The Hallowe'en Tree, pt.6

Good day to you, loyal S&P-brains!

I imagine you are all quite full of Hallowe'en and are ready for a brief stretch of holiday-free weeks before the end of the year madness overtakes us all.

I certainly could use it.

But I did want to show off some of our fantastic fright night scenes from last week.

It was a beautiful night, the weather was perfectly Hallowe'en. Not too cold, not too warm, no rain, slight breeze, cloudy skies with a nearly full moon. Just beautiful.

First to enjoy the weather and the night's festivities, our animatronic graveyard group.

Capt. Lantern, Ficketts, Nevermore the Raven, and

the Lean Bros. & Ghoul swing quartet.

Some tombstone detail. We sure lost some greats this past year.

Our kid-friendly Boo Corner, showing Mad Monster Party (along

with The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Legend of Sleepy

Hollow, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and other

Hallowe'en specials all night long).

But the real attraction for just about everyone who visited that night had to be our amazing

Hallowe'en Tree.

It really turned out to be something special...

Almost 100 pumpkins, carved and sent from family and friends all over the country, to honor the passing of Ray Bradbury, and celebrate our love for All Hallow's Eve.

Just stunning.

At the base of the Tree was our longtime 'host' of the haunt, the Great Pumpkin.

And just around the tree trunk from him stood the brooding, ancient and wickedly wise ol' being, Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud.

I'd like to think ol' Ray would've loved it.

Just above and beyond our Tree, in a dormer window, floated one of many wandering revenants...

... and in the same window, not long after, could be found our little black kitty, Hallowe'en herself, watching our goofy goings-on in the yard below.

Yes, she's wearing a little orange/black jester's collar.

No, she's not summoning Satan.

As far as I know.

The next day, I had to get a good sunshine shot of our Hallowe'en Tree.

Just beautiful.

Hallowe'en 2012 is in the history books, and I had a fabulous week.

I hope each of you enjoyed your Hallowe'en.

Still cleaning up...

DDSP!

Work, work work...

Hello dear S&Pers!

I KNOW I've been notably absent this month, and I have no excuses but that Life is what it is.

I beg your forgiveness and appeal to your Autumn-Lovin' Hearts for understanding.

I will say, though, that I have been working on Hallowe'en 2012. Of course I have -- I just haven't been posting about it as I usually do.

Perhaps it's because there's not much new to post about; we are waiting on more pumpkins to arrive, and when we get the Hallowe'en Tree going, I will post all about it.

But for now, I have been bringing our animatronic figures back to life, brushing from their shoulders the dust of a year of storage, rewiring, powering, and programming.

Until The Big Night, they shall live in my bedroom...

They will soon be joined by the Great Pumpkin, who will have some new dialogue this year.

And of course, Mr. Moundshroud needs his suit and cape.

More later.

I hope you are all enjoying your October.

It's magic.

DDSProgress!

Avast.

Aaarrrr...

Ye best be caterwaulin' this a'way today, me poppets...

DDSpeaklikeaPirateday!

Before we get to November...

Well, November's already here, yes.

But before I get to any new jukebox tunage or waxing poetic about the end of Autumn and all that, I wanted to pass around a few pics of our 2011 yardhaunt, the 'Greatest Hits' display I was able to put together.

Yes, I was going to do a big tribute to the anti-genius of Edward D. Wood, Jr. But time... time not only slipped away, it was fairly torn from my daily schedule with alarming regularity all through September and October.

No complaints. I love working.

But I decided I had backlogged so many great props, figures, routines, music and decor that a greatest hits display would be perfect -- a kind of Hallowe'en version of a cheap TV clip show.

It worked just fine.

Now don't get up, I'll just pass a few around:

 Our 'graveyard' just before adding the animatronic characters.

 The lovely 'V' helping set up 'Boo Corner' (for littler spooks and scared grown-ups!).

 'Uncle Bill' setting up the stupendous 'De Witch Woman' display he built 

last year in honor of the family-favorite James Lewicki illustration 

(story and pictures from this post and this post, remember?)

Our cat Hallowe'en ('Halli') always helps us move the leaves around.

 She also spent a lot of time hanging out with Cap'n Lantern an Ficketts.

 The graveyard ready to go, seen through the web of a spider

that decided she had to set up shop here. 

(Sorry Frog Queen!)

