Halloween was a success this year.Not huge, but successful. The party on saturday had about 50 people,which crowds my house, and it went until 5am. Everybody had a blast.
We had about 50 TOTs this year. It's not a lot, but last year we didn'thave more than 30 and everybody loved it. Dozens of kids swore theywere coming every year. My yard haunt had a staff this year. Me, a 12yr old, a 7 yr old and a 6 year old. There were kids jumping out ofcoffins, coming out from behind bushes and tombstone, and me, dressedlike a poorly stuffed prop. I'd wait until a small group got near mearguing about whether or not I was real before I jumped up screaming.
We got enough screams that the neighbors came to see the yard. Therewas one uncomfirmed peetality and LOTS of spilled candy in the yard.
This weekend was the most fun I've had in a long time. Now for thepictures.
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Pumpkin #1. It's hard to tell in the picture, but it's a skull with bats flying by. |
| Pumpkin #2, courtesy of my 6 year-old son. It's a devil. |  |
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My son and his friend, standing by Drac, at the entrance. |
| The Candyman. Nobody gets candy without talking to him. |  |
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My first staff member, a co-worker's 12 year-old son. He managed to make at least three kids throw their candy across the yard. The oldest was about 16. He also scared one kid right out of his mask. Definitely pro material. |
| The entrance to my haunt. This archway was used in my wedding, then my brother's wedding. This is a shot down the children's path. |  |
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A small "Wall of Eyes", a head in a cauldron, and a bat. |
| A shot in the middle of the graveyard. |  |
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The werewolf in the tree. |
| Me.
I tried to dress up as a poorly stuffed prop. Most people thought I was fake, until I jumped up screaming. This gave me dozens of fun stories. |
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The first thing TOTs saw as they came up the driveway. A severed head. |
| Old Jim. This was my first monster-mud creation.
I rigged a motion sensor in front of him. When TOTs came strolling by, a strobe started and he screamed. It was beautiful. |
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Another shot of Old Jim, proving that I can't take pictures at night. |