I made a last-minute call and celebrated Halloween. It was a literal call, I called Katherine Friday night and asked if she wanted to show me the “Halloween House” the next day. This Halloween House is not a commercial venture, it’s a private home in Ditmas Park that takes the holiday very seriously. I don’t have a long shot showing everything. That was foolish. Here are the pictures and videos I got.
I’m mad I didn’t have that near me as a kid; I would have thought it the greatest thing ever. I still think it’s the greatest thing ever. These people know how to keep Halloween in their heart.
The subway ride to Brooklyn was easy and I got to Katherine’s early. First thing we did is take her dog for a walk. I love that! I love dogs. There’s nothing better than other people’s dogs. The weather was perfectly seasonal Halloween. For the first time since spring I wore my leather jacket. The one thing I couldn’t find was a proper hat. All the ones I found were too warm. That meant wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap. While looking for an autumn hat I found my WFUV baseball cap which still has the I Voted Early sticker on it from last year. That was perfect as I didn’t get a sticker this year. I had so much fun watching the people in costumes. Many of the houses had candy shoots to deliver the candy from a distance to the kids. That’s a tradition that we should keep. It’s more fun than it being handed to you. I envied the people in their furry onesies they looked so warm and cozy.
After we came back from the dog walk it was still too light to visit the house, so we stopped for coffee. I ordered my first hot chocolate of the season. I bonded with the barista. He asked if I wanted whipped cream and I said, “of course.” We then went into people that said no and how we couldn’t understand them. He then drizzled chocolate syrup on the whipped cream. Even better than getting the extras was his enjoyment of my enjoyment. It’s what we think of as the Christmas spirit, but it has nothing to do with Christmas. People get pleasure out of giving others pleasure.
When we walk in the neighborhood when there’s a choice we always walk past Coco and Bruce’s house, wave, and say, “Hi Coco and Bruce,” without actually stopping. We are leery of walking in unannounced especially in the time of COVID-19. I thought we might make an exception yesterday as they might expect their doorbell to ring on Halloween. We were discussing whether or not to do so when we saw that the hatch of the van was open. They were loading or unloading it. We decided to sit in in the back of the van till they came out and surprise them. Bruce came out and we talked to him. Then we found out that Coco was right inside, and we asked him to tell her that people were outside to see her. We heard him say, “there are big trick or treaters outside.” She came and was surprised to see us. The smile on their faces made the entire trip worthwhile. I’ve seen so few people since the plague started and these are people I love. The tough part was not hugging Coco. I don’t think we have ever not hugged each other before.
Good timing, I just got the pictures that Katherine took of me so I can show those to you.
It was as much fun watching the people looking at the house as the house itself. This is a new Halloween tradition for me.
After Halloweening we went to dine al fresco I had a chicken sandwich and fries. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t tell you that. It hit me that I’m back to doing something that I used to do every week but haven’t for years, planned on spending time with a friend most of which consists of just hanging out. There is a lot be said for that. Now if I can get myself reading regularly I’ll be back to being the old me.
Here are some more pictures of people and things we saw while walking around.
Nothing is more terrifying than a banjo
When’s the last time I did a photo blog? It’s been forever. It’s good for my mental health as is everything else that I do that invokes normal. Watching live music, even if only online, spending time with friends, photography, watching the World Series, and eating peanut butter. I’m doing that now. There is more to life than politics and COVID-19; never lose sight of that.
Wise Madness 