Its been fun!

  It is time to close it down for another year!  We are late with this last running of the clue hunt as usually we never allow it to spill over into November.   This year, we had to wait until Mark came home from work to get that final team together.  It was perfect!  We had a "throw together" team due to the fact that so many were either sick, out of town or just could not be here.  Then in the midst of the hunt, a thunderstorm raged but that mattered not as the team was inside at the moment it hit.  Despite the setbacks, the hunt went off without a glitch.  The team did remarkably well with the puzzles and codes.  They figured out the combinations, found keys for locked boxes, picked up bits and pieces of evidence to solve a murder mystery.  AND...through all of this, I forgot to take photographs!  

  Now that this season has come to an end, it is time to pack up this hunt and get started on the next one.  It takes us a full year to pull this event together!  Son and I banter back and forth with ideas.  We throw them out there, twist and turn them, flip them every which way possible and then decide on what we are to do.  Once a theme is chosen, props are created and the puzzling gadgets are made.  This is our fun time. We work for a solid year merely to see the smiles of the teams that choose to come to the Bayou and try their hand at coming out on top.  The teams all do well with little help from us.

  For the next few weeks, the Little Bayou House will be quiet.  The hubbub that was October will settle into the peace of November then comes a busy December.  In a way, I long for the cold, dreary days of January and February.  It will be nice to have a break!  Thanks for tagging along on our hunt again this year! 

Prettily Creepy! (Not to be confused with pretty creepy)

  When you are doing something like a haunted house or, in my case, a clue hunt, decorations demand a bit of thinking.  It is wise to plan out things far in advance then visit flea markets, thrift stores and garage sales since you never know what you might find that can be revamped into just what you need to set the mood.  While my theme for the clue hunt this year was not creepy and did not take a lot of time, it still needed items that I do not normally keep at the Little Bayou House.  Mark took me to thrift stores just about every week and we sifted through mountains of stuff to find just the right things to use.  A masquerade ball requires "pretty" things not creepy.  So, I went with prettily creepy!

  Last night, something was added to my decor without my intentions.  A floor lamp stand had been fitted with a hanging, beaded lamp from my daughter's room when she was a teenager.  Yep. I still had it.  The lamp was needed to bring ambiance to the "parlor".  While I did put the lamp in place, I did NOT actually know how nicely the thing would fit.  The lamp added a bit of flair to the room but the shadow added the ambiance!  Quite by accident, I discovered that the lamp would cast a remarkable shadow into the darkened hallway when positioned in just the right spot!  Ohh!  Creepy!  Or not...I think it is rather pretty!

  Shadows are some of those things that can set the mood for any type of Halloween decorations.  Shadows flitting across the porch wall and windows bring dread.  Shadows in the corners of a room causes the light in the middle of the room to be a bit cozier.  Shadows of lamps in the hallway...are just a happy accident!

Elegant yet...

  This time of year, Halloween decorations are plastered everywhere.  While I am all about the season, I am NOT all about some of the grisly items some folks deem as decorations.  I mean, yes!  Go for haunted, creepy, forlorn but you do not have to do gory.  It may be ok if the only ones to see it are adults but little ones do not need to be exposed to gruesome things while they are out trick-or-treating.  At least, cordon off the ugliness and make one section kid friendly.  That said, I am not against having skeletons, ghosts, mummies,  witches, Jack-O-Lanterns, black cats, bats etc...but it goes too far to see bloody body parts, torn out eyeballs and dolls made over to be zombies.  Folks expose their tykes to this mess then wonder why in the world the kiddo is afraid of the dark!  There is enough evil in this old world already.  We do not need to smack our little ones with it on a holiday meant for them.  Leave it be, folks. Leave it be.

  Like I said, I am not against Halloween decorations.  In fact, I decorate...or over decorate.  The difference is, I use a lot of what I call "Implied Creep".  Lighting, a few dusty antiques and..yes...plastic skulls or skeletons. It is just enough to make things creepy yet not gory.  The clue hunts each year allow me to have fun with decorating.  This year's theme is a murder at a masquerade ball.  Elegance is needed...albeit creepy elegance.  That said, the greenhouse is now an aviary/conservatory complete with tons of birds, plants and our resident hostess of the ball, Lady DeadMadam. She is attired in her lovely ball gown as she awaits her invited guests.  In a way, the Lady DeadMadam looks quite demure as she coyly peers from behind her butterfly mask.  I am not sure that anyone could possibly be frightened by our hostess.  Although she has seen better days, she is still rather elegant.

