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Halloween Fun for Young & Old(er)...

10/19/2016

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Whether you plan to celebrate Halloween with the grands or the friends, do I have some fully fun games for you!

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I did the research, you have the fun... Don't forget to invite me to the party...:
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Germ-less, Waterless Bobbing for Apples
Place a hole in the middle of the core of each apple. Then string them up by a long piece of string on a branch, a slat in a ceiling, or whatever you want to use for hanging. Then let the apples dangle at about neck height to your party guests. Then just as you would try to bob for apples; each person tries to grab a hold of the dangling apple. This is just as fun, if not funnier to watch than the traditional bobbing for apples since you can see them while they're trying to teeth-grab.

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Bounce the Eyeballs
First you will need a pumpkin, a place with a hard floor, and a package of ping pong balls; you can get 'em with eyeballs at any store selling Halloween items, or draw eyeballs on regular balls.
Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin, so it acts like a basketball hoop. You can leave the innards in to make it gross, or use an jack-o-lantern to add to the festivities. Either way it's a hoot!
The object of the game is simple, each player tries to bounce the ping pong balls into the jack-o-lantern (on one bounce for adults & older kids, more for younger children); they get three tries.

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The Mummy Wrap
To play mummy wrap, all you need is a package of toilet paper, and someone to be the impartial judge.
Divide the kids/guests into two teams, have each team designate a "mummy!" With younger kids, they may find it funny to have Mommy or Grandmommy as the Mummy.
Each team is given one or two rolls of toilet paper (when playing with little kids, use one roll, with adults or teens,two). Then set the timer for three minutes. Once time begins, they get to wrap their mummy with toilet paper.
At the end of each round, the best mummy wins.

Pumpkin Games

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Pass the Pumpkin
There are a couple ways to play this game. One is to have enough pumpkin or gourds for all guests, with each having a scary word or number on them (the gourds, not the guests....). As the music plays, they pass the pumpkins or gourds in a circle.  When the music stops the person running the music yells out a number or Halloween phrase and that person wins a prize.
Another is the Halloween version of musical chairs, except instead of chairs, there are pumpkins and/or gourds that the guests hold. Like with musical chairs, there's one less pumpkin than players. Players stand (or sit) in a circle, and as the music plays, the pumpkins are passed around the circle. When the music stops, those with both hands on their pumpkin are still in (this avoids having a pumpkin in between two people). The person without a pumpkin is out. When the game resumes, take another pumpkin out, so the next person can be eliminated, and so on until there's a winner.

Pumpkin Relay
This is a fun game for a larger group. Split the group into teams; it's ideal to have at least five people per team. Each team stands in a single file line, and is given one pumpkin. When the leader says go, the first person on each team hands the pumpkin over their head to the person behind them. The next person passes the pumpkin under their legs. Then. the next passes over their head again, and so on. Once the last person has grabbed the pumpkin, they race to the front of the line, and pass the pumpkin over their head. This continues until the person who was first runs to the front, and the whole team sits. The first team to sit wins.

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Pumpkin Hunt
This is a great Halloween game for kids! Much like an egg hunt, but with pumpkins or gourds. You will want to place a number on each pumpkin, and hide them in a nice open (preferably dry) field or yard. There should be enough pumpkins that each child can get one pumpkin. Once you call game, the kids race to a pumpkin and then run back to you for their prize. Prizes or prize bags should be numbered to correspond to the number on their pumpkin.

And, if you really want to go all out & gory…

Tragic Tony
Lead-in story for the game: "Poor Tragic Tony was a good friend of mine, but unfortunately he lost all his limbs, eyes, teeth, and most of his important organs.  Luckily, I have them right here!"
Where they are is in five (or more if you want) opaque bags where you've placed a food that corresponds with some (or all) of his lost body parts. The object is to guess what is in each bag by only touch. The person who guesses the most "body part correctly wins.  For the gooier stuff, use a plastic bag inside the outer bag.
Some suggestions for your bags:
  1. Mashed Bananas = Mashed Brains
  2. Peeled grapes = Eyes
  3. Stick Pretzel soaked in water, so it's still hard, but a little soggy = Wet Bones
  4. Dried Orange Peels = Dried Skin
  5. Peeled Tomato = Heart
  6. Un-Popped Popcorn = Teeth
  7. Baby Carrots = Fingers
  8. Oddly shaped Spam = Liver
  9. Cooked Penne Noodles = Chopped-Up Intestines

You have been spookily alerted....

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10 Fabulous Fall Travel Destinations

10/6/2016

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Fall is considered a "shoulder season" - in between the big tourist seasons of summer and winter. That makes it a great time to take a break and see some sights, from gorgeous fall foliage to visiting areas that would otherwise be too hot, cold, or crowded to enjoy.

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Here are a few excellent suggestions, far and near, from the highly successful Boomer travel blog My Itchy Travel Feet:
Explore the American Southwest
Utah: Temperatures are cooler and the summer tourist crowds have gone home.  Explore Monument Valley--they recommend a Navajo guide so that you see off-the-beaten-path areas unavailable to unaccompanied tourists. Then drive on up to Bluff, Utah, for a host of active travel experiences, including Natural Bridges National Monument. Recommended place to headquarter; Desert Rose Inn.
Capture the Fall Beauty in Arches National Park
More Utah: Arches National Park is photogenic anytime of the year, but particularly so in the fall with golden-colored wildflowers decorating the red rock landscape. Hiking and photographing the arches is time well spent. Since Canyonlands National Park is practically next door, combine the two for the ultimate national park visit in Moab, Utah.
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Do Halloween Right at a Montana Ghost Town...
...in the Big Hole Valley area of Montana; and you’ll find attractions especially uncrowded in the fall. And what better time than October to explore a couple of ghost towns before the snow really flies. Bannack Ghost Town is a state park and Montana’s first territorial capital. Be sure to go into the buildings that are open for a look at a town built upon the ups and downs of mining.
Visit a North Carolina Winery
October in North Carolina is filled with color; include a visit to a winery makes for a great fall travel combination. Learn to the blend wine at Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery in the Yadkin Valley. And don’t miss the museums and history that nearby Winston-Salem has to offer. Recommended place to stay; Graylyn Estate for a romantic weekend exploring the area.
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Enjoy the Charms of Europe
Fall is the best time to explore the small towns and countryside of Europe, like:
  • take a walking tour of Schwerin, Germany and discover Western Pomerania history, including a castle that’s worthy of Cinderella. Recommended place to stay; Hotel Niderländischen Hof....or
  • take a self-guided walking tour of Gdansk Poland & explore the complicated history of this Polish city
  • go to Italy and enjoy the beautiful Cinque Terre, a string of five villages perched on the Ligurian coast...or
  • take a road trip to the Tremiti Islands. You can get there by commuter helicopter to explore these tiny islands in the Adriatic near Italy’s Gargano Peninsula, known for sea life and Middle Ages history
Climb the Great Wall of China
Beijing makes a fascinating October travel destination, and if you’re ever going to visit China, fall’s the time since the pollution is at its lowest.

Take in Glorious Fall Foliage in the Northeast (this one's from me...)
Better hurry though; New England is already at its peak, and by the end of October, all states down through Virginia will be finished foliaging (I just created that word...).  Use the slider on this map to see the peak & end dates from Maine to Virginnie and below.

You have been officially alerted....

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