gunpowder, treason and plot

remember, remember the 5th of november!

bonfire night/guy fawkes day is one of my favourite english traditions – one that i vowed to continue in america. my first november back from the mission i burned a tiny cardboard effigy with my roommies, and last year kelsey and i hosted a stellar bonfire celebration on ocean beach. we were excited for months to have another beach bonfire this year, but at the last minute we had to move indoors thanks to rain. nevertheless, our celebration of the failure of the gunpowder plot of 1605 was a smashing success.

we made this lovely effigy of the wicked man himself, i pulled out my union jack paraphernalia, and we started a blazing fire in the fireplace at my house.

i made “triffle shots” with genuine english custard my friend graham sent to me from across the pond (and with berries, angel food cake and whipped cream).
i was kind of obsessed with how cute and yummy they turned out.

we liked introducing guy, our terrible traitor, to our many guests:

roommates with guy

kelsey and i read the story of the gunpowder plot and then made everyone chant the traditional poem with us. once we were sufficiently riled up, i threw him in the fire, and his head popped immediately!
then we headed out to the backyard for sparklers and other fireworks under the clearing night sky:

the best part of the party was that right after we came inside, the windows filled with blue and red because the cops showed up! we didn’t get in too much trouble. we were bummed about having to move inside, but it turned out to be such a lovely, fun, cozy, wonderful night. down with guy fawkes, and here’s to a brilliant celebration!

a spookily wonderful brand of eerie magic

 

after work on november second, i rode my bike to 24th street and mission and into another world. the celebration of dia de los muertos – day of the dead – was in full swing and the atmosphere was thick with a spookily wonderful brand of eerie magic. i love love love this event. in keeping with latino culture, this day is set apart to remember and revere those who have passed on, and the mission district of san francisco throws a pretty rad party. i met up with my friend krissy, whose facepaint turned me and steph into skeletons, as that weirdly beautiful magic wafted around us. the energy on the streets during the day of the dead is so unique – a mix of sacred, edgy and exciting – mystic, dead and spine-tingly alive.

there is a procession which all can watch and/or join in on. most everyone carries a candle and many carry pictures of loved ones who have passed on. one of the best parts of this event is seeing what kinds of incredibly cool costumes and creations people have come up with. music fills the streets and people dance, march and twirl down the road to the varying beats.

 

after the procession we headed to a park where all the altars were set up. there were candles galore, including many hanging from branches and over the paths, flowers and notes and pictures and presentations set into the trees and arranged in the grass. it was so beautiful and felt so sacred. i loved the hallowed feeling there. we meandered through the crowds and memorabilia and everyone spoke hushed and everything was gleaming soft in the night.

we ate amazing, huge burritos with our faces still dead at a hole-in-the-wall taqueria and chatted about which things we saw that we liked the best. the ghosts of the streets continued passing outside, and salsa replaced face paint. i rode my bike home with salsa and paint on my face, and i felt so happy for a little trip to another eerily magical world.

halloweeny

i really, really love halloween. i think dressing up is so stinking fun. i feel like this year all the wonderful spookiness came and went too quickly! but - i did relish running by all the decorations in my neighborhood and selling halloweeny treats (ghosts made out of frosting, etc!) from the batter kiosk.

every year the berkeley singles’ ward puts on a huge halloween party that is not to be missed. my costume was thrown together at the last minute, but i think it turned out pretty awesome.

kelsey as a paper doll (what an adorable idea, huh?), krystle as sushi, katie as a flapper girl and me as a pretty legit cavewoman (thanks to kels who created the bone and ratted my hair with wild abandon). yes, i know i went a little overboard on trying to make myself look dirty.

this is quite the cast of characters, don’t you think?

i love how the spooky time of year feeds perfectly into the cozy time of year. on halloween itself, i dressed up as a witch for work in the kiosk (asian tourists loved taking pictures of me), and after work, i rode my bike to to a lovely halloween dinner at rachael’s. we enjoyed hot apple cider, butternut squash soup, seasonal salads, hand-dipped caramel apples, and a sparkly view of the city by the bay. very, very cozy.

riding bikes with dani

dani and i have riden bikes together in: provo, boston, new york city, the gaza strip, chaing mai (if you count a scooter), nauvoo, huntington beach, and probably one or two other places that i am forgetting. so when she came to visit me a few weeks ago, i took her bike riding through the napa vineyards.

it was the most gorgeous, sunny, warm day in napa valley and i couldn’t contain my excitement for all the beauty around us. a group of us (including jonathan, who dani and i went to jerusalem with, and his wife polin) cruised along marveling at the views and soaking up the sun. it was a splendid afternoon.

we had a picnic lunch by a lake and dani played the uke for us.

we stopped at a cute little pumpkin patch. the autumn afternoon light made me feel like we were in a fairyland.

we rode down these beautiful roads to a fabulous winery and an olive oil tasting place, where we got free oil and vinegar for playing/singing a ukulele song.

at the end of our ride, we stopped to check out the foliage up close, eat some tiny, delicious grapes right off the vine, and, you know, just frolic a bit down the rows.

   

it was a golden day of sensory delight.

 

also while dani was here:
-thai food
-a walk to the top of mt. davidson
-a sunday stroll along ocean beach
-showing her off to friends at church
-buying matching feather earrings at a random farmer's’ market
-a picnic in golden gate park
-chatting at jonathan and polin’s house
-wandering through the mission

i love this girl wherever we are in the world, and forever, ever.