MY, WHAT A BIG BONE

 

This classic Halloween picture of my late Buster Bolfig Borghese still cracks me up when I see it.  I could never figure out if he was worried or salvating?Taken in Lambertville.

POSTCARDS FROM SEA WITCH

It seems to be a tradition unfolding as the Sea Witch Festival and my birthday are being planned every year now. This was the third year the clan and I went, and I'm fine with that as I love Hallowe'en. We already booked for next year. Besides, who gets a whole parade for their birthday??? The parade was another fun one, a three-hour parade, and then some libations in pubs afterwards. Many good costumes by parade revealers and in the parade, great bands, and boys everywhere. We stay at friends Garrett and Franks B&B, The Rehoboth Guest House, to give them the business. I highly recommend their place for an extended stay. Do they ever put out a nice morning breakfast!!! And all-day coffee room, with coffee and teas, and everything one needs for entertaining at your fingertips, great and warm staff, and you meet the other guest. We have met the nicest people there and everyone mingles. The lesbians we met there this summer and hung out with, booked to coincide with us, and returned just to see us and joined in on my birthday drunken mess. And as you'll see Garrett loves Halloween too! Some of the snaps...

Loved these floating candles in the hallway Garrett did!

The view at night out my balcony window.

My Sea Witch/hag get up for the parade. One of three looks this year.

And this was a houseguest named Reed. Yeah. If camp counselors all looked like this, I might have went! He did however enjoy my balcony with the colored lights. And he even had a jock strap on under those shorts....ahem....Let me see if I can continue...

We caught Roxy Overbrook's cabaret at the Blue Moon. And scene in town at the parade...

When at the Purple Parrot it's a thing to post a dollar bill in the joint somewhere with a note on it. There must be thousands on the walls, ceilings, you name it. This one was right in front of me!!

But in my case after the weekend, I'm still alive, wink wink....

THE DRAGANS ESCAPE

A regular reader here of several years will know the tradition of the Dragans. I have featured them over the years many times this time of year. They are all creatures made with love, wire and papier mache and other materials, and each one has its own unique personality. For more than 20 years, visitors flocked to North Union Street each Halloween, where it's big business. On Halloween night, so many people are in costume and trick or treating, all the streets literally shut down, and flood with town folk and visitors. But Dolores Dragan, a retired high school art teacher created the Halloween House, affectionately known, became local legend- drawing thousands to marvel at her hand crafts sculptures, color characters and playful scenes that transformed her huge house and yard. I love talking with her when I go into Lambertville from New Hope. Such a warm person, and she told me once how each character was based upon someone she knew or other town folk. But since moving I just heard from a friend, Dolores decided to stop the labor-intensive work setting up her home for Halloween and asked the Lambertville Creative Arts Fund to carry her work to a new chapter and share the magic. Her beloved creations now come to life as the Memory Maker's Trail of Magic- a month-long, citywide celebration produce by the group, and the creations appear throughout Lambertville shops, businesses, store fronts, dining establishments and community spaces. In the few times I met her, it was never about the decoration she said but rather the role of memory making. She always said she wanted kids to remember this when they're 70. I know I never saw anything like it. Here are some of my pictures from over the years.

While the set up might not be the same as seeing all the gang altogether, well over 80 creatures, not to mention at night with black light, its great she loaned them out all over town. Dolores gave this town a gift that went far beyond Halloween- she gave us a moment of fun for a holiday and memories that will last. 

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE.....

When a favorite illustrator of mine collides with my favorite holiday I love it. Leo Di-Fazio is a French hyper realistic sketch artist, them mixes it in with digital illustration and other techniques to get a very unique look to his works, which are recognized for their evocative, and rich detail and a distinct blend of portraiture, folklore and mythic, homoerotic and spiritual symbolism. His finished product often blends a poetic atmosphere with striking color contrasts.  His portfolio heavily showcases allegorical figures, historical portraits, and at times depictions of Greek Gods. In addition to his art he also collaborates with the French design house La Kigne 29, in which his designs are adapted onto high end home decor textiles, wall hangings, cushion covers and printed canvases. I'm not opposed to this version of Halloween, with tricks that treat!

VAMPA HOUSE

 
Two weeks ago while in Philadelphia, I also went to Doylestown to take in the Vampa Museum. How appropriate that it be in Bucks County, a county famous for its oddities and hauntings. I was aware of the house and grounds...it had been an antique dealer in most of my years living there. The property is stunning. Very pretty and almost Victorian in design, compete with peacocks, which is where I think they would escape from, as I would periodically see them at my apartment and the neighboring cemetery. After I moved away it became a museum of all haunted items and vampire killing instruments, to unsettling items with presence connected to them. Think of the movie The Conjuring where Ed and Lorraine Warren act as stewards over their collection of haunted items. I thought this would be the perfect day to feature the place. The now owner Edmondo Crimis, a minister and an exorcist, takes his demonology very seriously, and will regale you with tales about demonic infestations and mysterious presence on the property. The place dates back to the late 1700's. Edmondo has collected most of the pieces in the museum over the last 40 years during travels to Germany, Austria, France and Italy. The museum houses several thousand pieces in the rooms and many pieces dating back to the 17th century, some pieces are said to have been owned by witches and private collectors, and some art that was owned by " suspected" vampires. there was on portrait in particular that we were told not to hang around looking at for long. Other pieces were donated to the museum, and some others were purchased from private vampire enthusiast like Vincent Price, Wolfgang Pauli and Jack Palance. I will say the place is heavy. There is definitely an aura about the place. If things like this make you nervous, or unsettled, I wouldn't go. I was told some go, and then will not enter. There are signs of warning of not touching items, and that Edmondo is available for talks and counseling before leaving for those who get unsettled. While I didn't mind being there, I did sense an odd uneasy feeling at times. To date, I don't think any unwanted presence came home with me! And if they did, they haven't revealed themselves. 

Yet.

A Happy Hallows Eve to one and all!