31 Oct: All Souls Night

31 October 2017

A couple of months ago, our friend Tony, who had been talking about having a garden party here, asked if he could invite some friends for Halloween.  Absolutely, said I. He said he and his husband, Scott, would bring food. and all we would have to do is set up, so we did.  (I also had cleaned the house including dusting almost every tchotchke; the cleaning went on into the afternoon of Halloween day.)

I was adding the last touches to the Corridor of Spooky Plants when Tony and Scott, and our mutual friend Jan, and the first trick or treaters arrived shortly after four.

Tony arrives!

adding the last touches

4:45; our mutual friend Shelly arrives, taking photos on her iPad. (Allan’s photo)

Tony and Scott (Allan’s photo)

Scott’s jack o lantern. (Allan’s photo)

Scott helps set out tea lights (small artificial candles)

5:20 PM: Trick or treaters were in full force by now. Because of the beautiful weather, we had set up all the food on a picnic table outside.  (Allan’s photo)

Carol had arrived from Seattle, along with David and Melissa, Judy and Larry, and about ten friends of Tony and Scott’s.  Larry and Judy and a nice couple new to me did much of the treat handling at the gate, and Larry did a superlative job of keeping a paper and pen tally of trick or treaters.

Judy had brought me a new piece of her art representing my cat Smoky’s having passed this Halloween morning.

the groaning board

Scott and Tony’s homemade jalapeno poppers (Allan’s photos)

Scott’s delicious mummy truffles

one of Tony’s great selfies

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

We had set up two campfires, one in the traditional campfire area back by the bogsy woods, and one closer, made of an old barbecue top and a metal plant stand on a metal table.  The closer one was the one that got lit.

The trick or treaters were non stop from 5 till 7:30 and kept arriving in groups till 8:30, with some straggling groups after that.

local art teacher Kelli and her sons (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

At 5:30 PM, Seattle Carol and I left for a walkabout of the town (which will be covered in another post).

Allan took some views from the roof.

across the street at the J’s

At our inner gate, each new set of trick or treaters presented themselves to an appreciative audience.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

the horde (Tony’s photo)

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

Tony’s friends in the garden (Tony’s photo)

garden at dusk (Tony’s photo)

garden touring (Tony’s photo)

tiki torches leading to the bogsy woods (Tony’s photo)

At 6:15, Carol and I returned.  I thought Tangly Cottage looked rather fine as we approached from the west.

Outside our gate, Maddy of Pink Poppy Bakery was bringing her brand new baby girl to meet us.

Maddy and Quincy

Maddy and Q (Allan’s photo)

Quincy, 16 day old chili relleno (Allan’s photo)

Q had originally been dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but that costume had been too elaborate for the baby’s comfort and only stayed on for a few moments.

Tony’s photo

our house from across the street. Pumpkinhead Gardener shows up well.

7:30 PM: spotlight illuminating Allan’s pumpkinhead gardener (Allan’s photo)

the Corridor of Spooky Plants

I wish I had the patience to make the cobwebs more gossamery.

Tony’s photo

bench blocking the front path

Teresa of the Planter Box arrives at 6:30, after closing down her garden store for the evening.

Allan put out the two pumpkin pies that he had baked. (Tony’s photo)

campfire (Tony’s photo)

Around the campfire, I found that one of my favourite local artists, Wendy Murry, had arrived (on the left, with Tony).

Tony and Wendy

around the campfire (Allan’s photo)

Wendy and her spouse, Del, toured our house and appreciated all the art and tchotchkes.  Tony came indoors to see the various pieces of Wendy’s art that I have collected at the annual 6×6 auction over the years.

Tony’s photos of some Wendy art:

my favourite Wendy art of all from last year

I felt comfortable having guests because the house was so clean.  Wendy and Del’s style of interior decorating is similarly…full.

Del and Wendy noticed, as did Carol, that I had put my scariest books on display.

I didn’t get good photos of the two bouquets I had made.

corridor of spooky plants at night (Allan’s photo)

Tony and Teresa (Allan’s photo)

Scott and Tony (Tony’s photo)

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

Teresa (Tony’s photo)

Tony’s photo

Tony’s photo

a real ghost (Allan’s photo)

kind of captures the feel kids must get walking up the corridor (Allan’s photo)

Our new ghost projector lamp turned out to be pretty effective.

Steve of the Bayside Garden arrived and we had a visit in the house.  We must tour his and John’s garden soon and see some new areas they have recently created.

At 7:45, Allan went on his walkabout of town.

At 8:40, the almost full moon came out.  I wrote on a piece of paper the words that Maggie had sent me yesterday, on October 30th, the day before Smoky died, and added a message to him, and burned the paper in the small back garden campfire with Tony and Scott as company for the ceremony.

Maggie’s words

Smoky dearly loved sitting with me around a campfire.

a handwritten message to Smoky going up in the smoke; he might not read, but he could feel the message, if there is that sort of an afterlife.  I hope so.

Just after nine o clock, we had our last two trick or treaters and Allan returned.

Allan’s photo

By the end, we had 543 trick or treaters.  The fire station on Spruce, one block over, had over 700.

the tally sheet (Tony’s photo)

It was enormously helpful to me to have all this joyous activity on this evening.

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There may be a one or two day blog break while I spend time with my friend Seattle Carol.