Clay Carnival in Las Vegas

We also attended the Las Vegas Clay Carnival put on by Kato Polyclay. 

She was a huge hit with the Japanese women that attended - They all wanted their photo taken with Polly and were surprisingly appreciative of the fart machine humor.

Perhaps this little device could aid intenational relations!  Let's send one to Secretary of State Condi Rice.  I'd love to see her break the eaternal gridlock of mideast peace talks with a well timed press of the magic button.  Wouldn't it be great to see those guyes snorting with laughter for a change?

We Three Witches

 

Last year was fun but I wanted to be a little closer to the action this time.  I'm pretty good at sitting very still not making any sound or discernable movement  probably owing to to all those years in church...  So with the aid of some makeup, a wig and an electric blanket I was able to sit for hours on the porch passing for one of Polly's friends.

People around here are fairly used to seeing Polly sitting on the porch and even wave or say hello when they pass by.  Adding another friend or two wouldn't seem terribly out of character.

Since our house has a bridge leading up to the front door there is plenty of time for trick-or-treaters to wonder about the nature of the women on the porch as they make their approach in the dark.  (These photos were taken with a flash so try to imagine the scene in the mostly dark, the cobwebs gently waving in the breeze...  BTW- Its very difficult to make Morning Glories look sinister but I did try!)

 

Just as visitors would get close, staring from one still face to another there is a scream from a motion activated device that goes off at their feet and since there is no movement or reaction from the women its seems pretty certain all three are dummies. 

Assured and bewildered they begin to look around and see they cannot reach the door or bell but spying the basket of candy in Anna's lap, they reach for it in something like relief. 

This is when I leap forward and shout "HEY!  You didn't say, "Trick or Treat!""  The word must have got out because there were cars driving up to visit only my house.  I really scared a group of older kids that kept saying, "I thought you were the fake one!" and "this is the best house ever!"

I live for this stuff!  Unfortunately I think I may have traumatized a little princess for life.  It wasn't that she was close enough to actually see me come to life but her mother and her friend's mother nearly trampled her trying to get off the bridge!  No matter how much I apologized or how much candy I offered she kept screaming and wouldn't come near me.

I love Halloween... I can't wait until next year!

Polly's First Halloween

Halloween 2004 - I LOVE Halloween!  Polly was a huge hit as she greeted the Trick-or-Treaters on our porch which can only be reached by crossing a wooden bridge. 

I set Polly up in a witch costume on the dark porch in front of the door without any candy.  Trick-or-treaters would have to walk across the dark bridge and reach past Polly to ring the doorbell . Approaching the porch a motion-sensitive shrieking was triggered startling the already nervous visitors.

Those kids earned their candy at our house!

Very small children were really nervous about approaching and often sent their parents to ring the bell while they waited halfway across the bridge poised to run.  Even the parents looked a little anxious about getting that close.  (Maybe they saw the Child's Play movies) 

The big kids were the most fun though.  It became a test of bravado to the boys running in packs trying to get their last year of free candy.  You could see them holding their breath as they attempted to bravely swagger across the bridge in front of their friends and then just about jump out their skin when they got close enough to set off the shrieking!

At least one Trick-or-Treater refused to cross the bridge saying "Hey!  I don't need candy THAT bad!"

I of course was standing just inside the door giggling and snickering silently.  The really jumpy kids would elect one of their number to get the doorbell then the rest would hold out their bags at arms reach but never take their wide, unblinking eyes off of Polly... just in case!