Scary Snowman

I guess I am always the last to find out stuff on the internets, but here was a Youtube video of a Scary Snowman... very funny!

Connecticut

I have family in Connecticut, its a fine and beautiful state, we are not too far from Newtown.

Tragedy has befallen the most innocent.  Babies have suffered the onslaught of evil. We are heartbroken and asking the questions on why and how this can occur, apparently evil knows many ways.  So God gave us free will, the devil uses this to his advantage and uses any manner and method and thinks nothing of sacrificing innocent children if he can get just one person to deny their faith.  It is the only way I have of being able to explain why things like this happen.

The wonderful Dave Lowe on his blog has created a very moving sentiment....

God bless the children of the world and the families who have all suffered loss at the hands of violence

Healthy Eating? Mmmm Maybe Not

Ok Pensive Pumpkin has a decadent Guiness Cake recipe at her blog courtesy of Nigella Lawson ... Pensive also had a dream sequence of her being Nigella and paying a visit to her dreamdate Alan Rickman.

So got me thinking a few things....  

First, Guiness cake must be awesome.   

Second, Nigella is a very lovely lady so I googled her.

She is 51 and is a tv cook personality that eats all sort of decadent things and consumes meat, butter, chocalate and desserts.  And she looks awesome:

Then there is this woman who is also 51 yrs old.  She is TV health guru Gillian McKeith, advocating a holistic approach to nutrition and health, and promoting exercise, a vegetarian diet which is high in organic fruits and vegetables. She recommends detox diets, colonic irrigation, and supplements.

I think I know which way I am going ...

Funny Cat Pictures...

I dont know where Queen Of Darkness gets these from but I like cats too so am reposting here:

And the only spooky pic:

Its possible that some folks not familiar may not know who Lestat is.... very famous vampire from Anne Rice series of Interview with a Vampire

Fall Colors

We just got back from New England, visiting family in the north west region of Connecticut.  Absolutely beautiful.

I cannot do any Halloween this year due to work but I can post some fall like pics (taken during a very wet and rainy day) but they came out nice despite the weather.  If it wasnt such a rainy day the colors would be a lot more vibrant. These are pictures from my cousin and uncle's house and on their farm and street they are on.

Pumpkins!

Was in my local Target and they had carving pumpkins for sale.  I looked for pie pumpkins but didnt see any and I didnt have time to walk to other side of the store to see if they were putting any Halloween stuff up

These unfortunately will be rotten to the core by October 31, they just cannot stand up to the weather and climate here in FL for too long.  Cannot grow them here either I checked into it and there are some strange varieties in special circumstances that you can grow them but its just too dad blame hot and buggy and humid here.

In Irons Sunset Cruise

Ok so we took 3 hour cruise with the nice Arabella (Funcat 55' catamaran) out of Ponce Inlet FL.   Yes they play the music from Gilligans Island on the way out!  

 It was a blast they do a really good job with their operation.  All the wine, beer and snacks (cheese and crackers, vegies and fruit trays) you desire and they make sure you are well suppiled during the trip.

Crew was very nice, they didnt treat us like Lubbers and they did their best to ensure everyone was comfortable and had a nice time.

Mrs Irons and her sister and hubby and some friends all went, we got a nice Groupon.  Here is some pics from the day, we got out of the inlet onto the ocean for a bit, very light winds, very calm seas with slight ground swell of 2-3 feet coming in but still some folks were feeling a bit seasick.  I am lucky it doesnt affect me.

Just absolutely beautiful day, beautiful sunset.  I have had a few sailboats in my time and its got me thinking again...   here is the lovely Arabella:

 

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

 

Port view Off Coast of Daytona Beach

 

And they set sail and turned off the motors...splendid!

Mrs Irons enjoying the breeze, she hates having her picture taken especially with the humidity doing its thing with her hair.  A lovely Lass

Babes on Board

 

Stern view looking Aft at Daytona skyline

 

Orientation speech by Captain Sam with Rebecca at the wheel

 

Start of Sunset as we approach the Inlet

 

 Rough Video of Sunset and of Captain Sam, Youtube promised to clean up the "shakiness" of the video

Still In Love.....

Ok not a Halloween related post but I did state that on occassion will post non-related halloween thingamajigs.... thats the beauty of blogs.  You do what you want when you want.

26 years ago today a younger thinner man asked a pretty girl out on their first date.   26 years later with all of life's up and downs I am proud to say I am the luckiest man.

I met Mrs. Irons through the world's second oldest profession....... yep...... Banking

She was a pretty teller that all the single men in our locale was chasing with no success and it must have been in a moment of weakness that she relented and agreed to go out on our first date.

Down to the Inlet to a seafood restaurant on the water (you know where the bathrooms are marked Gulls and Buoys for their representative genders).  We got stuck at a table near the door.  Everytime the front door of the restaurant opened it banged our table.   But we were in love, it was a Friday night, the candle light was magical.  

26 years later I still feel so blessed to have Mrs Irons in my life.

Halloween Treasures.... No Seriously I Mean It!

As it looks like with work and a ton of other pressing commitments I may not have the time this year to put up any Halloween decorations. Shameful I know.

So I must live vicariously for my Halloween goodness via the capabilities of others....

I am always amazed at how wonderfully resourceful and creative folks are.... especially with today's installment with Halloween Treasure Studio

Here are some samples of their treasures!  Awesome and creative halloween treasures with a vintage feel!

Major Kudos to the artist Cali Lee at Halloween Treasure Studio, check it out!!

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Horror oh The Horror..... the Blog Template Horror

Sitting here minding my own business blogging and stuff and of course Google/Blogger made some sort of upgrade a while back.

