Halloween ...... just around the corner!

Here we are, mid-way through the fall and Halloween is just around the corner. If you are like me - for whom costume picking is not a forte - picking up a wacky, haphazardly self-made, costume is still lots of fun. Leave it to Chris to outshine me with his cool tiger costume. Below are some of our wacky costume photos.

Nate in a hand-made alligator costume

Chris in a "real" life Tiger costume

A weekend in the big city

Our favorite time of the year in New York City is the fall, when it's finally cool enough to walk the streets, and when all the new Broadway shows and museum exhibits premiere. We recently spent a busy weekend in the city, shopping, eating at our favorite restaurant, strolling through Central Park, going to a concert and seeing a Broadway musical.

Nate waiting for the ferry to New York City

A selfie at Lincoln Center, where we went to a great concert

Chris' photography experiments

A couple of years ago, Chris took an evening class in photography at a nearby university. Since then, he's been driving everyone crazy, constantly snapping pictures and asking people to pose, and trying to experiment with different angles and lenses.

Here's a few samples of his recent photographs. Let us know in the comments which are your favorites.

A cool view of the famous Colgate clock in New Jersey

An old-fashioned auto supply store in rural Vermont, where we visited last year

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Living in New Jersey provides us proximity to the hustle and bustle of the City and also to landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island. This summer we hopped on a ferry and got to witness the majesty of the Statue of Liberty and the rich history of Ellis Island. Both places offered great amusement and valuable history insights on the immigrant origins of the US.

Chris taking a shot of Statue of Liberty

Why summer is the best time to cook

Chris loves to cook. Nate loves to eat. We always say it's a match made in heaven.

And Chris' favorite time of the year to cook is the summer and fall — when fresh vegetables are available from the farmer's market, and when the basil we grow on our fire escape is in full bloom.

Our uncle gave us this cucuzza squash that he grew in his garden.
Cooked with some olive oil and garlic, it was delicious!

There have been a lot of peaches at the farmers' market this year, and so Chris decided to make a pie.