DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Whip up a happy holiday with pumpkin carving ideas and tricks the neighborhood will love! I found these ideas at Sunset Magazine.  They have alot of west coast living decor and eating ideas.  Visit it at www.Sunset.com    Show off a traditional Halloween message in a highly unusual way. Jackie Ortega, owner of San Francisco's Craft Gym, says this project is easy to pull off once you know the secret.    Start by printing out "trick" and "treat" in bold letters on paper to use as a stencil. Center "treat" on your pumpkin and use a pushpin to dot the outline of the letters, then scoop out the pumpkin and carve between the dots (use toothpicks to hold centers of "e" and "a").    Carving "trick" on the back is, well, trickier. Turn your stencil o

      Fiestas Patrias is much like the American 4th of July in that it celebrates the creation of an independent country free of their colonial masters. Mexico's celebration of independence doesn't celebrate the actual day of independence but the call to be an independent nation. On September 16, 1810 Father Miguel Hidalgo the parish priest of the small town of Dolores, issued his call for Mexicans to rise up and overthrow Spanish rule. This call for independence is known as " El Grito ", the cry, and is widely celebrated all over Mexico today. Today it is simply rendered as " Mexicanos, Viva Mexico " and the crowds answer back with loud cries of " Viva Mexico " and much celebrating. In Mexico City the president gives the " El Grito " to thronged masses gathered in the Zocolo and the same act is repeated in small towns and big cities across Mexico. Today in Mexico the " El Grito " is delivered on Sept. 15 around 11 PM follo

       Yesterdays Halloween is not like Todays celebrated traditions, in the world of today we hand out candy to kids carve pumpkins and dress up as a spook or witch. Is the founded traditions in anyway related to todays?     I love Halloween. You can dress up however you like, eat all the candy you want and scare the heck out of kids that want to act tough.    Today Halloween has diverted from the ancient Celtic traditions in which Samh ain (Sow-in). marked the end of summer and its harvest bringing forth the dark, cold winter, a time associated with human death and on this night the Celts believed it was the night “Ghosts” would return to earth, cause trouble and damage crops. Which brought the Celts to wear costumes, burn their crops and sacrifice animals. The Celts were conquered in 43 A.D. by the Romans, in which they replaced Samh ain with their own twist on the holiday turning Samh ain into All-hallows-eve which would be known as All-Saints-Day.    Today’s

   Because of the long and storied history of Halloween , there are many Vintage Halloween traditions that have been associated with the holiday for many years. Halloween, or All Hallows Eve  as was called long ago, has a very special history all its own. The many vintage Halloween customs set this Halloween apart from many other special occasions. The origins of many vintage Halloween traditions are both very colorful and diverse. What we know as modern day Halloween traditions and festivities are rooted in the Vintage Halloween traditions from the original All Hallows Eve  celebrations from centuries long ago.    All Hallows Eve actually evolved from an even older tradition. The pagan festivial, Samhain , was celebrated by ancient Celtic people for many years before it evolved into All Hallows Eve. When Celtic immigrants began entering North America in large numbers during the 19th Century, they brought the  tradition of Samhain with them, thus laying the gro

   The Great Reno Balloon Race is the largest free hot air ballooning event in the Nation. During three days in early September, you can look up into the Reno skies and see a rainbow of hot air balloons soaring about. From its humble beginnings in 1982 with just 20 balloons, The Great Reno Balloon Race has taken flight with more than 100 balloons each year. Taking place just a few miles north of downtown Reno, the event enchants both young and old with its vibrant colors and inspiring music. The Balloon Race has won many awards over the years including 'Best Special Event in Reno' and 'Best Special Event in Northern Nevada.' With an average of 150,000 spectators attending the event each year, the number of lives touched by the beautiful spectacle continues to rise just like the balloons themselves. THE FIRST BALLOON RACE WAS HELD IN 1982    Twenty balloons participated. The idea was to create an event that would keep visitors in town the weekend between the