HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

One of my favorite holidays ... it's H a l l o w e e n !!  Ever since I was a kid, it has always been fun to come up with an idea for a Halloween character and create the costume.  This was one of my earliest ... my grandmother made the "purse" from a mop and I was a little Scottish girl.  Maybe THAT's where my love of Halloween came from!!!

Being able to go out and play the part ..... priceless!!  My friend Diane (third from the right) and I would brainstorm ideas for our office.  Amazingly, everyone would go along with the program and people would trail through our office all day to check out the costumes.  This was "Bride" day ... Bride of Frankenstein, Dead Bride (that's me with the worm coming out of my eye ... what a trick THAT was!!) ... the Groom (my skiing buddy Peter), Miss Piggy Bride, Motorcycle Mama Bride Diane, Dracula's Bride and our boss Steve as the minister!!  There was a Board of Supervisors meeting that day, which we all attended ...

This year it was witches ... yup that's me with the green paint all over my face and hands.  I carried around a basket with Toto in it as a hostage, looking for the ruby slippers.

It was easy when we decided to be Harley riders.  I didn't have to buy ANYTHING!!!

So in the interest of a good time, this year I created a Day-of-the-Dead lifesize doll for my entryway.  Unfortunately I had a LOT of trouble getting her head to stay on!!  I can be creative, but when it comes to mechanical stuff ... not so much!!

This is actually a screaming Mummy revamped.  Everyone, including me, hated the screaming, so it was easy to rip her head off!!!  Wouldn't you know though, when I put the skull on, I couldn't keep her mouth shut!!!

I had planned on getting to Raisin Hell Ranch again this year to help photograph their advertisements, but didn't make it.  There's just not enough time in a day!!

It was lots of fun to go through the two corn mazes and watch people getting scared.  It's even MORE fun to be the scarer versus the scaree!!!

The gas chamber was another hit.  When you went in the door, it tripped a smoke machine.  The guy here would not let you out until you banged on the door a couple of times.  VERY scary!!

And of course there were guys looking like this at every turn, jumping out of the dark to get you.  Actually, this truck was rigged to shake and rattle with headlights ablaze, blinding you while he jumped out and scared you.  

It was all great fun ... I never laughed so much!!!  The guy with the chain saw chasing you out the door at the end was the coup de gras!!   This Halloween isn't even over and I'm already planning for next year!!!       Happy Halloween!!!!!