right. It's from the Grand Canyon and is a carving of it from the perspective of the South Rim. Here is the back of that coin:

I love it. That is as true a statement as there ever was. I love Theodore Roosevelt and his commitment to the development and protection of our National Parks.

We have not yet decorated for fall. Toby brought home one lonely pumpkin last Sunday. That should all be remedied tomorrow afternoon. See? This is what happens. Life is so busy! Let's start our preparation for fall! (Even though I have a bumper crop of legal assignments that I need to see to.) 

We took Anthony to a Toy Show today in Dallas, which he loved and he scored some really great vintage toys. He was super happy.

After that, we headed to Arepa TX, which we love, and had a nice lunch. I bought some of the cornmeal they sell there that they use to make their arepas with an eye toward using it for "Halloween Tamales."

Yes, it's true. I make homemade tamales. I plan to post about that later in more detail, but I do. I was raised on the Mexican border and had access to "real" Mexican food, including tamales, which were a tradition during the Christmas season. Once in North Texas, I was quickly disappointed with what passes as tamales here. I learned to make my own - and they are VERY authentic. That may be my most involved cooking how-to post ever, but I think I'll give you all my secrets to authentic Christmas tamales this year. Stay tuned! 

Anyway, one year, Toby was jonesing for them, but I only made them at Christmas. It was in early October and I told him I'd make him "Halloween Tamales." Toby was ecstatic. A new Marks Tradition was born. I've not done them every Halloween, but this seems like the year to get back in the spirt of it all.

I hope your weekend is going well.

Thanks for reading!