Friday, October 31, 2008

Things that go bump in the night...

A baseball diamond is cheerful and friendly in the daylight... but just look how spooky it is in the wee small hours, behind the silhouettes of all those trees. Lower Arroyo Park seems desolate and dreamlike late at night. (Can't you envision a goblin hiding back there behind one of those trees?)

South Pasadena will have quite a few goblins and ghouls prowling its streets tonight, in search of all things chocolate and caramel. Our neighbors told us that El Centro alone got over 700 trick-or-treaters last year. Even if you subtract for hyperbole, given all the kids who live in South Pas I have a feeling we're gonna see a lot of little monsters around here as soon as the sun goes down...

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

a peaceful night. Nice photo!

Julie said...

I like this photo and the one from yesterday, Laurie. There is something about the light cast from a lone lamp ...

Australia does not celebrate T/T but every so often there are groups of children. The problem being though, that there is often nothing appropriate on my shelves ...

Keith said...

700! Sounds like trick or treating may be more popular than ever. Happy Halloween!

Dixie Jane said...

I call this, "Ballet de tree." I'm terrible at French but good at seeing things that are not there. Laurie, be careful in the dark of night while you capture yet another interesting picture with a light.

Knoxville Girl said...

Lairie, this is a very atomospheric shot - spooky trees.
Oy, and listen to your mom, I second her comments!

Mister Earl said...

Laurie,

You certainly are willing to venture, apparently alone, into some places where you'll only find me during the daylight. I can envision those goblins, and I would not want to meet up with them.

"Ain't it funny how the night moves
When you just don't seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With autumn closing in."

Judy Williams said...

LOVE the Bob Seger reference above!!! Funny, because I see nothing foreboding about this shot at all. I like the soothing softness of the glowing light (just like yesterday's shot). I feel like the night fairies are just waiting for you to leave, so that they can prance about under the light of that single bulb, calling for the Halloween spirits to join them in a ghostly dance.

Virginia said...

Love Jutilda's take on it. You are a brave little girl I think. Be careful sister! Hope you got lots of cheap candy at the store for all your treaters. What is your little pumpkin going to be this year??
Great night shot as always.

Profile Not Available said...

I see peaceful, more than spooky, but it is a beautiful shot! You take such wonderful photos at night!

Ken Mac said...

I didn't think it looked scary til you said so. It looks kind of natural and peaceful...maybe I am the scary one!

Cafe Observer said...

I don't see anything spooky about this xcept it's a colorful pic at twilight Ok, L, I'll grant you the twilight zone. Simply a pic of McCain & Obama would've been hard 2 beat for horror!

I remember Halloween last yr in The Streets of SouthPasa. Some of those arteries can clogged with kids & parents, worse than a pack of women at a yard sale, so that's good & plenty scary enuf. Avoid those streets unless an emergency.

I believe this year the real Halloween falls on Nov 4th.

Anonymous said...

I admit that growing up playing on the fields of the lower arroyo, night time could be scary. There were stories of the "people" who lived in the hills. One would not venture out into that vast darkness without a parent or other friend---because everyone knows two children taste better than one!

Over the years, various crimes have occurred at the fields. But, on the whole, the area is relatively safe, even at night. I think the worst crime committed was by an umpire, calling someone safe when they were clearly out that cost a certain team a chance to go to the finals. ;-)

700 kids---wow. We stopped giving out fun sized stuff after 9/11 because we never got enough kids to go thru the bag. We hand out regular sized candy for the handful of kids that wander by. But, I do remember as a child, ooodles of kids, even after I was home from my own ToT'ing, stopping by for some candy on our front porch.

Happy, safe goblining tonight folks!

Halcyon said...

Glad to hear trick-or-treating is still alive in South Pas! I am expecting loads of kids. I think my husband and I are the only ones on the block with no kiddies. We have also been invited to a neighborhood party.

Happy Halloween!!

Yakpate said...

This could be a still from Antonioni's 1966 masterpiece, Blowup. Critics have said about this film: "So much is hidden from the viewer. It's almost suggested that the real end to the narrative takes place after the movie has already finished... insinuating an ending we never get to `see'."

