Halloween Night 2010

As Dixie mentioned before, we were both too wiped to put up the haunt on Monday. So, we left everything up so I could take a few more pictures that night. It’s a good thing I dragged myself out there to get a few token shots, because early Tuesday morning a torrential downpour started that did not stop until this afternoon. Hopefully our paper mache items will recover. They are a little soft, but still intact. I currently have a triage area setup in the garage so I can operate on the worst cases.

Ahhh…the splendid night of the 31st! Much less TOTs this year versus other years, but a really quality group of people this year. Everyone was very well behaved, and not one teenager looking for trouble. I really hammed it up this year to get them to stop by the haunt. Our house sits two doors down from a very busy street that runs to an affluent neighborhood just to the North of our neighborhood. I situated myself on the street corner in full costume motioning for cars to divert to our street. I got quite a few! Those that didn’t stop, honked at me as they passed. I’m sure people will be talking about the freak on the side of the road for a good bit!

We now have regulars attending our haunt every year, and they go out of their way to let us know that we are now a tradition on their Halloween nights! Wow! We also had a rather large tourist group from Spain stop by our haunt. These people were going on and on about the haunt. We must have spent 20 minutes just posing with each of them for photographs. They probably hung out at our haunt for close to an hour just taking pictures of everything we had. Really nice people.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I really enjoy the people more than anything else about this holiday. The kids are the best! There was a family of 5 that showed up with a small 4 year old boy that was not afraid of anything. I had a very scary costume and had been scaring the socks off of people right and left all night, but this little guy just walked right up to me and gave me a big hug! I ended up playing Simon Says, Peek-a-Boo, and Hide-n-Seek with him! I haven’t laughed or had so much fun in a very long time! I hope he comes back next year.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the fun that was had, and the plans for next year, but you people have all heard this before. So, lets get with the pictures already!

 

Plus, here is a cheesy YouTube video slideshow:

I LOVE MY WIFE!

So things have been pretty busy around the Manor lately, but not in the Halloween sort of way. I’ve been feeling very anxious as of late because the blog has been neglected, no new props have been built, I’ve missed like a million Make and Take meetings (ok, maybe two or three actually), and all of our blog and forum friends think we’ve died or fallen off the face of the earth!

So, I’m a little stressed out about a hobby I love and enjoy so much. Feel like I’m letting people down. Then I get this in my email at work from my beautiful, loving, and understanding wife:

THAT’S THE SIGN!

This is like seeing the first flower of spring or the first snowfall of the winter. When Dixie starts thinking this way and put’s pen to paper, that’s the first sign of the Prop Season! My favorite season of the year!

Can’t wait for this weekend to get started!

For an Amazing Neighbor…

Haunters have many reasons for doing what they do… it might be to scare neighborhood kids one night a year… it could be a creative outlet doing something they love… it could be an extension of wonderful Autumn/Halloween memories carried out throughout adult hood.

For these Nickols “kids”, it is a hobby that the two of us can share together all year, as well as an excellent chance to spend the month of October with our neighbors, outside in our front yard…. talking, catching up, laughing over a silly, but fun obsession.

Some of our neighbors might think we are just “over the top” or nuts…. but then, something amazing happens.  You come home one night, on the 11th of November, still a bit down and blue that Halloween is REALLY over for 350 more days, and you see something like this on your doorstep:

A box of candy and a card.  Your eyes light up a little…  do you have a secret admirer?  Oh no, its so much better than that, you can’t even imagine until you open the card….

 

If I ever question why I love this hobby so much, why I work on it every single month out of the year…. its moments like THIS VERY SECOND that remind me, and restore my faith in just about everything good in this world.

Thank you Dear Neighbor, I hope you read this blog someday and know how touched both Jayson and I are.  We can’t wait to see you every night in October next year. 

Cloudy With a Chance of Ruined Props.

As the rain starts to fall, I took a little look into my next 24 to 36 hours….

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH is in effect through Monday evening.

TONIGHT: Widespread showers and t-storms. Some possibly severe along with very heavy rain. Low: 56. Winds: S/WNW 10-20.

MONDAY: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Steady temps in the mid 50s. High: 56. Winds: N 10-20.

I don’t know who it was that thought it was such a good idea to just buy polyurethane, instead of the much more rain resistant spar urethane… (oh wait, that was me… Ms. Cheap-Skate)… but it was a dumb idea.

At least the embedded PVC and rebar trick is working wonders, and not a thing is moving a’tall in that yard, even with the 40 mpg gusts we are getting.  And, at least its warm.  I have seen pictures of peoples haunts on the forums, and there is…. SNOW on the ground.  What thaaaa?  :)

So anyways, Here’s to counting our blessings, and our next 4 inches of rain! 

First Big Setup Day of the Season!

We have finally started to setup the yard! It’s 1:00AM and I’ve just now walked back indoors. Still lots to do, but here are a few pictures of the progress so far: