Hallowe’en Fun

Posted on October 30, 2009 by

October 13, 2009 new 017 (3)
Things seem a little stranger than usual around the Fairegarden.

October 7, 2009 new 028 (4)
I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. (1)

October 5, 2009 057 (3)
I’ve seen so many things
I ain’t never seen before
Don’t know what it is
I don’t wanna see no more.(2)

September 28, 2009 old 005 (3)
Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night (Thanks Monica).(3)

September 28, 2009 old 053 (4)September 28, 2009 old 053 (5)
Was there something wrong with that tuna sandwich?(4)

October 5, 2009 006 (3)
Darkness falls across the land / The midnight hour is close at hand / Creatures crawl in search of blood / To terrorize y’all’s neighbourhood / And whosoever shall be found / Without the soul for getting down / Must stand and face the hounds of hell / And rot inside a corpse’s shell. / The foulest stench is in the air / The funk of 40,000 years / And grizzly ghouls from every tomb / Are closing in to seal your doom / And though you fight to stay alive / Your body starts to shiver / For no mere mortal can resist / The evil of the thriller.(5)

September 28, 2009 old 045 (4)
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle-ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call the ‘Twilight Zone.'(6)

October 29, 2008 028 (3)
Raven hair and ruby lips
Sparks fly from her finger tips
Echoed voices in the night
She’s a restless spirit on an endless flight
Wooo hooo witchy woman, see how
High she flies.(7)

October 18, 2009 Ashv 002 (3)
The head-bone connected to the neck-bone,
the neck-bone connected to the back-bone
The backbone connected to the thigh-bone
the thighbone connected to the kee-bone
the kneebone connected to the leg bone
the leg bone connected to the foot bone
Oh hear the word of the Lord.(8)

April 5, 2008 Spring Fling 099 (3)October 26, 2009 new 003 (2)
Inspired by the skull head seen at the David garden during the Austin Spring Fling last year, seen in the shot before this one, hypertufa mix was used to fashion our own version. Ours looks more like an alien skull than a human, sort of like the dolls I used to make for Chickenpoet and Semi when they were young, and so was I.

Happy Hallowe’en to you all!

Frances

Note: All the images except the final reveal of the hypertufa addition to the Bongo Congo clan, were the result of fiddling around with the photo program we use, Dell Picture Studio Image Expert 2000. The Skeleton Of a Bat was a work of art on display at the North Carolina Arboretum. Excluding the David home skull and bat skeleton, the remaining shots were taken at the Fairegarden.

(1)Obi Wan Kenobi-Star Wars 1977
(2)Three Dog Night-Mama Told Me Not To Come
(3)Betty Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve
(4)Frances
(5)Michael Jackson-Thriller
(6)Rod Serling-Twilight Zone
(7)The Eagles-Witchy Woman
(8)Ezekial 37:1-14, loosely

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41 Responses to Hallowe’en Fun

  1. andré says:
    October 30, 2009 at 5:26 am

    Creepy….! Happy Halloween to you too!

    Hi Andre, thanks for playing along and happy Hallowe’en! :-)
    Frances

  2. Carol, May Dreams Gardens says:
    October 30, 2009 at 5:51 am

    Trick or treat! You should put a caution not to read this one after dark. And you know how I feel about faces in the garden! Same applies to skulls. I don’t remember that one from the David garden… what was that noise!

    HA Carol, for your treat I will give you some tulip bulbs! Or would you rather have Reese’s? This skull is more alien than skeleton, I always have trouble getting the right shape for a human head for some reason. Good thing it is supposed to look weird. The skull at the David house was on the step at the front door, easy to miss with so much to see there. I still go back and look at the pix from there, loaded with ideas. Happy Hare Day! :-)
    Frances

  3. kilbournegrove says:
    October 30, 2009 at 6:02 am

    Frances, I looking forward to Hallowe’en. It will be our first weekend Hallowe’en since we bought Kilbourne Grove. Hopefully lots of little trick or treaters.
    Deborah

    Hi Deborah, may you have loads of trick or treaters at the Grove. We don’t get many, if any some years, but we buy candy that we like ourselves in case we are stuck with it! HA Hallowe’en was so fun when our kids were little.
    Frances

  4. Charlotte says:
    October 30, 2009 at 6:24 am

    Great shots and makes a change from pumpkins!

    Thanks Charlotte. Hallowe’en is so fun, lots of directions to take a post. :-)
    Frances

  5. Lisa at Greenbow says:
    October 30, 2009 at 6:44 am

    What a fun post Frances. You are an artist with that hypertufa. Great skull. Happy Halloween to you too.

    Thanks Lisa. You are too kind about the skull, it looks pretty weird. Luckily that is okay, as the Bongo Congo family are rather odd as well. I have been trying to think of a name for him, but have come up short. :-)
    Frances

  6. Darla says:
    October 30, 2009 at 7:01 am

    Shivers from Florida!!

    HA Darla, I thought you meant you had a freeze there! Not when I saw all those blooming flowers though. :-)
    Frances

  7. Dave@TheHomeGarden says:
    October 30, 2009 at 8:26 am

    You were having too much fun on the computer! ;) Neat photos!

    Thanks Dave, it really was very fun. I could have made hundreds of these distorted shots, each one a surprise. :-)
    Frances

  8. ourfriendben says:
    October 30, 2009 at 8:27 am

    Ha! What a fantastic post, Frances! So much to love!!! But I’ll admit it: My favorite thing was the shot of the ornamental red okra pods. Fabulous! Closely followed by the bat skeleton, the two skulls, and that marvelously creepy shot of the house with the white trees. Brrrr!!!! Name for the skull? How about BC (both for its archaeological appearance and for Bongo Congo)? And, oh my, I guess I’m the only person alive who’s never heard “Thriller.” I had no idea it was a “scary” song! (Hey, they don’t call us Luddites for nothin’.) Happy Hallowe’en!!!!

    Wow, OFB, you really are the only person I have ever heard of who doesn’t know about Thriller. I guess that means you never saw the video either. Worth a look, I’d say. I wish those okra pods were really that red color. Maybe I’ll paint them after they finish drying in the shed. BC is a great name for the skull head, thanks. We’ll give it our consideration. HH to you! :-)
    Frances

  9. Gail says:
    October 30, 2009 at 8:40 am

    “Clever girl”*. Really Frances, this is a delightful post…and possibly alarming to realize that we have so much dialogue stored in our memories! Love the skeleton head! My favorite quote is Bette’s but, # 4 is pretty cool! gail * (Muldoon before the raptor devoured him in Jurassic park)

    Oh Gail, what a delightfully clever comment! Way to get into the right mood for this post. That was a classic from Jurassic Park. There is way too much of that sort of stuff taking up valuable real estate in there. Scary! :-)
    Frances

  10. Becky says:
    October 30, 2009 at 8:56 am

    Frances, this is a wonderfully creepy, crawlllyy Halloweennneee post…I’m scairt…

    Thanks Becky, glad you were in the right frame of mind for this post! :-)
    Frances

  11. Janet says:
    October 30, 2009 at 9:03 am

    I think you had a good time with this post! (maybe too much fun?? ;-) ) Have a great Halloween.
    by the way– as I was working in the Learning Garden yesterday I found that there are other trees with those corky wings– Sweetgum,Liquidambar styraciflua, for one.

    Hi Janet, you are on to me! I spent way more time fooling around with the photos than I should have, it was too much fun. Hmm, about the corky wings. I did go out and take a photo of mine, the leaves looked different from the elm you showed. Back to the research board. When there is time. Happy Hallowe’en! :-)
    Frances

  12. Monica the Garden Faerie says:
    October 30, 2009 at 9:17 am

    Hi Frances, wonderful Halloween post–great photos and mood. I’ve just recently been on a big Bette Davis movie kick, so I’ve just seen All About Eve (which incidentally was awesome!), and thought you may like to know she says “bumpy night” not “bumpy ride.” :)

    Hi Monica, thanks for that. There was a dispute with the quotes about the right term she used. I have changed it now. Although it made more sense to me that if one was to fasten their seat belt, they were going for a ride. HA :-)
    Frances

  13. LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD says:
    October 30, 2009 at 9:39 am

    Clearly Halloween is a favorite at Fairegarden! Love your grass experiment, too.

    Thanks Linda. We do love Hallowe’en and the creativity it allows. I have always loved black and orange too. And skulls. :-)
    Frances

  14. Robin from The Flying Orchid says:
    October 30, 2009 at 9:59 am

    How very cool! I was looking at those photos thinking something was not quite right! Gosh, I have to much to do today to sit around playing with the photoshop! But the ideas are a comin’!

