Early Morning Fog

6:30 a.m. - The Hudson River valley.

Welcome to Halloweentown

Halloween, 2014.

Fresh Apple Cider and Pumpkins

For you, on this Autumn day in October.

Autumn Street Scenes

Have a blessed week.

It was a dark and stormy night...

Misty stormy foggy nighttime...ahh, I love it.

We're having one last spate of warm weather here in the autumnal Northeast, resulting in atmospheric mists that hover over the street during nighttime visits to the store for movie candy (that was me). Spooky? Yes! 

Boooo! The streets are empty and scary on a wet night.

It was also cool and invigorating and exciting, because that's the nature of a good thrill: a little scary but still safe, like watching a gory horror movie at home, tucked under the covers. Enjoy the recent warmth, New York. It'll turn cold soon.

Dark, lonely, foggy streets at night. Breathe it in...

Georgian Court

Welcome to Georgian Court.

Last week, while photographing a enigmatic stone house, I noticed a "For Rent" sign parked on the lawn of a 50s mod building. Stylin'! Prominently displayed on the brick front is a gorgeous, cheerful script of a logo, emblematic of the kind of "can-do" energy that sparked the post-war Baby Boom, fueled by an economy pumped full of spoils and profits from a war won well. 

Seems very quiet and quite safe.

In an effort to regain some of the normality that was lost during war time, conformity was key. A soldier in enemy territory stands out much more by not blending in, and it was a lesson learned well. After looking at the grounds, I walked up the small hill to a surreal picture of similarity: each and every apartment was exactly the same, and I mean, down to the very last detail. 

It's well-manicured. Each bush is the same.

There are no anomalies of any kind in the small, handkerchief-sized lawns; no wild, weird decorations, no decor at all, actually. Everything had a comforting, bland sameness to it, and that's exactly the point: to be the same, to have the same things, to live the same day over and over again, without any traumas, shocks, or surprises, as a relief to a post-traumatic life. In it's own way, it's a lot scarier than the dark, mysterious house next door, for the sheer effort it makes to present a unified front, like a artificially fake neighborhood in Disneyland, unmarked by any sort of identifying characteristics whatsoever. 

I bet nothing ever really changes around here.

There's a desperate quality in maintaining that kind of approach, which stands out in stark contrast to say, an overblown, badly decorated kitschy style. A slight, warm wind swirled through the leaves that day, as I left the apartment grounds exactly the way it has always been, and will always be, for here on out, until it crumbles to the ground. How's that for a good scare?

Creepy. Nothing moves but the leaves. Where the people at?

Spooky Stone House

It's next to the Freemason's building...

As we enter the season when the Witching Hour approaches, nothing could be more appropriate than poking around spooky stone houses that have grown dark in the shade of two big pine trees, weighted under many creeping, intertwined vines of ivy. 

..and it's been "For Sale" for a long, long time...

Here's a spooky stone specimen that beckoned to me from across the road, diverting me from my grocery shopping for just a little awhile. 

...with an intact carriage house...

The inside did not disappoint, either: a grand piano stood silent sentry in one of the front parlors, along with a beautiful blue and white china vase, with all of the wood crown molding still intact, as is the original parquet wood flooring.

...abandoned for quite some time..

It has a story or two to tell, but who will tell it? Seek it out for yourself, (if you can find it), and then ask a question or two about its' original Hudson Valley owners. You may be surprised about who they were...

...tucked away under some towering, dark pine trees...

...hiding in plain sight, off a busy road in Rockland County.

Happy house hunting, Halloween fans.