Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Just before showtime, Jodie and Doug from the J’s house across the street came so we could see their costumes.
And a hummingbird got a last sip from the fuchsia display. I was hoping that humans would notice the many hardy fuchsia flowers I had added to the entryway and grotto. The hummingbirds had been all over them since yesterday.
In the house, I had blocked off the entry to my private lair with a last minute brilliant idea.
Scott had made Halloween cookies. The spider bodies are halved malted milk balls.
Tony made an assortment of exquisitely flavorful and varied roll ups, and later J9 arrived with hummus and chips, and Heather of Niva green brought good ham, cheese, and crackers, so we were able to keep our strength up for the onslaught.
Before more guests arrived, Skooter was snoozing on his favourite cupboard at the entrance to the kitchen.
He stayed there all evening, getting pets and smooches from every cat lover in attendance. Frosty had been in my room, and was still there at the end; I wondered later if he had been trapped behind the hallway shrubbery. (He could still have gone out the south cat door.)
(Next time, I must find something to hide the milk crates; they are bringing down the tone, although I doubt anyone noticed but me.)
Someone thought Allan’s costume was that of a wizard. No, a garden gnome.
Hallow-evening began with the first trick or treaters, not very many, arriving before five o clock.
I realized later that the costumes this year were often so huge that they would not have fit down the usual route, the narrow front sidewalk entry.
A steady flow of trick or treaters arrived soon after the cow.
I went on a walkabout before dark, and Allan took a long walkabout, much further than mine, after dark. (That will be our next post, shared from our Ilwaco blog.)
Todd and Karen Brownlee had arrived while I was gone and toured the garden. I was sorry to have missed this tour.
When I returned, I was so sore from four days of plant-iferous decorating that I was happy to take a chair and just watch. The new garage set up worked well. At least twelve chairs, lined up on each side, were filled with grown ups who had a good view of the costumes.
Tony took videos, as well. Here is one taken just as he and Scott arrived. Later, three videos show how crowded the trick or treat scene gets, here, here, and here.
Judy and Larry from Ocean Park came; sadly, Donna and Jan and Michele and Devery were missing, and missed, because of bad colds and a family obligation.
Erin of Cranguyma Farms came with her eleven year old son Diego, who passed out the treats for the rest of the evening.
Kelli, a local teacher and avid reader, came with her very good dog Gromit, here shown with Diego.
Our guests loved the feeling of being enclosed in a sparkling and slightly haunted woodland. (They also liked our ready-to-go protest signs.)
I loved my two treasure chests complete with spooky books, and got rather bossy when the grownups moved forward and blocked them from view; I insisted everyone stay back so the kids could see the treasures on either side of the entrance. Many of the small children stopped and looked very carefully at each object along the way.
Scott and Tony had carved five elaborate jack o lanterns.
When we first began handing out treats in 2010, we were surprised that people of all ages come around. There is not much else to do in our small town on Halloween for anyone underage, and we welcome all. The older ones have some of the best costumes.
I wish Allan had been back from his walkabout when Napoleon Dynamite showed up.
I said, “Oh, that’s my husband’s favourite movie!” and Napoleon said, “Finally, someone who gets it!”
When Allan returned, I learned he had had his photo taken with another garden gnome.
He had also allegedly had his photo taken with a lovely mermaid at Queen La De Da’s; I haven’t seen the evidence yet.
We loved having dogs at the party!
Here is a costume I would wear if I could find a basket big enough:
I like to think that children of memory-forming age will have memories of our Halloween display, maybe for a lifetime.
One young man sorrowfully said to us, “I have some bad news for you—your bird has died.”
Finally, there were no more trick or treaters and no laughter and screams in the distance to let us know more might come. All but one of our guests left. J9 and I finally had time for a visit.
J9 stayed behind for a considerable time to help us bring in garden ornaments from the driveway, de-cobwebbify the entryway (cobwebs look so tawdry the next morning) and remove the treasure chests and enough decorative branches to be able to get the garage door shut. (She has a party help business called Have Tux, Will Travel, and knows just how to efficiently and carefully dismantle decorations.)