 An angle I only get to see once a year: the business end of my

graveyard attraction.

 Cap'n Lantern, First Mate Ficketts, a tombstone-perched raven named Nevermore...

 ... and the Lean Bros & Ghoul, ready for spooky swingin' songs!

My one and only Ed Wood tribute piece.

 The completed Boo Corner...

... and guests.

'De Witch Woman' took the place of the usual Treat Room we have on

that side of the porch. That foot pumped, that spindle spun, and de ol' witch woman

sang  (in my Aunt Gail's voice) 'Turn an' spin, come off skin!' all night long.

The decade-old Great Pumpkin animatronic character, in his perfectly

glowy, perfectly plasticky pumpkin patch!

A blurry but colorful shot of the display from across the street. 

Of course, the Skull & Pumpkin has always been a Post-Hallowe'en Blues-Free Zone, as you well know. There is nothing about cleanup that saddens me -- not really -- and in fact it has grown to become a rather Zen-like ritual, at once cleansing and inspiring.

Besides, there simply isn't a reason for sadness.

For one, we had a grand time.

For another, it's still Autumn. I mean, look at the view I get to and from work every day...

Still very, very Fall.

I'll be back soon with new musical diversions for a new month.

In the meantime, I'll gather up the pictures and let you all get back to whatever you were doing. I hope you're all discussing your own amazing Hallowe'en 2011 stories!

Until next time!

DDSP!

Making Hallowe'en still.

I think I want to keep them set up in my room for the rest of the year.

My animatronic family, minus the Great Pumpkin and Uncle Forry, while I program a few greatest hits into them.

Making Hallowe'en...

P.S. I notice the S&P has somehow lost a Follower. I wonder if we said something wrong? Oh well -- more libation for the rest of us.

DDSPluggingalong!

It's the little things.

Welcome, loyal S&P-brains!

I sure hope a fun and festive Fourth of July weekend was had by all. I know we had a marvelous time here at the S&P.

One thing I've always loved about July 4th is that it's only three days out from my birthday.

As a kid, this was a real boost. Everyone was together enjoying family fun and when it had to end, I'd just think  that's okay, in a few days I'm going to celebrate all over again! and any sadness about wrapping up Independence Day was gone.

So... tomorrow's the big day.

But last night my lovely V and Kiara and the family put together a very nice evening of food and fun that I was not at all expecting.

They even pulled out the Hallowe'en decor just for the occasion, right in the middle of Summer.

So... d'you think these people know me?

Two of my favorite tablecloths.

My nephew, the famous Mr. Jack, picked this other Jack to be my drink goblet all night.

The same Mr. Jack also put this pirate skull together for a beautifully

buccaneerin' centerpiece.

I have to admit, though, my favorite thing all night had to be

this truly unique pumpkin cake made mostly by hand

mostly by my granddaughter Kiara!

No, I did not make her put 43 candles on it.

But look at this thing:

Atop the cake is an iced marshmallow stem, and the surrounding images

are a bat (upper side) and the pumpkin's jack o'lantern face at the bottom (he has

very purpley-black rouge cheeks, don't you know?). It was a bundt cake, so

she filled the center with a mix of icing, mini marshmallows and graham

crackers... delicious!

Pirate skull, Kiara and a spoooooky pumpkin-faced cousin o'mine await the 

carving of the Great Pumpkin Cake.

I really am a lucky fellow. To be surrounded by loving family and friends who know and understand my love for Hallowe'en is fortunate enough; to have them share that love is a true blessing.

Hallowe'en in July. Just one of the perks (and quirks) of living the life I live.

I just wish it didn't have to be so humid and hot.

DDSPerspiration!

A (picture heavy) reminder...

... of why I love what I love, and the things that contributed to my Hallowe'enishness, to the grooming of yours truly into a bona fide, living-dyed in the wool Autumn Person.

You might share some of these memories with me.

This isn't everything that influenced me -- that may have to come in another post -- but they sure began the long, wonderful road.

An L.A. Dodgers AM Radio from the '70s?

Yep. It features near the end of a remarkable Hallowe'en story from my very young days; a Hallowe'en in my seventh year that I nearly missed, and yet... well, I think I've found a good tale for another post.

Until then, enjoy your long Winter's nap, each of you. A warming round on the house.

DDSP!