  So, folks, please consider the little kids that come to your door and set up a none gory spot for them.  It can be full of fun decorations but not gory, bloody body parts that will leave a bad lasting impression on their young minds.  Let them be tykes as long as they can.  

Short Post...

  It is well after midnight and I am exhausted so this will be a short post.  Tonight was the first running of the Sixth Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  It has been a long, hard go getting this hunt together as we have had several setbacks but tonight went off without a hitch.  Every prop worked remarkably well!  The first team was a group of lovely, young ladies who did extremely well working out all the enigmas that Son and I had set up.  At the end, they all claimed that this was the most difficult hunt yet but they each had a delightful time.  The best testimony??  They want to come back next year!  Tomorrow night will be the second running so time will be short then, too.  Have patience, friends, have patience!

Feathers, Feathers, Feathers!

  My word!!!  It looks like several chickens molted in the Little Bayou House! Or maybe we had a massive pillow fight!  Or maybe my feather duster broke free and is flying away. Feathers are floating everywhere!  Fluffy, black feathers can be found scooting across the floor with each whirl of the ceiling fans.  Twirly, black feathers are peeking out from under furniture.  Tiny tidbits of black feathers are stuck to the sofa, to clothes and even the old dog.  Feathers, feathers, feathers are everywhere!  I have been startled more than once, in recent weeks, by a stray feathers wisping along the floor.  They sure are reminiscent of mice scurrying underfoot!

  I had no idea when I bought the two long, black feather boas that the things would shed so much.  With the theme of the Sixth Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou being a masquerade ball, I needed a ballgown.  I had the bright idea (with the help of darling daughter) to pattern my costume after a raven.  A raven has made its appearance in almost every hunt since its beginning, so it was only logical that I be the raven.  That said, a raven needs feathers so my gown has feathers.  Two long boas have been stitched along the hem and up the front right side of the gown making it flow nicely.  More feathers are to be added to the wrists and the shoulders.  I will indeed resemble a bird!  The gown has lots of feathers...at least for the moment.  As it stands, the boas are molting and are soon to be bald, at this rate.  The first clue hunt run is this Friday so I need to gather up all of the loose feathers.  What am I saying??  No need to do that as I am sure I will be leaving a trail behind me with every step I take!  Fun times on the Bayou!

The Deed Is Done

  This being October means that the clue hunt should be in full swing.  It is not.  Son and I have had far too many interruptions to have everything complete.  However, that is ok since I had the foresight (and good sense) to not book any runs until the latter part of the month.  The first team is to come this next Friday.  We are still not ready...we are pushing the gun on this hunt.  The days are spent running around like maniacs trying to finish props, make sure everything works and decorate.  It is not an easy task for two people to do something of this magnitude and still lend a helping hand to those in need. 

  Today was much like every other day for the past couple of weeks.  We painted, sawed, hauled, hung, snipped, layered and did a multitude of other weird chores to get things in order.  Then, about noon, Darling Daughter sent a message that she was heading to the Little Bayou House.  She had an important job to do and today was the day.  Sweet Elizabeth was coming to dye my hair in some pretty unusual colors. To go along with my masquerade ballgown, she was intent on dying my hair to match the fabric which just happens to be black...with touches of purple and teal.  Yep.  The deed is done and now the gray is gone.  My hair is black...with touches of purple and teal. 

  While I am game to try anything, the hair thing has to be one of my gutsiest yet.  Always before, she has done it so the top layer is still reasonably "old lady" like.  I was able to brush the hair down and none of the odd colors would show.  Not this time.  Right smack dab in the middle of the newly blackened tresses, there is a large splash of bright purple!  Then in the back, teal and purple rule.  It is all good, though, and I find that with each look in the mirror, I like it better and better.  It is fun!

When Halloween Got Sick!

  Halloween is meant to be fun.  It is meant to be a bit scary.  It is meant to be so chock full of candy that you get sick to the tummy but Halloween, itself,  is not meant to be sick.  Ok, so that seems to be going in the direction of how some folks decorate or celebrate the holiday but it was not meant to be a prim and proper chastisement to others.  Nope.  I really meant that Halloween got sick...nauseated...and puked all over my entryway..literally.  Actually, that was Son's description of my decorations this year.  The "Man of Few Words" stated "Looks like Halloween ate too much candy and threw up out here."  Well...sorry!  Poor Halloween.

