Happy Hallowe'en!!!

...And a Blessed Samhain to all those who observe it!

Around here, Halloween is more of a season than a day, and this particular Halloween has been just FILLED with wicked cool goings on...

The celebration began with the fourth annual Ghoultide Gathering and will end tomorrow as the last day of summer (Samhain) passes into the Celtic New Year.

In between of course, was LOTS of painting, the Willy Wonka party, and last night my friend Jen's Day of the Dead Halloween party. Jen's parties are always fun - she decorates the house to the hilt, has an interesting mix of guests, and makes great food and drinks...My own contribution was a pan of enchiladas verdes, and these wicked cool Halloween cookies from Kim Short of Kim's Artistic Confections...

I think my favorite was Poe. Of course, Jack Nicholson was pretty amazing too. :)

The kids had a great time, and really, that's what Halloween is all about...

Munchies galore...

And our hostess, dressed in her Day of the Dead finery...

I also spent part of the weekend with the Cabin Ladies, sort of a girls weekend we do several times a year at one of Pennsylvania's beautiful state parks. Very relaxing, and it gave me a chance to drive some of the backroads I hadn't seen in a while. Lancaster County has some great sights, one of the more unusual being these old graveyards set in the middle of farmland, many not even accessible by road...
A one room Amish schoolhouse...

The little town of Terre Hill, where John and I lived when we first moved to Pennsylvania...

And I snapped this one not so much to show the sheep, but the trees...

As you can see, summer is indeed over, and the glorious colors of autumn are fading from the trees. Frost will appear soon, and we'll catch the scent of woodsmoke as we pass these farms. The roadside markets (now selling only pumpkins, cabbage and winter root vegetables) will close for the season, and we'll wait for the snow to fly.

But tonight is All Hallow's Eve, and since the trick or treaters have already been here (see previous posts) I'll get into the *spirit* of things by checking my friends' wicked cool Halloween work on the EHAG Emporium update. :)

In the meantime, on the eve of the Celtic New Year, I'll leave you with a little Van Morrison...



Until next time,

¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• ~ Carolee

"Flight"

Websters defines it first as "the act or instance of passing through air", but I very much prefer one of the subsequent definitions: "a brilliant, imaginative, or unrestrained exercise or display" (as in "a flight of fancy")....

This one (listed on eBay now) did in fact feel imaginative and unrestrained - and I have to admit being quite pleased when, after posting a couple of in-progress photos on facebook, a few people said it actually gave them the sensation of being up there. Hehe - I LOVE that!

What fun to soar above the clouds on All Hallows' Eve, a birds eye (or witch's eye?) view of all the goings on below....

Of course, Halloween is fun on the ground too! Hard to believe it's only two days away. As you may have read in the previous post, the local Powers-That-Be have designated tomorrow night (the 30th) as "Trick or Treat Night" rather than actually letting the kids celebrate on Halloween. I have no clue why (although I suspect the conservative religious nature of the community is a factor) - and while part of me is completely burned they think they have the power to arbitrarily change the holiday (or at least the day it's celebrated), another admittedly more selfish part of is relieved there's no conflict between candy dispensing and Halloween party attendance.

We have two wicked cool gatherings to attend on Saturday. The first is an open house at Jen and Kevin's place. Check out some of her decorations here. Can't wait to everything in person!! Jen's parties are always a lot of fun, and John's the designated driver for the night, so I plan to revel. ;)

The second gathering is a Harry Potter party, hosted by friends Dustin and Eric, the invitation for which arrived on parchment, sealed with with sealing wax, informing us we'd been accepted at Hogwarts next semester, and signed by Albus Dumbledore. If I were twenty years younger, many pounds lighter and blonde, I'd go as my favorite character, Luna Lovegood. As it stands, I'll likely wear basic black with some fabulous Halloween jewelry.

Oh! And speaking of Halloween jewelry, check out Jen's Gypsy Mare Blog! She has a few of her Halloween pendants up for grabs at an absolutely SCARY low price and a dollar for shipping - last time I checked, she only had 7 left, so do run over there!

Okay that's about it for today....Look for "Flight" to list on eBay tonight at 9PM, and some wicked cool boxes on eBay and Etsy soon. There's also a "Seasons of the Witch" piece coming soon, and the first of the 2009 Yule and Christmas pieces too...

I'll be back soon with the new work, and an update on John, who as some of you know is having heart surgery next week.....

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain!
~ Carolee