Pumpkins, Posses, and Poses

Usually I am the one who gets to ask Tammy and her crew out on group playdates, but this past weekend she invited me to be one of her guests (1 of 10!) to go to the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze hosted by one of many Historic Hudson Valley estates, Van Cortlandt Manor.

Thanks to her connections, she got to bring a group and bypass the regular line. (It's good to have connections. VIP all the way.) I was her "friend," and each of her kids got to bring friends, who in turn, brought their parents. You would think that 4 adults would be able to keep up and wrangle 6 kids, but .... what do I know? I don't have kids.

Even with the assistance of 4 pizzas, 2 salads, copious amounts of soda, bread, and few miscellaneous slices,there was no carb coma, so it was controlled mayhem. Even with this evidence to the contrary (below left), Tammy says this was a good outing! I can't believe how big J&J her kids are, how funny their friends are, and the insanity of middle school? It's not changed. God bless Tammy. HONESTLY. I don't know how she does it. Kids are funny. Add in a maze designed to hit various age scare points and oh-so-stragetic pit stops at mechandise sites, they held up pretty well.

As for me, these are only few shots out of 100+ that came out. Shooting at night is tricky when you don't want a flash to wash out the ambiance. I got a LOT of fuzzy pictures because I didn't bring a tripod, nor was it even feasible. You'll get the idea though.  

Rather than have over 30,000 people tromp through this historic property building, they had a light show on the exterior and routed us around the various spooky paths to see vignettes like these.

As I was listening to the clock, looking at the witches, and prepping to go into the pumpkin tunnel, I heard one parent say to  a kid,  "Oh, they are just making religious pumpkin soup!"

And, apparently, the reason why dinosaurs went extinct is because they didn't eat their vegetables! Eat your vegetables and pumpkins, do you hear, kids?!

If you aren't scared by the end, these 3 monsters will beat it into your head to buy something in the shop ... or shops, as the case may be.

The final tent was FULL of baked sale goods. It's hard to resist cider and popcorn on a chilly fall night, but "HAY," we did! Good for us being full of pizza.

For all that we should have marveled at the amount of work that went into carving and displaying 5,000 pumpkins and lots of lights and electrics, and dealing with 30,000 visitors in a month, OF course the kids of the group were fascinated by this final artwork of the night. 

From the side it looked like this.

From the back In the shadows? Yep....So of course, the kids had to pose for photos JUST like it.

Thanks Tammy, J&J, and funny Brody of the bottomless pit of a stomach. Tammy, next time, girls adult time with me in the City, so we can really have a chance to talk! Just clear some time in your schedule ... some time in the next 6 months!

Happy Halloween!

Cape Cod forest, October 2013

Sheets, posts, rags, rope, lights + darkness

Surprisingly effectively spooky.

Grafton Take Two - Part One

While my spring vacation was filled with lots of quality time with the nieces and nephews, one of the other things I was excited to do was try to get to Grafton again. Back in January, my brother and I attempted to visit this historical site for the first time, only to be steered away by mud and spirits disguised as a canine Gandalf the Grey. Knowing J's work schedule, I wasn't sure it was going to happen on this visit. I was delighted when he volunteered to take us up after work one afternoon.

Fortune favored us on our second attempt. We got beyond the Dire Warning signs, down the formerly muddy roads, past what must have been Gandalf's ranch, and onto the back roads leading to Grafton. Our steed was J's mighty horse-powered four-wheel drive seen parked on the access road. Mom wasn't too keen on us using her car. Can't imagine why!
Grafton is guarded not only by the spirits of the past, but by two sets of gates that warn that you are being filmed. J doubted that there is film in the camera. I erred on the side of caution, smiled and waved, and thanked them for their vigilance. (Yes, I'm a New Yorker. I'm used to surveillance.)

Part of the reason for their vigilance is that some of the buildings are under restoration. Most of the wood work on the chapel/school and the major homestead are new. You can't go into these buildings, but you can look in and see the various deceased pests that did. If you ignore that grossness of that image (which I didn't record!) and focus on the rough beauty around, you marvel at the fortitude of the settlers. Wouldn't you put up with a lot to have these views? And they did put up with a lot.

You can really see the new wood work on this building. From all the signage, we think that this homestead was for one household, while directly across the way was the "old house" which was home to another wife. (Dates and information on the various historical markers bear this out.)
Completely different type of abode. Sadly, it is bigger than my New York apartment. While touring the interior of this house, part of my brain was playing realtor and writing the description.

Quaint historic property. Beautiful views. Natural light. Cozy rooms. Ecofriendly.

The reality ... not a lot of the natural light. Plus, from your front door you'd have to see what your "sister wife" was living in. Cozy rooms indeed. Watch your head. Wear closed-toed shoes. Wear shoes for that matter.
The two bedrooms are small. This is a narrow room with an exposed exterior wall. The current furnishing come with the place. You could fit a full-size tick mattress on that frame. Not much room beyond the foot board.

The second bedroom has views of some of your closest neighbors.

Heating is rustic, to say the least.

But there is plenty of wood nearby and you don't need a gym membership, as you'll be chopping your own. Indoor plumbing is non-existent, and water access is a problem. Except when it floods, which, apparently it did A LOT ... part of the reason why Grafton was abandoned and this is now a ghost town.

How the occupant of this abode ran a weaving business, and tended her house, husband, land, and family is amazing. Clearly I was born at the end of the right century because I definitely would NOT have hacked it as a pioneer.

Bordering the historical site are fields still actively owned by local ranchers. You saw the cows out the back window there. Some of the locals believe in recycling, in their own fashion. Metal comes from the earth, and now it's slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Reflecting on our visit,
I'm glad they are preserving the site, especially these red brick buildings. When I think ghost town though, I think of buildings more like the shack than the preservations-in-progress. It's walking through the rough wooden abode, peering into tiny rooms, ducking under lintels, and trying not to freak out at carcases of descicated insects, that made me appreciate the past even more. I suppose that's the point of the juxtaposition of the two buildings.

While J patiently waited for me (and called on nature), I finished rambling around. We realized that we should probably head back up the road, as we noticed that some serious clouds were starting to roll in.

Coming up next, the Grafton Cemetery and a breath of fresh air. In the meantime, here's a little ditty to keep you amused. An appropriate song, and a vision of another chapter in Grafton's past.

Happy Halloween

Woodlawn Cemetary, The Bronx

Sunset

When all the ghosties come out to play

Haunted Library

You always thought that libraries were haunted. Finally, there's proof! If you are very still, have high-tech camera equipment, and pretend you are from TAPS, you can get documentation of the Peepergeists. Don't be scared.... These Peeps are like Casper.

Haunting the stacks

I hear dead Peeple.

Ghosts in the machine

(Are they the reason that you hear secret messages when you play records in reverse?)

Some very scarey musicWitch Peeps will show up next?

Perhaps it will be an appearance by the Great Pumpkin!