Tricks of the Treats

My one and only favorite sister, SS came down this weekend from Santa Barbara to have a crafty Saturday with me. We had been planning this since last October. Last year we had the novel idea for me to catch the train up to Santa Barbara for the weekend. We chose Halloween weekend, since her hubby was racing and mine was in Abu Dhabi or somewhere wayyyy cooler than California .

I got off work a bit early, and drove to the closest train depot. Wearing slacks and a business shirt, I waited...and waited...and waited....3 hours for my train to arrive. In that amount of time, I could have been in SB even accounting for Friday northbound traffic. So, the train pulls up, the doors open...and Oh My Goodness, there were people standing in the doorways, wet with sweat/alcohol/vomit? Okay, maybe not vomit, but you get the picture.. The conductor tells the 4 of us waiting at the depot that the train is full. Enter at our own accord. Standing room only.

I make my way up the stairs with suitcase in hand, and it was a plethora of Isla Vista bound (UCSB) Halloween go-ers. Drunker than drunk, loud, obnoxious...way not what I expected my Friday sunset trainride to SB to be. I was thinking, "hmmm, I will kick off my shoes, recline with a mini wine bottle and watch the sunset over Rincon as we go by."

The way my train ride turned out was more like hanging on for dear life as people bumped into me, ran over me, and basically didn't know I existed. Had it been 5 years earlier, and I was at my partying prime, a train ride to IV would have been a brilliant Halloween kickoff. But at age 30, not so fun.

Anyhow, this year, my sister came down here. We avoided any chance at either one of us having to endure a train wreck of a train ride.

My sis taught me some new cake decorating tips, and some new techniques with color flow, an icing that hardens and is more versatile than royal icing. We made cupcakes, cakeballs, and candycorn color flow pieces to later be added to cupcakes to send to work with my lucky ol man to share with his co-workers.

I love crafty weekends, and I love my sister.