Happy October 1st
October 1st, 2010 by John Wolfe
It’s here! Happy October to you! In honor of celebrating the beginning of my favorite time of year, I wanted to share a couple photos taken during my visit to Wagner’s Farm yesterday. For the last three out of four years my grandfather and I have made our trek to Wagner’s, located in Corrales, New Mexico, for my cornstalks. I supply the cash for gas and for the stalks; he supplies the truck for hauling the load, and a few dirty jokes along the way. 
The entire trip has become very special to me, not only because of spending time with my grandpa, but also because Corrales is a perfect location for providing my first true encounter with autumn for the year.
It’s a quaint little village with shade trees everywhere, grape vines galore, and interesting curio shops dotting the roadside amidst wild sunflowers. Most of the shops have already decorated with makeshift scarecrows and pumpkins along their sidewalks. And the scent of roasting green chile fills the air (a sure sign of fall in New Mexico) along with an abundance of other delicious scents from local restaurants. By the time you pull into Wagner’s and see their pumpkin patch, hay bales and stacks of cornstalks, you can really feel October and autumn coursing through your veins.
I thought I’d close this post with what seemed like an appropriate paragraph from the About page:
“There’s something tangible in the air as September draws to a close, removing itself from our awareness, as if surrendering to an unseen force being ushered in on an October breeze. This force permeates all matter, working itself into a feverish pitch over the next thirty-one days: The ground develops into one continuous pathway of fallen flora, harvests are being reaped, temperatures drop, wood smoke billows from chimneys, children anticipate the hordes of candy they’ll soon be carrying and I begin to polish my skulls.” Happy October, everyone.
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October 1st, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Happy October 1st to you my dear friend. It seems we patiently wait all year long for October to arrive and when it does, it’s the fastest 4 weeks of my life! Just as going to the farm for you with grandpa is very much part of a Halloween tradition, or seasonal tradition I should say, our family has one as well with Apple Hill.
This time of year is my all time favorite time of year period! However it’s an additional bonus because for me I’m the biggest fan of the harvest time of year. All the goodies that come forth towards the end of the year that you just can’t find any other time of the year. Apple Hill is one of those spots for me. Set up in the seirra mountain side is Apple Hill were farmers have grown every type of apple you can imagine there. You get to pick your own apples fresh from the tree and pick your own pumpkin from the huge assortment of pumpkin farms on the land.
The hundreds of bakers come up with the most wickedly delicious recipes and mixing certain foods you wouldn’t think really taste all that great. Next thing ya know your including it in your little wicker arm basket. I also adore all of the many craft booths that are set up outside. You get a good assortment of everything Halloween, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas. There’s something extra special though about being up in the mountains, surrounded by the fresh air of the pine trees, inhaling the scent of thousands of apple and fruit desserts, the leaves cracking under your feet and the chill in the air early in the morning. It’s the best time to go to beat the crowds. I want to build a house up there and never return to the city again
I’m hoping to go up there soon with my parents, if all goes well, and when I do I’ll be sure to take some pics so I can share them with you. I’m glad you had a great time with grandpa, he’s a special soul…..that’s for sure but I’m even more excited that so many elements to your yard haunts are coming together so quickly now. Oh wait….that’s right, it’s October!!! Little “B” is going to be a shark this year. Not sure what my nephew will be yet. Happiest of days to you John and your entire family and all your visitors on SeasonofShadows!!!
October 1st, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Oh, John, you lucky boy! Not just the pumpkins and the autumn feelings, but to have such a fantastic grandpa! I think I need to head to the farmer’s market this weekend and find a few pumpkins to make me feel like the season is changing (even if it isn’t in Phoenix)
October 1st, 2010 at 8:49 pm
That’s real cool. I am going to a simular place on the 16th with Sharon (Autumnforest). We plan to hit the pumpkin patch, haunted corn maze and midnight hay ride into the desert. I love this time of year too.
October 1st, 2010 at 9:21 pm
The October air is indeed electrified and tingley, calling to all of us Halloweenites. The big day grows ever closer. Happy October to you, too!
October 1st, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Happy October 1st to you, sir! I made a trip to the local year-round Halloween shop today to celebrate and got to take my niece. It looks like we have a future Halloween enthusiast in the making. It’s always a pleasure being able to celebrate something you really enjoy and look forward to with other family.
October 2nd, 2010 at 2:36 am
I take my skulls to the car wash and knock em all out at once. lol The season is palpable in the air. It is cold here tonight and going to get colder by the weekend. I only wish there were more than thirty one days in this, the greatest month of the year.
