Halloween 2007

We Are Ready To Celebrate

2007 And The Diehards Are Still At It

Scary

This year (October 23rd) was life day... Ten years cancer free .

This year carving was with Jeanette, Connor, Sue and Paul and we are going to use the homegrown punkin's from the back yard!

We did two pumpkins with Connor and Paul being the chief cut-ups.  The girls sampled a glass of wine and teased about the work underway.

We saved the 80 pounder and will use it for decorating for Thanksgiving this year.

A Quote To Remember - Where there is no imagination there is no horror. ~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

Jeanette Saves Halloween;Let The Cutting Begin...

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
It starts with cleaning out the punkin's... The thinner the wall the better!

Halloween 2007


Jeanette brought the hot rod!

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Yes, sometimes I even read the instruction!

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Yep! We have all done this before!

Halloween 2007
"High Big Boy"

Patterns Make It Easy

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Just like crayolas.. "Stay inside the lines"

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Stay inside the lines

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Careful, the knife is sharp!

Did you know? - A jack-o'-lantern, sometimes also spelled Jack O'Lantern, is a carved vegetable, usually a pumpkin, but alternately a turnip, associated chiefly with the holiday Halloween.

Typically the top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved onto the outside surface, and the lid replaced.

During the night, a candle is placed inside to illuminate the effect. The term is not particularly common outside North America.

Halloween 2007
Notice the extreme concentration of this expert carver... "I need a drink"

Did You Know? - Sections of the pumpkin are cut out to make a design, often depicting a face. A variety of tools may be used to carve and hollow out the gourd, ranging from simple knives and spoons to specialized instruments, typically sold in holiday sections of grocery stores.

Printed stencils can be used as a guide for increasingly complex designs. It is possible to create surprisingly artistic designs, be they simple or intricate in nature. After carving, a light source (traditionally a candle, now often a battery-operated light) is placed inside the pumpkin and the top is put back into place. The light illuminates the design from the inside.

Sometimes a chimney is carved in the lid to allow heat to escape, preventing damage. A carved pumpkin can last up to 2 or 3 weeks, possibly longer.

Traditionally the carved pumpkin would be a face, often with a simple crooked toothed grin. But toward the end of the 20th century, artists began expressing every kind of idea they could imagine on pumpkins. Today, it is common to see portraits of political candidates, celebrities and cartoon characters.

Almost Done!

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Starting to look pretty good!

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Looking better than expected!

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
Time for another one!

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
These little puppies have a lot of details in them!

Off With The Lights

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
No wonder people used to be frightened!

Did you know? - An old Irish folk tale tells of Jack, a lazy yet shrewd farmer who uses a cross to trap the Devil. One story says that Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree, and once he was up there Jack quickly placed crosses around the trunk or carved a cross into the bark, so that the Devil couldn't get down. Another myth says that Jack put a key in the Devil's pocket while he was suspended upside-down;

Another myth says that Jack was getting chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die. However, the thief stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a chance to bedevil the church-going villagers chasing him. Jack told the Devil to turn into a coin with which he would pay for the stolen goods (the Devil could take on any shape he wanted); later, when the coin/Devil disappeared, the Christian villagers would fight over who had stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack's wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village.

The Results

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007
I personally like the third one over the best! Not scary at all (most of the time)!

Did you know? - Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped. In both myths, Jack only lets the Devil go when he agrees never to take his soul. After a while the thief died, as all living things do. Of course, his life had been too sinful for Jack to go to heaven; however, the Devil had promised not to take his soul, and so he was barred from Hell as well. Jack now had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which was his favorite food), put the ember inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern.

Halloween 2007
Great evening and a lot of fun!

Other Activities

Oops!
OK, I do have a weird sense of humor

We spent the rest of the evening listening to Old Time Radio  and especially the "War Of The Worlds" from the Halloween Eve broadcast of 1938 with Orson Wells.

Turning down the lights and going back in time is a fun escape from the day to day hassle!

This year we only had 36 kids come to the door and most of them were the little tykes from the neighborhood.