Skooter had had a very good evening with everyone who came into the kitchen giving him love.
The tally was a little messy, especially the part where I was trying to keep count. It added up to 601. The Beards Hollow Pirates house, one block east, counted 589 so I think about 600 is a safe bet.
Things to remember for next year:
Hang the Halloween wreath on the garage doorway frame so it shows better. Don’t forget to remove the hook before the end of evening garage door closing.
Get some fabric with leaves (flat bed sheets with patterns?) for the back wall and other areas. Or even just grey or green.Ross Dress for Less across the river has sheets at a reasonable price. Maybe camouflage the inside of the garage door where it forms the ceiling. Maybe not because of some of the very tall costumes could get caught up in any fabric or cobwebs.
If one of our guests brings a cardboard box of treats in, make them put their stuff in a basket so there is not a boring cardboard box in the photo later. (I am bossy.) It is all in the details.
Cover the milk crates! I also did not like that the outdoor buckets were not covered, but they did not show after dark.
Get a couple of pieces of cool driftwood to put on either side of the garage entrance once the door is opened on Halloween day. Or some kind of faux wood curved entrance that doesn’t take up too much room. More driftwood or branches entry effect could be added right outside the garage door, stuck through or tied to the arbor. Not too big for giant costumes to enter through.
This is an event we look forward to all year. Just 12 months till the next time!
Wow, that was quite a show! The decorated cookies looked too cute to eat, that’s a lot of work. I loved Alan’s costume and also have to say that Napoleon Dynamite is my favorite movie. Did I miss your costume? I think the basket plant costume or something along that line would be perfect for you if you could make it so you can sit. You have a year to work on it. Thanks for a fun blog.
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Love love love it! I love the Long Beach peninsula and love gardening, so I’ve been reading your blog for a few years now. You almost made me move there when I stopped working at the office, but Olympia was as far as I got. At least it’s an hour closer than it was from Seattle. We usually spend a week in your area each year, but missed it this year with all the moving. Hope to see you next year. Meanwhile, I love waking up with your posts. Thank you!
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Wow, you did great with the décor and corridor of spooky plants! Lots of creative costumes! The dead bird comment is so funny. I didn’t even recognize Allan–he made the perfect garden gnome! Those cookies by Scott look fabulous and the carved pumpkins by he and Tony are so impressive. Thanks for linking to the videos. Lots of fun! Thank you for sharing, Skyler.
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You could join us one of these years. That would be even more fun!
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That would be fun. Thanks, Skyler!
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That is all SO cute! Love Tweety Bird, Alan’s gnome, Napoleon Dynamite, the spider cookies(!), and Skooter being such an accommodating host. Was that a woman in a bath tub, or on an iceberg?? Wow. Thanks, Skyler, for taking us there in the blog today. You made the whole thing magical. Vote for Pedro!
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Bath tub!! :-). Thank you!
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I had forgotten how big a deal Halloween was there. 600! How fun!
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We were never into Halloween before moving onto this street. Now we look forward to it all year!
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You aced the decor. The grotto was perfectly spooky, the corridor like a walk in a haunted garden.
Wow, six hundred! Do you count the accompanying adults too? There are those curmudgeons who say the age limit should be 13 costume only, but I give treats to anyone who asks, costume or not. No judgement no discrimination.
Great post!
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We count the adults in costumes, too. Teenagers in costume take candy. The over 25s in costume mostly don’t. I read an interesting article that teenagers, especially in poor communities like ours, love to get real food like ramen noodle packs. If affordable, we might offer a choice next year.
We are totally cool with the older trick or treaters. They tend to have excellent costumes.
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What a wonderful Halloween celebration. Make me feel like a kid again. The decorations are tops.
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We hope you can attend one of these years!
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The humming was very surprising to me. Allan took a good picture of it. What a busy night.
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There’s a type of hummer that stays here all winter.
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The Anna’s hummingbird overwinters here, perhaps the same for you?
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Yes, that’s the one!
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