    Thanks Robin, and welcome. The lure of the computer is a siren call, especially when other things demand our attention. It will wait for you. :-)
    Frances

  15. rosey pollen says:
    October 30, 2009 at 10:27 am

    These are spectacular spooky effects! My favorite has got to the tufa skull. Very artistic. Happy Halloween!
    Rosey

    Thanks Rosey. The skull is weird, but I like it anyway. It matches the other concrete heads around here. :-)
    Frances

  16. brokenbeat says:
    October 30, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    your fifth dimension is simultaneously spooky and brilliant. let us dance with the ghosts and zombies throughout this, the second best holiday of the year. not ever sure what’s in store, but that is kind of the best part. who knows what’s out there? even in your own. back. yard?

    Thanks dear Brokenbeat. Dance indeed, with the falling leaves swirling in the wind. Your back yard is pretty spooky as well. Watch out for creatures of the night who might have on a spider coat.
    Love,
    Frances

  17. Sherry says:
    October 30, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    ~BOO!~
    Happy Halloween.
    October is my favorite month and Halloween is so much fun!
    Your post was fun too. I enjoyed siging along as I looked at all your scary photographs. Playing around in photoshop is always scary and fun.
    Hope you have lots of treats and no tricks.
    Sherry

    Thanks Sherry. We are of the same mind. Hope your own holiday if full of fun and no tricks too. :-)
    Frances

  18. Jen says:
    October 30, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    A terrific blend of the familiar, the strange, the beautiful… and the DEEPLY CREEPY. Have a great holiday, Frances!

    Thanks Jen, glad you enjoyed the little trip into weirdness. Happy Hallowe’en. :-0
    Frnaces

  19. Noelle (azplantlady) says:
    October 30, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Happy Halloween! I just love your spooky post!

    Hi Noelle, thanks so much. Glad you liked it. :-)
    Frances

  20. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says:
    October 30, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    That was fun! I love the hypertufa Dio de los Muertos head. I might have to steal, I mean, borrow that idea.

    Thanks MMD. Steal away, it was always in my mind to make something like that, after seeing the cool one at the David home. So glad I took a photo of it for inspiration. I once made a big skull head out of papier mache for one of the kids for Halloween, many years ago. What is it about the skulls? I just love them. :-0
    Frances

  21. Pam/Digging says:
    October 30, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    You’ve been having Halloween fun early this year, Frances. I love your skull. Now you can put on Hamlet productions in your garden. “Alas, poor Yorick!”

    HA Pam, thanks. Now that’s an idea! Some of our family members are pretty *Hammy* already. HA
    Frances

  22. Jenny B says:
    October 30, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    This is the crazest party that could ever be.
    Don’t turn on the lights cause I don’t want to see. Mamma told me not to come. That ain’t the way to have fun. Ahhhhhhh, 3 Dog Night was the best! But I also loved the nod to Bette Davis…what a classic line, and nobody could deliver like Bette. Pretty spooky stuff Frances, I think I am going to have to sleep with the light on now! Love the Okra pods–very striking.

    Hi Jenny, thanks. Great song, isn’t it? Glad to have given you just a little scare, if only how long ago those tidbits were first uttered. Aging, the scariest spook of them all! HA :-0
    Frances

  23. Anna says:
    October 30, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    Gosh even the plants look malevolent especially the cobaea scandens :) Happy Halloween to you Frances – have a spooky one !

    Thanks and the same back to you, Anna. Watch out for haunted turnips! :-0
    Frances

  24. Catherine says:
    October 30, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    It does look like some strange happenings have been occurring at Fairegarden. I hope you are all okay there! :)

    Thanks for your concern, Catherine. We are all okay now. We were a little dizzy for a while there, don’t know what happened. :-0
    Frances

  25. lotusleaf says:
    October 30, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Fairegarden seems to have been transformed into a mysterious place suddenly.A bit scary too!

    Thanks Lotusleaf. Hope you weren’t too scared! :-0
    Frances

  26. linda says:
    October 30, 2009 at 10:18 pm

    What a fun and original Halloween post Frances – definitely helped get me in the mood for the big day tomorrow!

    Thanks Linda. We all need to be in the proper mood for Hallowe’en. Glad to help. :-)
    Frances

  27. Sharkbytes says:
    October 31, 2009 at 12:37 am

    This was great! I recognized some of the quotes.

