Halloween at The End of Nowhere

Let's face it, on foot the pickings are slim, the evenings are cool and there's a good chance that it's going to be raining ... even without the distances involved, the absence of street lights and, not least, the very real possibility of encountering bears or other toothy wildlife (this isn't the city; here the predators may be hungry but aren't wantonly vicious).

Back in the old days -- and, for some of us, they weren't that far ago -- before TV, gameboys and playstations, people had ample ways of having fun ... even if they had to make their own. And, actually, making your own fun can be the most fun of all (but more on that in a moment).

So, down at The End of Nowhere, that's what we do. We make our own fun. And, come Friday night, the night before All Hallows when folklore holds that the spirits of the deceased will tread upon the earth, there will -- indeed -- be spirits even if not necessarily deceased.

Of course, this transformation is far from accidental and is owed entirely to the efforts of a small army of fairies, elves, gnomes and other forest denizens (there are lots of these down at The End of Nowhere).


I wonder at times where they come up with some of these things but here one of the elves is preparing pieces for the kids to build their own jack-o-lanterns. (There's a lot of that going around today.)	Everybody needs a hand sometime ... these have candy corn nails, popcorn fillings and ... well, rather garish jewelry.
An individual who asked to remain anonymous (so to speak) was sporting these very unusual earrings.

A few pumpkins ... and a few elves ... progress continues	Sugar cookies, frosting, popcorn balls, frosting ... but not on my diet -- oh, the joys of being diabetic!

Pat -- to those who know her -- is almost always at the center of whatever is happening here. (And we do appreciate her.)	And some people just want to clown around.

At least there's someone older than I am, right? Even if he isn't wearing his age well.	More jack-o-lanterns ... raisins, chocolate chips ... almond slivers well, I guess the almond slivers are on my diet but the rest of it?

In two hours on Friday afternoon, the Center -- which normally bears an uncanny resemblance to someone's family room -- has undergone a transformation. There's tons of candy of course ... chocolate eyeballs, peanut butter fingers, jelly filled ears ... okay, some of it I'm not even sure about. (But the hot spiced cider was good ... and relatively "normal".)

There are candlearia outside, spooks hanging all over, cobwebs (mandatory of course but it sure would be easier if we could hire trained spiders) and, as the sun slips behind the Olympic Mountains ... assorted spooks, superheroes, monsters and other creatures begin to arrive.

The purpose of this party is for the kids. Here at the End of Nowhere, it's a long distance between houses and, as mentioned earlier, letting the kids roam at night would not only be futile but potentially dangerous.

Both were out in force and in a variety of costumes and, considering that the strongest thing to drink was cider (soft cider, not hard), perhaps it might seem a little odd how many of the "older" variety of kids appeared.

	The very bewitching lady at the left is unaccountably camera shy and, in our 40+ years together, I'm only rarely able to capture an image of her. In this case, she probably thought that I was aiming well to the left and that she was not in the picture at all. At right is another younger lady who is less camera shy than simply focused on other concerns. I'm rather pleased to note her choice of costume simply because, when Mary and I were that age, the pseudo-Batman would have been a boy, not a girl. Hey, you've come a long way, Baby ... and we hope you appreciate it.

	The pumpkin-head at the left (back) and, at right, a rather elaborate costume (no, I'm not sure what it is either) each conceal a very, very nice person ... and, happily, they're also typical of a community like this. Why do I refer to them in this fashion? Because the young lady in the wheelchair (foreground right) and the young man in the wheelchair (foreground left) are each handicapped children with very special needs ... who are also receiving very special care. I am proud to have neighbors like this.
The party is on, the atmosphere is warm (despite being cold outside) and there's enough going on that it's actually kind of hard to keep track of what's happening.

Now, there are costumes and then there are costumes. At the left (above and below), he could be a bear cub or maybe an Ewok? In the center, the diva on the right is fairly obvious but, on center left, well, the costume is a bit on the scary side. And, finally, on the right ... umh, even having known the gentleman for a couple of years, I'm not entirely sure what his costume is ... (but he did seem to be having fun and that's the whole point, right?)

	Here's a young lady with a more traditional choice of costume ....	And here's the guy you don't want to meet in the jungle on a dark night.

Camo seems to be a perennial favorite. Of course, around here and in season, it might not be a costume.	The doctor is in...timidating?	Of course, a costume is always optional for a petty girl.
		The Dark Knight seems to be a popular theme this year ... but, curiously, it seems to be most popular with the fairer sex. And (far left) even a ghoulish makeover can't conceal the attractions of a healthy young lady. Further, as you can note below, there are young men who are also not oblivious ... to either. The young Batlady below -- given a bit of time and interest -- will undoubtedly attract her own admirers.

	On the immediate left, a very determined young cowboy makes his entrance. On the immediate right, a local troubadour performs for the assembly. Below center and right, Ironman seems to have forgotten the point of having a mask. Below left, another ghoulish friend makes an appearance.

	The young man at left (with his mother) and at right, standing alone, is unaccountably shy. Despite his mother's urging, he declined to don his mask to complete his rather elaborate costume and was also uninterested in posing for a better shot. I guess some are simply doomed to obscurity. (But we hope he had fun anyway.) His sister, below left and center, was less camera shy ... a charming lass. Below right, this very self-sufficient young lady is perfectly capable of entertaining herself.


Count Vlad was having a very good night of it ... but modesty forbids that I should recount the conversation (euphemistically speaking) overheard between the vamp and the vamp.

Our young pirate lady makes another appearance when she wins a coloring contest. (More on that in a moment.)	The "scream" has been popular for the past several years .... ever since the painting received major publicity by being stolen. Sounds like a plot to me.	Costumed or not? I'm not sure if the logo has some special significance or what. Might just be that I'm the wrong generation?
	Along with all of the candy, the Halloween party included coloring contests with prizes for different age groups. Above right, the judges try to decide between two entries while prizes are awarded at top and bottom left and bottom right.


Of course, yours' truly was present, disguised as Agent 65, taking surreptitious photographs and, in keeping with the occasion, having a very good time.
		After all, Halloween is my birthday. Isn't it nice how everyone chooses to celebrate the occasion?

To return to the point of this story, however, here at The End of Nowhere, we may not be in the midst of hot night spots ... but we do make our own ... and a good time is had by all.

And, next year, naturally, you're welcome to join us ... for Halloween at The End of Nowhere.