Loose Strife

We had planned to go back to our old haunts in Northampton for trick-or-treating. Our old Northampton neighbor is famous for Halloween. Kids are trucked in from neighboring towns to go door to door and everyone loves it. But Laura was sick and worried about leaving the house. So we changed plans. I took the kids to town (Ashfield) where maybe a 100 local children sort of paraded down Main St, led by a hearse and fire truck, stopping at the dozen or so house and shops for candy. The event finished with donuts and cider for everyone at the fire station, a haunted house for the brave kids (not mine!), and a costume contest at town hall.
If there wasn’t enough evidence that my daughters are cut out of different molds, now there is for sure. Lily hesitated to walk to the doors for treats and didn’t like the ugly costumes, but squealed with delight whenever she spotted one of her new friends — of which there were many. Naomi was in her element: pointing with glee at every new costumed character and striking up conversations with strangers, doing a 2-year-old’s best effort at sprinting to the next doorstep at the sight of another candy bowl, and eagerly climbing up the red carpet steps to wave to the crowd at the costume judging. A few more pics in the photo album.