  Actually, I did intentionally "over-decorate" if that is even possible for the holiday.  Each October, we have a grand time with the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  This is the sixth year that the clue hunt will be held and I am late!  Our first running has been postponed until this next week but back to those decorations.  During this hunt, we needed "color stations"...that is all I can tell you at this time!  One of those color stations just happened to be orange!  Woohoo!  Orange!  Halloween!  Yep!  A myriad of Jack-O-Lanterns would adorn the entryway!  Every orange item in the house (which just happened to be Halloween themed!) was pulled into the entryway and plopped in any available spot.  To top things off, orange glitter seemed to rule...much to the vexation of Son.  He hates the stuff! While I am not particularly a fan of glitter, it seemed to fit in perfectly with this total orange-out of a room.  All I can say is....I cannot wait to do the purple station!  Again...woohoo!

A "Bright Idea"!

   Well, it is getting along that time of year that the Little Bayou House will be transformed into something entirely different than it usually is.  September starts to see the change taking place and, by October 1st, the place will look remarkably different.  Why?  Well, October is the month of the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou, of course!  So, about this time of year, my brain starts to come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas of how to decorate.  Each year, the theme is unique so the decorations have to be done from scratch.  A few items may be reused but not many.  Everything will be moved around, flipped upside down and generally in a state of discombobulation  For the entire month, I will live in a fantasy world of clue hunt mania! 

  This year, we are solving a murder!  It seems that our hostess, Lady DeadMadame, has met her demise at the hands of an evildoer and it is up to the clue hunt team members to solve the crime!  This whole ordeal takes place at a masquerade ball so just guess how the Little Bayou House will be decorated for the next couple of months!  It should be fun...I hope! 

  Since it was a rainy day, I figured it was a good time to get started on the decorations.  The dining table will be in use for the clue hunt but I did not want to use my standard lighting so a "chandelier" of sorts was needed.  Last night, I had a bright idea!  I would create a cascading chandelier of mini lights and crystals.  I had everything on hand to make this thing now I just had to do it.  A strip of 2 inch wide board (52 inches long) was stained to match the beams above.  Then cup hooks were screwed into the board at 2 inch intervals.  Now came the fun.  Stringing the crystals and other "sparkles" onto fishing line and attaching them to the hooks.  A few strings of fairy lights and there you have it...one funky chandelier!  

  Now to get the thing hung from the beam above the dining table and at least that chore is complete.  Between working on decorations and props, the storyline and clues all have to be created and set into place.  There are no written clues but rather the team members have to use their wits to find "evidence" and tools to help them along the way.  Son has been busy building puzzles, locked boxes and otherwise creating enigmas for our team members to solve.  Oh, what fun we have on the Bayou!  I love October!

Be a Little Funky-Weird!

  You know, sometimes you just have to get a little (or a lot, in my case) funky-weird and not fret over what others think.  I have long been this way and, well, I as happy as a centipede in a rotten cantaloupe.  And, trust me on this, centipedes love their rotten cantaloupes!  As for worrying what others think?  Who cares?  I have lived long enough not to give a plug nickel about others' opinions of me.  I do what I want to do and feel as free as a bird.

  This morning, I awoke to no sunrise.  In fact, there was a torrential downpour happening complete with thunder, lightning and wind.  It is amazing how invigorating a good storm is!  But it was yesterday's rising that was rather unique.  After another nigh on sleepless night due to the old dog's yelping in pain and many trips to go out on walks with him in the middle of the night, I had no energy to hike to the pier.  The sunrise would have to be viewed from indoors.  I rolled over and was fully entranced by the sunlight coming through the windows.  Even though thick canvas curtains blocked out the full sunrise, the effect was pretty intriguing. 

  Behind that thick canvas curtain hangs dozens of crystals.  Had the curtain been open, the sunbeams would have had rainbows bouncing about the walls but, alas, the curtain was closed.  The silhouettes of the crystals were impressive enough but the fact that the crystals were still able to push a few tiny irises through the canvas showed determination (if, indeed, inanimate objects could have determination!).  It was that determination that kicked me out of bed with a renewed sense of being.  I figured its not what you see on the horizon that makes your day but how you look at what is in front of you.  

  Just like the sunrises when viewed from the pier, the silhouettes inspired me.  I had things to do! I had things to see!  I had to be a little bit funky-weird!  So, I jumped out of bed and decided today was the day that I would start my costume for the Sixth Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou!!  With the theme of a masquerade ball, this should be fun for all!  Time to get that ballgown sewn!  And, yes, it will be a bit funky-weird!