Author Topic: HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY! (Read 3772 times)

Monsters For Sale · « **on:** October 31, 2019, 04:09:21 AM »

I not only love this holiday, I love this time of year.

Even though I live in Southern California and we don't get the great fall foliage that some of you enjoy, it does get cooler and the crows have been talking back and forth from treetop to treetop. Soon we will have many of our trees lose their leaves and look like skeletal fingers reaching for the grey clouds above.

Nights are getting longer and longer moving towards the Winter Solstice - which is a real, not made-up thing to argue about the name of.

Time to get out those out-of-date eggs you've been saving.

Hope everybody gets all the candy they want and none of the bullies steal it from them.

Rex fury · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2019, 10:06:26 AM »

I hope the fires aren’t affecting you! I’m flying to LA today and wondering what the landscape will look like from the air. At any rate Happy Halloween 🎃
RF

Mike Scott · « **Reply #2 on:** October 31, 2019, 10:09:44 AM »

Happy Halloween, Adam!

Monsters For Sale · « **Reply #3 on:** October 31, 2019, 11:08:32 AM »

I was noticing a Halloween news report about a town back east that said they would have to delay trick-or-treating because of an early snowstorm.

We have an annual weather condition that can make our Halloweens be unusually warm or cold and humidity drop to single digits - perfect fire conditions.

The L.A. basin normally gets a gentle ocean breeze that traps the air in the big bowl made by the surrounding mountains. It's what kept Los Angeles smog in one spot over the years, before car emissions were limited. It would be so bad that schools would keep the kids indoors during recess - or even close for smog days. Lots of people would get irritated eyes and headaches.

Around this time of year, the wind sometimes reverses for a few days and blows down off the surrounding high desert through the San Gorgonio Pass in what is known as a Santa Ana (for the Mexican general) Wind. In the fall, the desert air gets very cold. It can blow very strong and fast and trap the warmer air already here underneath. That heavier cold air pushes down and heats up the warmer layer by compression. Those times it will get very warm for 3 or 4 days. If it happens on Halloween, the kids with costumes worn over their normal clothes can be pretty uncomfortable - and chocolate will get too soft.

Other times, the desert air hugs the ground and pushes the existing layer out to sea, and the basin gets unusually cold. Those years, the kids with skimpy costumes might be forced by parents to wear a coat over their costumes - bummer. This year is one of the cooler ones. The women in sexy costumes may be sporting goosebumps tonight.

Worst case scenario here, a few (very few) times over the years, we have had light rain. Kids who had worked all week on their costumes would have had to hide them under a raincoat. In the 50's that meant one of those thick, yellow rubberized canvas things that looked like all the kids were dressed as the New England fisherman from the Gorton's Seafood packages. (The darn thing was heavy and had a strong smell of rubber - as did the rubber boots that we had to squeeze over our normal shoes and fasten with buckles.)

What kind of weather did you guys usually have where you lived? What is your forecast for tonight?

Mike Scott · « **Reply #4 on:** October 31, 2019, 11:31:34 AM »

Quote from: Monsters For Sale on October 31, 2019, 11:08:32 AM

What kind of weather did you guys usually have where you lived? What is your forecast for tonight?

For decades, now, they've had TorT night (4 pm to 6 pm) on the Sat. before the 31st (unless the 31st is on Sat.). This year it rained, so they had it on Sun.

marsattacks666 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 31, 2019, 12:19:51 PM »

Happy Hallowe'en to all.🎃🎃🎃🎃

Hepcat · « **Reply #6 on:** November 01, 2019, 08:57:46 AM »

Steady rain kept trick or treaters away from our door yesterday evening. In comparison to the record high of 48 from a few years ago, we got a record low yesterday evening of 7 kids comprised of 2 pre-schoolers and 5 teens. My opportunities for mass slaughter and widespread depredation were therefore severely limited.

Oh well. I'll just have to start my planning for next year!

Mike...In 3-D! · « **Reply #7 on:** November 01, 2019, 09:55:46 AM »

Happy Halloween, everybody. The rain got us off to a slow start but it eventually picked up. Next year I plan on really leaning into it to try and get our neighborhood a little more active.

Mord · « **Reply #8 on:** November 01, 2019, 11:36:53 AM »

Dozens of happy trick or treaters came to our door and various scary houses in the neighborhood. All were cool and nicely suited up. Many Michaels, Jasons, Freddys, Pennywise etc. Glad the horror theme stayed strong. Also very few Star Wars, which I'm very happy about. The costume of the night...Purge II Statue of Libery with creepy light-up face. Gave that kid two candies.

Monsters For Sale · « **Reply #9 on:** November 01, 2019, 11:54:15 AM »

Not a single kid. Not ONE.

I don't count the two kids I babysit for- or the passing kid in karate uniform (not sure it was a Halloween costume) that I had to call over to my door.

I live in a 95% Asian neighborhood, many 1st generation Americans who speak little English - if any at all. I'm the only one around here that puts decorations in the window. Not another pumpkin to be seen anywhere. Nice neighbors, but I just can't get them to join in the spirit of trick-or-treating.

Coming from a time when any house that left its porchlight on was a legitimate target, it is kinda depressing. How would you guys feel if you lived in a place where no one, and I mean NO ONE celebrated Kwanzaa?

Mord · « **Reply #10 on:** November 01, 2019, 12:25:17 PM »

Sorry, Adam, it's a sad situation. In our hood, it was hit and miss. You would see two or three dark houses then a full blast scare house. Some houses had dancing ghosts projected in the balcony. Smoke-spewing horse with light up headless horseman, animated Michaels, Jasons, It clowns...every third house was like a theme park thrill ride. I just remember how much fun I had as a kid, and would never darken my house as an adult. Next year you can bring your little ones over here and celebrate with us. I know you won't do it, but it's worth a try.

Hepcat · « **Reply #11 on:** November 01, 2019, 01:01:09 PM »

Three teen girls with very realistic looking vampire teeth came to our doorway in a group. They were very well done indeed and almost made up for the low numbers!

But like I say, there's always next year!

KelG1 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 01, 2019, 03:29:02 PM »

We haven't seen any trick or treaters for years but its probably because of the busy street we live on more than anything else though I detect interest in Halloween is diminished-especially when they have Christmas decorations out alongside it in the stores!
The Halloween candy selection at the store--they have cases--were not very much. I remember they used to have a big section for it.
Funny note: the Doritos case box had a howling werewolf silhouette that reminded me of the wolfman cartoon from the Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein credits.

zombiehorror · « **Reply #13 on:** November 01, 2019, 10:13:57 PM »

This seems like as a good a thread as any to drop some photos of this years graveyard set up. I didn't get everything out because the wind was gusting up to 30 miles per hour, luckily it did calm down for the ToTers and we got a pretty good turn out, especially considering it still felt like 20° outside .