October 2nd, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Goldie,
I know what you mean about October flying by. It’s always felt that way, but once I started increasing the haunt display, October seemed to really move quickly. There’s so many things to get accomplished before the 31st that I sometimes feel as if my favorite month of the year is gone before I know it. The beauty in it though is everything gets to have a permanent home here at Season of Shadows, so even when the calendar says it’s no longer the tenth month, I can disagree with it a little bit.
Apple Hill sounds like a wonderful place to be right about now! Plus, you already know I have a love affair with elevation — the mountains are for me what the ocean and beach is for others. Thanks for describing it in such great detail. I’d love to see some photos of your visit!
B’s gonna be a shark, huh? That’s gonna look very cute! Although, if he happens to become a Halloween nut when he grows up, he may look back at photos of that costume wishing his mom and dad had picked something a little spookier.
Thanks for your awesome comment, Goldie.
autumnforest,
Thanks. You’re so right. I count my blessings every day for being fortunate enough to have him and all my family and friends (including all of you guys I’ve made friends with through the site too) as a part of my life. Sorry to hear your temps are still up to their usual tricks. The Balloon Fiesta started this morning and people were walking around in shorts at 6 AM. I remember years back when everyone was bundled up drinking hot chocolate during the first morning of the fiesta. We were 90 degrees yesterday — still not like Phoenix, but Albuquerque’s not ready to relax into fall yet either. Hope you have fun at the farmer’s market.
Julie,
That sounds awesome! I never hear anything about hay rides here, and what I’d really love to find is a haunted hayride, but New Mexico doesn’t seem to host anything like that. I have dreams of eventually getting several acres of land–maybe there’s a Season of Shadows Haunted Hayride creation in my future.
Hope you both have a great time!
trickortreat,
Thank you. And I love the name you used for fans of Halloween: Halloweenites! That’s the first time I’ve heard that one.
Doug,
You guys have a year-round Halloween shop? I’m getting a little envious, Doug. I think it would be so cool to visit shops like that during the off-season. I’d be the one guy in there on Christmas Eve! So glad to hear you and your niece got to spend some time together, but especially doing something you both enjoy. Also glad to hear your niece is taking a special interest in Halloween.
Ethan,
That’s a good idea. I’m starting to get a little carpal tunnel acting up and I need to find a quicker way to get ‘em polished — the car wash just might do the trick.
When I first wrote that part about polishing my skulls, all I could imagine was the scene in Predator where the predator is using his laser in a manner that looked like he was trying to polish his “trophies.”
I checked out your main creation for 2010 yesterday — he’s awesome, Ethan! The whole thing is fantastic, but those hands and feet really caught my eye and I love the expression on his pumpkin face. Great job!
October 2nd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Ok so I have one more question for you John:
If you were the father (all the other stuff aside cause I hear your mind speaking right now!) what would you dress “B” as AND what would you dress my nephew as for Halloween?
I know this might take some thinking…..but I would love to hear your answer my friend.
October 2nd, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Thanks man, I can see Grandpa Munster with a rotary buffer polishing skulls. I don’t think it ever happened on the show, but it works in my head. I do love the Predator skull collections. I had an extensive set myself for a long time but they were stolen. My scarecrows hands and feel are made with expanding foam. I look forward to displaying him at my schools fall showcase this year. My yard haunt designs have become the schools decorations after last year.
October 2nd, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Happy October to you my dear! Thanks for sharing with us. Just the right thing to put us in the mood for the season. Graveyard is up at our end of the world….even if it is 85 degrees outside….still makes it seem like Halloween already.
Cheers!
October 2nd, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I’m so glad you got to spend that time with your grandfather! What wonderful memories and traditions you are creating! So… I have to ask since nobody else seems like they are going to… will you share some of his dirty jokes with us? Please-oh-please??
Kieran and I worked like crazy outside yesterday decorating and getting our cobwebs up and the parade of cars that drive by, slow down and look at the house and then slow *way* down has begun! It’s when the drivers get to the corner and turn around for another look that I feel that sense of accomplishment like Dr. Frankenstein (or “Fronkensteen”, as the case may be) when his monster comes alive!
As I’ve been working on props, the temptation to finish them and then just park them outside even though it was only August or Sept. was terrible. But now I am justified! It’s October now and if it’s done it’s goin’ out!!
