St. Louis has its own unique Halloween customs, dating back who knows how long.  One really charming custom is to gather at little bonfires along the streets for trick or treating after dark.  Some streets even block off traffic and have a sort of quiet block party.  It’s very neighborly.  This year the weather was perfect, sunny and not very cold, and very pleasant at night under a bright moon, with lots of t-or-t-ers.

Stacey and S are in town for a brief kid exchange, so erev dinner and Halloween coincided, with lots of shifts and comings and goings.  S and I had a fun reunion.  He’s taller, and seems calmer.  He’s now back in a regular school, and seems to like it.  There was a lot to catch up on.

I made the challah sweet, with spices.  Dinner was Asian-style fish, jasmine rice, and fresh greens from the garden.

E and a friend joined us for a while and then went to a party.  Stacey took K to an appointment, then they rejoined us.  Avdi took Y to a party, then S out trick or treating.  I got to hold down the fort with Stacey and K, and hand out treats to kids of all ages (some treats may have been consumed by us).  Another custom is to tell a joke in exchange for treats, so there were a lot of bad jokes!

This amazing thing happened during the day while S and I were hanging out–a couple of young deer strolled right through the front yard!  I even managed to catch some photos.