Hallowe'en in the 'Hood...

Hallowe'en
~ Harry Behn

Tonight is the night
When dead leaves fly
Like witches on switches
Across the sky,
When elf and sprite
Flit through the night
On a moony sheen.

Tonight is the night
When leaves make a sound
Like a gnome in his home
Under the ground,
When spooks and trolls
Creep out of holes
Mossy and green.

Tonight is the night
When pumpkins stare
Through sheaves and leaves
Everywhere,
When ghoul and ghost
And goblin host
Dance round their queen.
It's Hallowe'en.

Do you decorate for Hallowe'en? Do you go for the scary?  The creepy? Or just for fun?  We have some awesome "decor" in our neighbourhood this year so I thought I'd share a few pics with you....
First of all I couldn't resist this "elegant" look - okay maybe it's not really Hallowe'en decor- just autumn decor - but this morning as I passed by Government House, the residence of our Lieutenant Governor, the sun was so lovely on those vines, and with the pumpkins on the steps- well I just couldn't help myself!

And you're right- this isn't really my neighbourhood, but it's close by - less than a 2 minute drive from my house, so I'm including it.

If you are scared of spiders, you might want to steer clear of this house- judging  by the size of that web, I can just imagine the size of the spider who must be lurking nearby....

Maybe this is him- he was down the street a bit- no doubt he's out looking for tasty little child-sized morsels to eat... watch for him if you're in the area.... after all he does have eight legs so he can probably run just as fast as you can....

Just down the street from us, our neighbour Greg (who obviously loves Hallowe'en and plans from one year to the next), went all out this year and created a pirate ship on his front lawn. I will have to go down later this evening to see it in action- the ship is supposed to rock gently from side to side as if it is at sea, there are guns on the side of the ship that will light up as if firing, cannons near the house that I think will "fire" or at least smoke, a treasure chest that opens (powered by a rotisserie motor), the sabres held by the "skeleton crew" will raise and

lower...... ummm, just wondering WHO is having more fun here.. the kids or the guy who spends weeks putting this all together???  And on top of this "display" on the front lawn, there is the graveyard up against the house which the kids must walk by to get to the front door. If they dare, they can enter the house and see the Pirate's Banquet all set up in the dining room, complete with bats circling over the dining table...
I stopped and had a chat with Greg a few days ago as he was working on set-up. I laughed and said he must spend all year dreaming up what to do next - he has had some pretty impressive "decor" over the years.. and he replied that last year, some kid said to him they thought it was time he stepped it up a notch, as he had used several "items" several years in a row... Imagine!! I sure hope that kid comes back this year to see what he

has in store for his visitors tonight. And no doubt he will get many trick-or-treaters as he is on the front page of today's newspaper and the caption mentions his "pirate-themed haunted tour". I'm not expecting many at my door. We are pretty dull, in comparison....
Happy Hallowe'en!!!

Trick or Treat!
Linda

"There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch." ~Robert Brault