What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.

Todd R.: Knocked off the latest John Sandford novel, Judgement Prey, in just a few days – quite good, as always. I’m going to jump into John Grisham’s sequel to The Firm next. In the category of food when traveling, lots of good things to say about Sir Benedict’s Tavern in Duluth. The cinnamon apple crisp goes with anything! Also visited the Vala’s fall festival in Gretna, NE with our infant granddaughter and was amazed by the size and scope of this event. I know Anoka calls itself the Halloween Capital, but this was definitely the largest pumpkin patch I have ever seen. Finally got to watch Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, not my favorite installment, but not the worst either.

Rich: My October was dominated by a Vacation for Kari and me.  We travelled to Portugal, Spain and Paris from Oct. 4 - 21. It was the longest vacation we ever took which really gave us the feeling of separating from life in Minnesota. We saw a lot and learned a lot about Portugal and Spain. The people there are very friendly and proud of their heritage and history. We saw a lot of castles, mosques and churches and heard the history of the peoples who have settled this part of the world.

When not vacationing, I spent time working on the upcoming Minneapolis election. With one week to go, I am hopeful for a good result.

Todd S.: Sure, we did things during October, but really the month is all about Halloween for my family. This year, the house was invaded by porch pirates, ghosts and large attack spiders. For the little kids in the neighborhood, finding the courage to walk under Frankenstein — aka “Frank” — has become a rite of passage in the pursuit of candy. The family did well with costumes — one dude was a banana, and the other was a Starbucks barista. More than 700 pieces of candy were given away, and now I have to figure out how to put all this stuff away until next year.

Jodi: I’ve been trying to develop an outdoor hobby for winter to help pass the season of my discontent. Snowshoeing seems like the safest bet. Send suggestions for trails and parks to explore in the metro area. I am currently reading City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. I picked it up while spending a day in Spooner, Wisconsin. I highly recommend perusing the bookshelves and staff recommendations at Northwood Book & Fiber and heading to Round Man Brewing Co. for a KBO Cream Ale or Mud Duck Milkshake Porter. The cream ale goes great with the smoked nachos. I didn’t know what to expect when I tuned into The Saint of Second Chances. I thought I knew Mike Veek’s story and his baseball legacy, but I learned so much more. Highly recommend. I also started Broadchurch based on Anna Shay’s recommendation and am now binging season one. In other news, my fantasy football team is dismal, and the Wild are off to a so-so start, but the Vikings found their game against the 49ers. The schedule looks pretty good for them, but I think we know how this story ends.

Sean: Spooky season has come to a close. Rosie and I took on about fifteen scary movies this year. Our favorite of the bunch was Talk to Me, an A24 movie from Australia that kept us on our toes. We also finished the new Mike Flanagan series on Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, which related the cursed family to modern-day titans of industry and the sacrifices made in the name of wealth accumulation.

We also got the chance to attend a handful of Halloween festivities including some pumpkin carving parties and a visit to the Minnesota Zoo’s Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, which was probably the highlight of our month. We recommended it to all our family and friends. James was less than interested, but it was a fantastic experience for the parents.

The snowfall at the end of the month was a nice reminder that winter is indeed coming. I’m gearing up for fun in the snow… following the forty-five minutes it will inevitably take to get James dressed in warm layers.

Anna: The month began with a family vacation at a cabin up north. Despite the blustery and rainy weather, we made wonderful memories, including pancake breakfasts, a pumpkin patch excursion, a downpour on a hike and fat burgers at Billy’s. My colleagues got to meet Owen for the first time, and Todd Rapp made sure to squeeze in his first lesson on long division. Isaac and I have begun a new alliterative tradition after baby’s bedtime – box mix brownies and Broadchurch, a British murder mystery series that hooked us from the first episode.

Meredith: While summer, with warmth and sunshine, might be my favorite time of year, fall holds a special place in my heart. As the leaves and seasons change, I have realized I could do without the dark and cold that is here to stay for the next several months, but I love the sense of community the fall brings. Each year around this time it seems the travel season quiets down for a bit, bringing back a sense of community and routine. Trips to apple orchards with friends, meeting up at distilleries, sharing meals, watching football and hockey together, going to small group and attending costume parties all make my heart happy because it is intentional time with friends. Also, there is an endless amount of delicious fall foods and treats to make and consume! We weren’t meant to do life alone, but rather in community with one another to celebrate the successes of those dear to us and support them through the trials of life. This community is what I have found in October, and I am excited for November because my calendar shows the time with friends and family will be continuing.

Cullen: I finally bought a bike late in September and my only regret is that I didn’t get one sooner. It’s hard to keep my eyes on the road riding through the UW Arboretum with the maple trees at peak color. Lauren and I finally made it to a Badger football game and even though it ended in a loss, we enjoyed introducing friends from Minnesota to their first Jump Around. We also spent an amazing date night at Lallande, which ranked as a top-five meal ever for both of us. Stop by if you’re ever in Madison, or at least check out the bakery next door which is operated by the same owners.

Devil in the White City was both thought-provoking and nauseating, though some chapters seemed a bit too speculative to qualify as true non-fiction. We’re well into season two of Only Murders in the Building and got a good laugh out of Theater Camp.

Kaylee: October was a genuinely solid month thanks to birthday celebrations, a close college friend’s wedding and a visit from Berlin friends. In the spirit of fall, I made the trek up to Jay Cooke State Park for a hike—which was cut short after the rain came through and made it near impossible to stay upright while walking on the clay soil. Nevertheless, seeing the fall colors on the drive up there was worth it. My nerdiness with plants seems to be making a comeback this season after watching the Netflix documentary “Kiss the Ground” and having again picked up the book “The Botany of Desire” by Michael Pollan, both of which touch on our relationship with plants and the evolution of agriculture and food science.

Colette: October: gorgeous fall leaves, perfect weather, and watching a 2,500-pound pumpkin get dropped from a crane.

The latter of which is what I witnessed at the Stillwater Harvest Fest. There, I bore witness to enormous pumpkins as their growers participated in the annual pumpkin weigh-off. The winner of which got their record-breaking pumpkin dropped to the ground by a crane, with onlookers cheering as it hit the ground.

While this slightly unusual fall activity offered some unforgettable moments, you could also find me enjoying the simple joys of the weather and colors, baking fall treats (cream cheese frosted carrot cupcakes, anyone?) and visiting my grandparents’ cabin for a restful weekend up north.

Alex: I believe that every month that I have worked here, I have mentioned going to a cabin in my rundown. Well, believe it or not, the streak continues! I got to enjoy the fall weather at my friend's cabin, while also making a trip to Stone Lake for Cranberry Fest.

At the house, there was a ton of moving-in furniture and endless redecorating until we all settled on something we approved of.

The weekend before Halloween is always full of fun festivities. My girlfriend and I watched Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ & ‘Nope’, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I got to see everyone’s costumes, go to my roommate's first house show and celebrate the holiday with friends. Halloween will always rank at the top of my holidays.