That's how I feel about this shot. In fact, I had to double-click it, to see if something was concealed in the details, just like the David Hemmings character who repeatedly blew up his photograph in search of... the headless homerun hitter?

I love how that floodlight reflects on the grass, so it glows unexpectedly green even at night. Gloriously creepy!

Anonymous said...

Well, South Pas doesn't get very scary, so Laurie had to take what she could get. Looks a little If-you-build-it-they-will-come to me.

Wayne said...

Did someone mention caramel?

This looks to me like a UFO, an UFO?, about to land. Maybe you were transported to another dimension and don't remember it Laurie. That's a little spooky.

My brothers and I certainly got a big kick from Hallowe'en, hauling home pillow cases loaded with more candy than any kid needs.

Anonymous said...

I don't get trick or treaters....booooh! The little goblins take one look at that hill I live on and pass. Still every year I go and buy one bag of candy in hopes that this year will be different.

I used to go through that tunnel (not the tunnel with the paintings, but the other one) at night, by myself on horseback. I only stopped doing so, when the Hillside stranglers were active in the area.

Petrea Burchard said...

I always get my candy ready early for the kids who trick-or-treat before dark. But I'm sorry they have to miss the scariness of the dark!

Julie said...

Yesterday I received the KREATIV BLOGGER award from Diederick at Aronaeveryday and consequenly have the right to nominate 6 further blogs for this award. It is with pleasure that I nominate you for a Kreativ Blogger Award. My 6 nominations are linked on my blog and there is a certificate that is yours should you wish to participate in this award. Your blog gives me pleasure and ideas and I appreciate and value your efforts.

Mister Earl said...

I left my soul... in South Pasadena...

Mister Earl said...

You see what I mean?

Patrizzi Intergarlictica said...

If the kids come before dark, Petrea, I slap'em and send them home, by golly gee.

Of course, I let them see the cauldron of candy first---just so they know I'm not cheating, I'm treating.

Mister Earl said...

AH - If you think South Pas doesn't get scary, you haven't been inside the recesses of my mind!

Hope said...

Laurie...you amaze me at how you are able to obtain so many night-time photos! I admire you for your ability to get out of the house to go on these night-time photography adventures. It seems once I'm home for the evening, that's it for me...I suppose I should try to sneak out one evening....maybe.

P.S. Thanks for all the nice comments you've left on my blog!

Tash said...

I used to wonder around there as a teen - gotta go back & look for may initials on some trees - I remember playing golf at night at the golf course near by - that is just wacking the ball around & searching for it the rest of the time. this must be a very busy time for you with the little ones - thx for stopping by

Anonymous said...

Liminal - that "in-between" place.

Laurie Allee said...

Hi all,

Welcome seocn!

Julie, I'm so glad you're back from your holiday! Thank you so much for the Kreativ Blogger award. Everyone needs to go to Julie's blog right now and check out her beautiful and thought-provoking photos and haiku.

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. We had to go out at 7:00 and get more candy -- the 10 bags we bought were not enough for the THRONGS of trick-or-treaters here. Now I know why they filmed part of the movie Halloween in this town. THIS TOWN REALLY LOVES HALLOWEEN!

I promise, I'm not flirting with danger in the middle of the night -- this shot was taken around 8:00PM after practice broke up. But I just LOVE that many of you are kind of spooked by it. This is another case of the camera having its own idea about mood. Originally, I thought the setting looked kind of end-of-summer, melancholy with an empty feild. When I looked at all the pictures I shot, they were much more atmospheric than the actual setting. I love it when that happens. (Other times, I've thought the scene was spooky -- but the pictures were festive and whimsical. Go figure.)

Mister Earl, I love your ever=changing avatar picture! This one is truly scary!

Shanna -- liminal, what a great word and concept.

Thanks for all the great stories and comments today. Until next time...

Curly said...

It's amazing how much Halloween US style has caught on in the UK over the past four or five years. I wonder how many pumpkins the USA export to us each year now?

I have a small Halloween slide show to share.

Webradio said...

The kids love Halloween for sugar...
Hppay Halloween !