Challenges – An Unorthodox Halloween

Hey, look, that’s my shop…

If you’ve followed along for any length of time you’ve seen my projects spilled out into the yard, the garage, the kitchen table, and even the living room.

2017, that will largely change. I will have a shop. An actual workspace all my own.

They’ve started digging it out now…

From 2016 Buildup

Of course, between waiting for banks and permits and whatevers, it’s not going to be done till December…and that puts us in a huge construction mess in October.

Oh, we’re still doing something. I don’t know WHAT yet. Announcements soon.

Photography has long been a hobby of mine. Pics of family, pets, vacation. Photography class was among my favorites, shooting in a studio setting with ancient double lens reflex cameras, playing in the dark room.

However, I found it prohibitively expensive to pursue as a true hobby in the days of film. Sure I had a nice Pentax camera handed down to me, and along with it some decent lenses, but the cost of film and development of film held me back.

In 2006 I managed to get an obsolete ist DL so I could start taking pics of my stuff.

It was wonderful…

From Halloween 07

But struggled mightily at night, washing things out in a haze.

From Halloween 07

A science experiment ended up frying pieces of it in 2009, and I couldn’t get it to work with older lenses. Thus, in 2010, we acquired Bertha. My trusty pentax K100D. Ancient by DSLR standards, even at time of purchase. It was a relatively minor upgrade to the ist, but was rated among the best at low light photography.

I LOVED Bertha instantly.

From The Harvest 2011

And when I found the setting to let her use old manual lenses, that adoration grew.

From 2013 buildup

I systematically bought used kits off local classifieds and grew my collection of old lenses for Bertha over the years. However, as my interest moved to macro photography last year, I noticed Bertha having some challenges in this arena. I just couldn’t get very clear focusing, it was always “just” off.

From Buildup 14

Research told me a lot of that had to do with the fact that though the old manual lenses work fine, some of the guts in Bertha were made for autofocus lenses. My plan, thus, going into the year was to retrofit Bertha with old technology. Selling off a bunch of the old film cameras I’d collected while acquiring lenses, I went shopping…

And come across a camera, already retrofitted for fully manual operation, and 2 generations newer than Bertha at a price cheaper than I could redo Bertha, so I was able to swing a new lens more suited to working closeups as well. New toys in hand, but no bugs outside in January, I went down to Music Village to play around, and compare the new camera to Bertha. While Bertha held her own fine in the picture quality, it was so much quicker and easier to use the new camera retrofitted for manual work I’ve decided to part with Bertha as is, and embrace this retrofit.

Sure, it’s a 2006 camera, big, heavy, and ancient by most electronic standards. There’s no live view, no video, no wifi instant posting or GPS or any of that stuff you get in today’s cameras. Shooting with lenses from the 50’s-70’s, there’s not even autofocus, and pure manual operation is mandatory. That, however, is somehow part of the appeal, as for me, it recaptures some of that magic that was working with film long ago.

From Pentax

Reflecting on 2014…

I’ve been wondering how to word this for a LONG time. You may have noticed my activity has been rather diminished over 2014.

As you might expect, Halloween 2014 for us really began in 2013. Actually late September of 2013. However, 2014 was a different kind of beginning than is typical for us. We were not making plans and figuring out what to build for the following year. 2014 began when we were informed in September I would possibly be losing my job in January.

We already had the vacation planned for Disneyland last year, and we went and enjoyed as best we could, but everything was just a bit muted. As December approached, that possibility soon became a certainty, and thus in January, I found myself unemployed for the first time in my life.

It’s hard to express the changes this wrought mentally and emotionally. I didn’t speak about it here, as even posting to this blog made me feel somewhat guilty keeping such a frivolous hobby. I was bound and determined to somehow keep Halloween alive. I couldn’t really justify it logically. I had no idea how it would even be possible. I just knew that it had become a part of who I am.

Little projects I managed to pull together for no cost both helped and hurt. Sure, building coffins kept me busy, active, and gave some sense of accomplishment, but at the same time, they reminded me it all might be for nothing, that I was unemployed.

I soon found myself switching to REALLY old hobbies, ones pre-dating Halloween. I could take pictures free these days, and it let me rediscover my love of bugs.

And, through that, a love of gardening, and of cooking. As summer stretched on, and various disappointments reared their heads (something eating my corn…something not me), it became clear Halloween was soon going to be in jeopardy as well, and I gave up on a camera upgrade I had been hoping for, instead using that squirreled away money to begin buying treats for Halloween, and hoping to be able to keep the party going.

September brought a massive roller coaster ride with job opportunities appearing, and disappearing, and pumpkin harvest looking great…and then a lot rotting earlier than usual. But, it was nice to be back at Frightmares for Halloween.

On the verge of needing to let go of some aspects of our Party, things I can clung to with almost irrational zeal, I finally found employment again at the first of October. By some miracle, it even allowed me a schedule by where I would be able to be off for our planned party and Halloween night. However, putting the yard together was going to present a challenge.

One final setback struck in a personal manner when my Father in law died in mid October. Somehow, our yard that featured bodies and coffins suddenly seemed to be something less than tasteful. Still, it was a part of me, somewhere deep inside.

As the day drew near, family, friends, neighbors all pitched in to make this come together this year. My boys were responsible for entire projects in the yard. Neighbors helped build. Additional pumpkins were donated to fill in for the rotted ones. Family and neighbors come to help with cleaning out the pumpkins. Several offers were fielded to help ensure the party was able to continue.

I started the year knowing how much this means to me. I’ve learned through this year how much it means to a larger community.

As one little boy pulled on my leg Friday night, and asked “mister scary” (me) if he could have another magic light (glow stick) this year, as it had kept him safe last year, I realized what a rare and precious gift this is. For one night, that light is magic, and it DOES keep the monsters away. I’ve made that story real for that child, but just as much, he has made it real for ME.

Now, time to start working on 2015.

2010 fallout.

I’ve decided to start logging one of the side effects of having so many people over here on Halloween night.

I’m open for advice on how to actually prevent and/or battle this in the future.

2010 was actually a ‘light’ year where the front yard is concerned. The weather kept some folks away, so fewer numbers and multiple paths helped the front yard damage some. Still, there is a clear depression where the path went, and it will be there in the spring, maybe into the summer.