Scary Politics and Halloween

Shadow Lakes Village

Ahhhh the serenity of our little neighborhood in Blacksburg. We call ourselves Shadowlakes Village. Below is a view of a main portion of the community. We have a common owned building where the community eats meals together twice a week. We have children's activities, work days in which the community cleans up the "common grounds". I sign up for a weekly cleaning chore at the common house. The homes are built close together and cars are not allowed to drive up to the homes, requiring neighbors to walk in front of each others' homes and actually interact. The development, or in actuality a 'co-housing community' (feel free to google it if you're curious), has preserved some of the native forest in which we are located, hence the woods directly across the walkway from our house (see earlier entry), which backs up against a local preserve called 'Brown's farm', and Brown's farm sits directly across a street from Brush Mountain's hiking trail that leads one to Pandapas pond up this small mountain side. It is really ideal for us as we have been so welcomed by the community and have already made friends here. It is like a small church town, like Menan, within the town of Blacksburg. People who want to be connected to people as they live their lives. People have commented on how well we have transitioned into activity in the neighborhood and how comfortable we seem here, so I tell them stories about Menan and they understand because it is places like Menan, in terms of small town helpfulness, know everything about you, say 'hi' to seven people as you go for a walk, and don't tell anyone your sick or you'll get a casserole type of community that the founders of this place were trying to replicate. Those who have relocated here have done so specifically for the connections and enriching relationships they feel they get here. Sounds a little hippy-ish? Hhhmmmm. Maybe a little mormonish? Double hhmmmm. When people relate closely like this, there can be bumps and it seems to work only as well as the general kindness and generousity of the people (in my great Sociology-as-a-minor-in-college opinion) who live here. I can truthfully say, it works well here and we love it.

View from the Common house

Interestingly though, in this time of political ferver in our great state of Virginia (where my presidential vote actually matters - sorry Idahoans), one would have to be postmortem not to sense the political flavor of our Shadowlakes community. I'll give you two guesses. Nope. Not Republican (good try though).

In all of the thirty three homes in Shadow lakes Village, there is only one non-Democrat besides ourselves. Meet Larry.



Larry let me take his photo on halloween night as he sat outside his home in his robe and sleep apnea mask to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters. It was the closest thing he had to a costume I think. I wonder how he'd feel if he new it was now posted on the web (I guess there's a lesson there about bathrobes, sleep apnea masks and letting neighbors take photos of you -oh good, none of that applies to me).

Not only is our community nearly totally Democrats (of which I have no problem with), they are extremely and actively politicized and a highly educated and informed bunch (which makes me concerned that they may come to have a problem with me). Consequently, through a series of passive non-actions and deciding to keep my mouth shut (hard to believe I know) in many a conversation, Juan and I have inadvertently become what we call, 'closet Republicans', or maybe the more truthful term would be 'closet non-Democrats' as we formally belong to no particular political party. It has gone so far that if I let it out that I may not vote Democratic in the Presidential election tomorrow, that there will be those who will be embarrassed about the comments they have made about conservatives and Republicans, at the time not realizing that I was a wolf was among them in Democratic wool. Oh, I have been a fly on the wall, and at times have wanted to fly, fly away. Though I seriously take no offense, because I think those speaking most genuinely (or is it just generally) like me and I too have been known to put my foot in my mouth a time or two (or three).

Yesterday, I was asked by a fellow SLVer (that's our acronym, cool huh?) if I was a Democrat. I think I mumbled something about swing voter and started to talk about Larry. I think I skated out of that one, but I'll be glad when it's all over tomorrow night and the intensity drops a couple of notches. Though if McCain wins, I fear it will be rough going for a while as frustrations will be vented, events put under verbal microscopes, and every hypothesis examined again and again. The community is going to watch the voting returns tomorrow night at the common house. I think I'll stay home.

Now that I've gone on and on about things you don't really care about, lets get to the real show; the grandkids!

Here are a bunch of photos of our goings on.

Diego helping me make cookies.

How Diego and Lucas REALLY help me make cookies.

Halloween night was great. The whole community makes it so much fun for everyone, adult and child alike. No trunk or treating. It was like the Halloweens I remember as a kid. Neighbors out visiting and laughing, a spook alley of sorts set up between houses. People tended to be health conscious too. The kids got more wholesome treats and people (including myself) made homemade goodies and put them in baggies labeling who made them so that the parents knew they were safe. Diego was given a glow stick and he and a neighbor's visiting grandson went around after trick-or-treating was over and yelled "Happy Halloween" to everyone they saw out visiting on their porches. People wished them Happy Halloween back.
Lucas mastered the trick-or-treating ritual after a couple of run throughs and everyone said "aahhh" at how cute he was saying "twitertwit" in his bear costume.

Diego was a very dangerous ninja with many "cool" ninja moves. The ninja tricks that Diego does is not to be confused as "fancy", or "neat", or "hard", or "tough". If you say one of these terms, or any other, in describing Diego's ninja mastery, you will be corrected in a manner that makes you feel you have missed the obvious. They are "cool".

(I fear for the bear)


Here are some photos of us in our wanderings on a Sunday drive.

We found two old covered bridges.

Pictures of the boys at Brown's farm

I'm threatening sleep deprivation, so I better sign off. Love to you all. We enjoy any email or phone call we can get. Keep us posted on how you all are doing.

Love again,

The Deaton clan