    Hi Sharkbyte, thanks and welcome. Glad you enjoyed the fun with us. :-)
    Frances

  28. Joy says:
    October 31, 2009 at 6:58 am

    Frances I am late getting here but “Hello Halloween FUN !!” I love the night shot .. I have to master that yet .. and the negative of the house is perfect ! .. all of your garden goodies for Halloween were great .. and that tree is PERFECT as a Halloween tree ! : )
    It is all finished way too fast eh ? ;-)

    Hi Joy, thanks. We had fun with the photo program with regular images. I don’t even know how I did them, trial and error, what does this button do, what does this button do, etc. While sad to see October go, November with our big family get together for our Thanksgiving and then Christmas make this part of the year so fun. Now January and Februay are the slowest months of the year for us, it takes some thinking to fill those days.
    Frances

  29. Carol says:
    October 31, 2009 at 9:00 am

    What fun Frances! You are so clever with your camera and now I see with a program too. I was beginning to think my eyes were playing tricks on me… but your magic is the treat. I love that first photo! Gorgeous colors and forms. Thanks so for your sweet and thoughtful comment on the forest post. Carol

    Hi Carol, thanks so much. I was just pushing buttons on the photo program until something came up that appealed to me. I have no idea how to do it again. Loved your forest shots, and forests in general too. :-)
    Frances

  30. Monica the Garden Faerie says:
    October 31, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Hi Frances, Yeah, it’s one of those quotes I’d always heard as “ride,” which makes more sense in and of itself, which is why it struck me so when I heard her say “night” — I even hit rewind to double-check and listen again. In the context of the movie, it actually makes more sense that it’s night, because she said it at the start of some minor disagreements, predicting that some bigger scenes might play out during the evening. I’m always amused how quotes get changed over time in the collective conscience… I loved Cosmos as a teen and watched every episode many times. Carl Sagan never *did* say “billions and billions.” ;-) (Sorry. I tend to be a bit literal.)

    Thanks Monica. I knew if you said it was night, it was. I appreciate your literal-ness. :-)
    Frances

  31. Racquel says:
    October 31, 2009 at 11:33 am

    Another entertaining post Frances, love those spooky shots. :) Happy Halloween!

    Thanks Racquel, glad you liked it. A very HH to you as well. :-)
    Frances

  32. Chickenpoet says:
    October 31, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    Happy Halloween. This is a very hip post. The dolls you made semi and I must have been pretty scary because my brain is blocking any memory of them. And my suggestion for the name of the skull: ” Yorick: The boy’s name Yorick is of Old English origin, and its meaning is “farmer”. Literary: in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, Hamlet mutters to a skull, “Alas! Poor Yorick”.

    HH to you too, dear Chickenpoet. Yorick was mentioned in another comment by Pam, it seems the perfect moniker. I love that it means farmer too. I will look in the attic to see if we still have that alien doll. You were quite young. Don’t know if there is a photo of it in the albums either. Alas. :-0
    Love,
    Frances

  33. HappyMouffetard says:
    October 31, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    Hi Frances, a super and spine-tingling halloween post!

    Hi Happy, thanks. Glad your spine was tingled. :-0
    Frances

  34. TC says:
    October 31, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    Eerily nice Ms. Frances! You ghoul you! Happy Halloween back at ya! BOO!!

    Thanks, TC. Hope you had a happy and sort of scary Hallowe’en up there in PA too. :-0
    Frances

  35. Teresa says:
    October 31, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    I thought I liked halloween. You have some great stuff there. love the skull face. you are an artist for sure! Great post! Happy Halloween to you and yours.

    Thanks so much Teresa. There is lots to love about Hallowe’en, hope yours was a happy one. :-0
    Frances

  36. lynn says:
    November 1, 2009 at 2:16 am

    You know now I LOVE Halloween! These are great photos, Frances!
    And funny…I did ZUMBA to MJ’s Thriller today! :)

    Hi Lynn, thanks. Hope your haunted barn was a huge success. Thriller is such a great dance tune, bet your burned extra calories, if that is your intent, with your Zumba. :-0
    Frances

  37. Rob(ourfrenchgarden) says:
    November 1, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    I’m sure Halloween was a hoot in your neck of the woods.

    This post captured the spirit of it perfectly.

    Thanks Rob. It was pretty low key at our house, with no kids here anymore. But we did carve some pumpkins at our daughter Semi’s place and we both were dressed up as witches as we went out shopping. LTB was Buzz Lightyear. :-0
    Frances

  38. Rose says:
    November 1, 2009 at 6:33 pm

    What a fun post, Frances! Hope you had a spooktacular Halloween!

    Hi Rose, thanks. It was pretty ho hum here, but more exciting up at Semi’s place with pumpkin carving, dressing up and candy. Hope you got treats rather than tricks at your place. :-0
    Frances

  39. Joanne says:
    November 2, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    A fun post I look forward to some time this winter to play around with computer programs for my photos.

    Hi Joanne, thanks. It was fun to see what each button would do to different photos. Have fun with yours. :-)
    Frances

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