Morning at the Lao temple

From the sublime:

To the ridiculous:

                                         (vampire teeth courtesy of downtown trick-or-treat last night)

We spent the morning at the Lao temple in Willington with about 25 other folks, doing a meditative walk fundraiser for Buddhist Global Relief.  We were in the presence of five monks and many other compassionate, kind people, 23 of whom did a silent, meditative walk, leaving Beatrice and I to do our own contemplation and walk/talk on our own.  

Our walk was longer, louder, and I think just as significant as we took in the sights of this beautiful setting on a crisp fall morning:

One of the funniest moments of Beatrice's life happened today.  We were on the rural roads leading to the temple and at one point  a chicken leisurely strutted across the street.  I pointed it out to Bea, who didn't miss a beat, and said with a big grin "Mama, mama...we can ask him and finally find out the answer!!! HEY CHICKEN, WHY ARE YOU CROSSING THE ROAD?????" Gave herself and me a big chuckle.

At one point, the "cooking" began. (I guess the idea of Hunger Relief made her think of food) Here she is finding ingredients for a "birthday cake for animal rights:"

The finished cake.  Can't you just smell it's deliciousness?

Good advice:

As a family we raised over $425, and nearly $2000 was collected for the whole event.  We were privileged to meet the Venerable Bihkkhu Bodhi, the founder of the charity, to hear him speak, and to share a meal together after, courtesy of the ladies of the temple.