Autumn really kicks in October in Northern California, bringing very high winds and rain. I survived mostly unscathed, and although rain was forecast for the entire Halloween evening, not one drop fell over our neighborhood. Our finally tally of trick 'r treaters:
I finally checked a Dia de los Muertos theme off the bucket list, due mostly to my dear friend Britta Peterson of Eerie Elegance who gifted me her gravestone artwork, a ton of flowers and decor first used in her 2015 Day of the Dead display. My approach was more of a Dia de los Muertos meets Halloween so there were jack-o-lanterns throughout plus things like giant spider webs, projected spiders, and orange was the highlight color! The neighborhood also seemed to respond much more favorably to a family-friendly, colorful Halloween display. (Up the block we have neighbor who prefers a guts-n-gore type of display and that rarely goes over well.)
First (Last?) Party in 6 Years!
We also hosted a large Halloween party this year – the first since 2010 – which also happens to be our last! The time, effort, and cost of such big parties is just too much, and I'd rather enjoy the holiday season rather than worry about guest counts, menus, and booze. As farewells go, this party was a blast and I loved that we went out with Dia de los Muertos theme!
Our Awesome Neighbors
As a yard haunter, nothing brings me more joy than seeing our community respond to our Halloween display. I always wonder if people think we're nuts, obsessed, or crazy. It's so awesome that they love it and took the time to write us a handcrafted card. Wow!
Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Winning 2016 logo design by Tony Barney The San Francisco Bay Area officially kicks off Halloween with the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, now in its 46th year! The two-day event is this weekend and features local artists, crafts, a pumpkin weigh off, pumpkin carving demos, costume and pie eating contests, live music, and of course everything pumpkin to eat from pumpkin mac-n-cheese to pumpkin craft beer and cocktails. This year a 1910-pound pumpkin took top honors in the 2016 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The gourd was grown by Cindy Tobeck, an elementary teacher from Washington who will take home a $11,460 prize ($6 a pound). The world record stands at 2,232 pounds but a reported pumpkin weighing 2,624 pounds was grown in Belgium.
I hope you enjoyed your Halloween season! We're heading back to the tomb and hibernating for a long while.
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