We also had the pleasure of chatting with our new neighbors next door yesterday while we were out decorating. This will be their first Halloween here and I didn’t know if anyone had warned them about Halloween on our street and that it becomes a swimming ocean of little ones as far as the eye can see. I told her that whether they, as a family, celebrate Halloween or not, they might want to consider either turning off their porch light or buying quite a lot of candy. I told her we had several hundred kids. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her the actual count and risk frightening her into opting for the porch light out choice. (We counted over 900 last year!)
And Kieran says “Hi John, check your mail box!!!! You might just find something cool there, ok?”
!!
October 3rd, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Goldie,
I’m not sure how well babies and toddlers skin reacts to a lot of makeup, but if they wouldn’t have an allergic reaction to it, I’d totally love to see a little one dressed in some attire similar to Victor’s Undertaker costume! That would so rock! Imagine Victor’s image I posted a few days ago, except substitute in a baby wearing that great costume. I also love anything with a goth-look, but what would be really cool on a little one would be the extremely pale, sort of inverse goth-look, think Christina Ricci (sp?) in Tim Burton’s Spooky Hollow: pale skin, almost white hair and pale Victorian/steampunk style clothes for children.
When it comes to little kids, I think a classy, spooky, almost “vintage-creepy” look would be the way to go. Just a couple of ideas I have anyway. Of course, they sound good in a comment, but when it comes to actually applying them and taking into consideration what works best for little ones (and their parents) is probably all about simplicity — I know my costumes are way off the mark. I’d still love to see spookier stuff as opposed to always seeing Walt Disney and superhero costumes on the little ones, especially when the child is so small they don’t even care about their costume. Once they reach an age where they have their own preferences, then I’m all for letting the child make the costume choice. But we need more spooky-oriented parents making creepy costume choices for their children during the first year or two.
Ethan,
That’s a great image of Grandpa Munster! And if Grandpa wasn’t doing it, then Herman could always give it a go. Of course, in his usual fashion of overdoing everything with brute strength, he’d no doubt crush the skulls to a fine powder.
It probably sounds weird, but for many years watching Predator became a Halloween tradition for me. Even though Predator doesn’t have a thing to do with Halloween, I’d watch it a few times every October. It all started during my first trip to Spirit Halloween in October of ’95. After going to Spirit, I stopped off at the video store and happened to see a copy of Predator for sale — went home and popped the tape in while going through all my Halloween purchases and bam, the connection for me was made. Sorry to hear about your collection of Predator skulls.
Your scarecrow prop will totally be the talk of the showcase, I’m sure.
The Frog Queen,
Congrats on getting your awesome graveyard up. It’s such a fantastic display! Though your weather’s not cooperating in terms of feeling like fall, I’m glad it sounds like it’s at least being kind to you in not providing any mean storms.
Have a great Halloween season, my friend!
Camile,
Thanks for asking, but I really think I probably should spare you guys the details. His dirty jokes aren’t just about insinuations, they’re full-on explicit to the point of being X-rated!
A lot of his jokes aren’t necessarily things like “three guys walk into a bar…” either, they’re more about commentary on stuff he sees while we’re driving.
For example: he has a very unique way of talking about other drivers that tick him off — not to their face mind you, but inside the truck, conveying the message to me. Let’s just say he is constantly finding over-the-top, creative ways of telling them how they should go “love” themselves, and doing so with a greater detail of anatomical specificity than any other person I’ve ever heard in my life. In fact, he even invents new things for their anatomy to accomplish that I’m pretty sure is impossible for the human body to do.
Ooh, I bet your house looks incredible! If you’ve got drivers turning around to catch another peek, then I know it does. Of course, I already know it does anyway, ’cause I’ve seen your wonderful photos from years past. Yes, we must pronounce Frankenstein correctly
:
Eye-Gore: Dr. Frankenstein?
The Dr.: It’s pronounced Fronkensteen.
Eye-Gore: Why isn’t it Frankenstein?
The Dr.: Its isn’t. It’s Fronkensteen. You must be Igor.
Eye-Gore: It’s pronounced Eye-Gore.
As you can tell, I’ve heard that many, many times on XM’s Halloween radio!
WOW! 900 kids? That’s intense! We usually average around 350. It’s probably a good thing you didn’t give the neighbor the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say. Hopefully they’re good sports and enjoy the holiday.
Hi, Kieran! I’m so looking forward to getting your new drawing! I’m sorry I haven’t been by to check my post office box recently, but it’s located several miles away and I don’t get to check it that often, but I’ll definitely do it very soon. Hope you’re having fun helping your mom decorate!