WTF?!?  (Why the Face ;)  )

Nothing would align as per the template layout designer. It was driving me crazy.   And the new template layout tool wouldnt let put my sidebar in the right place.... Arrrgggghhh! So frustrating

So I was going in and roughing out html tags and what not by hand.  This went on for the past few months.  Posted blog forum requests for help and nothing other than others reported it as well.

Then just now, all of a sudden... it started working. I guess Blogspot said "Hey Lets Fix This"

I did add a snazzy background which kinda looks like Haunted Mansion wallpaper....well kinda sorta, so all was not lost except hours out of my life, but I guess it is the price we pay for a free wonderful tool.

Great Disney Pics

Pumpkinrot posted some great pictures from the fantastic photographer Bob Desmond on his blog.  I took a look and was so impressed, here is a couple of samples, if you can check out his Flickr page it is absolutely wonderful!  Thanks Bob!

Here is formerdisneypro's Photostream page please give Bob Desmond great kudos for absolutely picture perfect pictures!

Repurposed Christmas Blow Molds To Halloween

One of the reasons I love Halloween (ok beyond candy) is in the Haunt world the most brilliant people exist and inspire me to no end.

On the Halloween Forum there is a thread where Hilda has taken Christmas Blow molds and stripped the paint and repainted for use at Halloween.   Her work is simply brilliant...

Here are some samples of her work:

Lollipop Blow Molds:

You Gotta Love Zero!!

 Mrs Claus

Here are some other Mrs. Clause blow molds repurposed:

Old DollHouse

New Dollhouse

Simply amazing, when you get a chance, check out the thread on Halloween Forum, genius at work!!

Excerpt from a Dog and Cat's Diary

I thought this was hilarious, I dont remember where this came from but kudos to the original authors, all the links I had are now dead 

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity. 

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.  The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. 

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards! 

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However,I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. 

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe, for now...

New URL Address For MansionAtMidnight

Hi folks, to eliminate some confusion on my blog address I am changing it to:

http://mansionatmidnight.blogspot.com

Even though I liked the concept of the Bittacle (archaic word for a compass binnacle which lends itself to the world wide web and navigation and all) the Mansion At Midnight can now point to the right URL I hope.

Thanks!

In Irons

Our Hearts are Broken..

Our hearts are broken, our little girl cat Belle had to be put to sleep due to a "saddle thrombus" which is a blood clot that settles in the rear pelvic region.  Its very painful for the animal and the prognosis is not good and 98% of all cats will have a reoccurrence of it within 2 years (usually less).  Belle had a heart murmur that was undetectable 9 months ago, then 5 months ago it was discovered and then yesterday was found to have grown and damaged her heart.  It was that fast, Monday she was playing and eating and then Tuesday we couldnt find her and finally found her behind the spa on our screen porch (we dont let them out)... I picked her up and put her on top of the spa (favorite spot for her) and then noticed she was dragging her hind legs.

We immediately took her to the vet.  We were all on board for aggresive treatment but this morning it was discovered she had deteriorated, she couldnt even pick herself up and the pain became greater for her. 

We got her because Mrs. InIrons was out numbered by males in the house...but wouldnt you know it, she became my little girl spending the whole day in the office with me (I work from home) and following me around the house wherever I went.  She liked being with Mrs InIrons too and even though she was 2 years old and about 9 months with us, she was adapting to the other 2 rascals that we have.

As I said our hearts are broken...

Amazing Haunt - Self Built Dark Ride

As you may well know, Dark Rides are darkened amusement park type rides where riders in guided vehicles move through typically a theme based scenario.  Some of my favorite dark rides are:

Disney's Haunted Mansion

Mr Toad's Wild Ride (no longer)

Pirates Of The Caribbean

Snow White's Scary Adventures

I mean gosh here is Disneyland's Snow White entrance:

Wow, doesnt Disney do it good?

Well there are some folks in our Haunting culture that really do it great!  I got the 2011 Home Haunter DVD Collection and came across this one guy doing a smashing job on his own dark ride.  Tons of animatronics and lighting.  It requires a lot of electrical control and instrumentation which is my original background with 16 years of engineer electrical control and instrumentation at Kennedy Space Center on the space shuttle. I simply love this stuff. 

You have to see this, both the ride with some cute kids and then the backstage videos:

Here is the backstage pass:

The cars are driven by a simple portable drill motor and battery.  Good for 3 trips and then they change them out (trip counter built into the buggy)

Amazing, this guy easily has $75- $100K into this..... take a look!

New Plan For Spooky Tree

Found this tree and owl outline decal for a spooky tree on Amazon.  I think this is what I am going to use for my 2012 Halloween Set Design in lieu of the tree I had planned on originally.  I will project the image onto plywood and cut that with jigsaw or saber saw.  Then finish off the plywood with monster mud for texture and a dark gray paint with brownish highlights with a dry brush.

I really like this, its somewhat Dave Lowe-ish in design.   Maybe put some LED eyes in on the OWL and have MP3 player playing back night time sounds with crickets and occasional Owl hoot.

Gee I really gotta get going on these projects!

Funny Cat Pics...

Ok I like cats and dogs, but we have three of the feline oriented furry devils.   I have posted about them before with the problems of lack of sleep that they cause.   But I do enjoy their antics and behaviors during daytime non-sleeping hours.  

So I have stolen from Queen Of Darkness blog several funny cat pics.  This probably certifies that I am strange.

Mmm Eastery Goodness

Kelly at Queen Of Darknessblog posted smart idea of delicious goodness... called Bunny Bait.

She also posted scenario of having a trap of sorts with the bunny bait and stuffed rabbit. But got me thinking what Dave Lowe would do? And who would be setting the trap? Leprauchan? Coyote from the Roadrunner cartoons?

Whats even more amazing I didnt know that Orville Redenbacher made a "TENDER" popcorn.