What I Love About Halloween

1.  I love the fall atmosphere that comes with Halloween; the smell of cider, apple, fire places, and of course, all the pumpkin spice.  I love the cooler weather; being able to wear jackets and boots and scarves.  I love the colors; the yellows, oranges, reds, crimsons, browns, and golds.  I love knowing that even in difficult times, we all still have something worth celebrating, that we all look forward to. 

2.  I love the fun and creativity.  I love thinking of costumes and dressing up.  I love the idea that creepy things can happen, that ghosts can come back to visit, and there are still things that can't be explained.  Anything is possible on Halloween.

3.  I love Halloween movies.  I love the kid's classics such as "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" "Scooby Doo on Zombie Island," and "Casper."  I love the genuinely scary ones like "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project."  I love M. Night Shyamalan's hits "The Sixth Sense," "Signs," and "The Village."  Above all, however, I love "Hocus Pocus."

4.  I love Halloween music.  "The Monster Mash," "Ghostbusters," "The One-Eyed One-Horned Flying  Purple People Eater," "Werewolves of London," "Love Potion #9." etc...

5.  I LOVE CANDY.

6.  I love the idea of magic and witchcraft, though there is no way you will get me to participate.  I don't necessarily believe in it, but I sure as heck will not take part in any sort of spell or incantation or ritual.  Better safe than sorry.

For anyone who's always wanted one...

7.  I love carving Jack-O- Lanterns ( http://jacquelinesmithphotography.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-carve-pumpkin.html ).

8.  I love Halloween decorations; ghosts and spider webs and cemeteries and haunted houses.

9.  I love being scared.

10.  I love celebrating Halloween with my very own Black Cat!

My Midnight.

*All photographs © copyright by Jacqueline E. Smith.

How to Carve a Pumpkin

Step 1: Pick out a nice pumpkin and give it a bath.

Step 2: Decapitate it.  ("Awwwwww, you didn't tell me you were going to kill it!")

Step 3: Stand staring at all the nastiness inside the pumpkin, take a moment to consider how much it smells like your childhood, and try to figure out a way to remove all the "pumpkin guts" without actually touching it.

Step 4: Suck it up, reach inside, and pull out all the pulp with your bare hands.

Step 5: Collect all the seeds for your friend who wants to roast them.

Step 6: Sketch out a cool design.

Step 7: Instantly regret said cool design when you realize you have to carve it out.

Step 8: An hour and a very sore arm later, light up your Jack-O-Lantern and admire your hard work.

Happy Halloween!

*All photographs © copyright by Jacqueline E. Smith.

Playing With Fire

 In which my friend lights a fire and I take pictures of it. 

 

*All photographs © copyright by Jacqueline E. Smith.

Haunted

In the spirit of Halloween, I took a road trip to a small town called Jefferson, Texas.  I'd seen it on an episode of "My Ghost Story: Caught on Camera."  It's supposedly one of the most haunted towns in the United States.  My goal wasn't necessarily to capture a ghost on camera as much as it was to photograph a cool old town that happens to be haunted and hopefully catch a ghost.

Old window. The thing is, I have no idea what that orange and white mist is.  At first I thought the orange was my reflection, but if it was, it wouldn't be obscuring the marks on the window.  That and the window is so dirty, a reflection would be nearly impossible. Furthermore, it was not generated by a flash, because my flash wasn't on. 

Orange and yellow orbs near the lower left corner of the gate.  Probably not a ghost, but fun to believe it is. 

Large purple orb around the word "Polk." 

Orb in front of the word "Dallas."

Not in Jefferson, but still a creepy, haunted building.

*All photographs © copyright by Jacqueline E. Smith.