We actually took steps to discourage volunteers last fall, attempting to dispose of the guts rather than throw them in the garden. The idea being I would plant specialty kinds of pumpkins. I have more than 100 seeds across 8 species of pumpkins ready to be planted…in a couple weeks.
On one hand, these are not the pumpkins I was planning to plant. (odds of them being from the few luminas or cinderellas we planted last year are slim) On the other, the whole looking a gift horse in the mouth thing.
Since we began heading into the back yard in 2007, the fence has played a large part in building the atmosphere every year. It is the ‘transition point’ of the yard. The point kids lose sight of parents (unless they are coming too), the point where they are venturing into the unknown that lies beyond. They can see the front plainly, it’s the fence that is the ‘real’ entrance.
Of all the things of 2012, the fence was my favorite.
The bifurcated pumpkins have become a veritable icon of my yard as well, and always garner comments from the neighbors.
It’s an easy setup as well…so why mess with it? Well, I was looking for something to challenge me in 2013 and a suggestion was made: Why don’t you animate the fence?
I’ve long been toying with the prospect of animating something anyway, and this was a good place to start. Still got a few bugs to work out, and some paper mache pumpkins to make, but it’s coming on quite well.
I realized we had far too many for me to deal with. Sorry, but I’m drawing a line at cleaning 100ish. So, what to do with the surplus?
They were gone in an hour.
Of course, we’ve also been taking a full advantage of our Lagoon season passes as well. Turns out Talia REALLY loves photo ops.
Makes me think I should build some myself…
Funny thing Lagoon features 4 haunted houses that run the range of the best and worst such professional haunts have to offer.
The Funhouse, clown centered, 3D haunted house is an utter mess of the same trick over and over. Every room is an assault on your eyes with an actor hiding somewhere. Barely variation on ye olde dot room.
The Backlot next door is the classic cram as many movie scenes as you can into a haunted house. Not my thing, but it is a staple of the season.
Lockdown is Lagoon’s prison themed haunt, and IMO the best one there again. Relatively low tech and actor driven, a lot depends on getting good actors in there, but I enjoy it best, and among them, it is both Talia’s and Alec’s biggest fear.
Nightwalk, however, is the polar opposite. High tech, almost entirely prop driven haunt…too bad they keep it so dark you can hardly see any of it.
Of course, we’ve also been working on my own stuff as well.
My mask for the year is coming along quite well. With Trevor being from the era of the plague and all, we figured we may as well run with that theme all the way round.
And of course, doing the plague and all, you have to account for the miasma theory of the time. Trevor finally got a full blown test…
