Journey into the underworld

Normally Thursdays are set aside for Thousand Word Posts here, but this week is a little special. Take last night for instance.

The Peanut and I got up from our nap yesterday and immediately started packing up and bundling up to get out the door. We met the third member of our family group at the sky train station and headed of for a quick trip into the mysteries of the underworld via the Stanley Park Ghost Train.

It's a family tradition for us, and a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit. This year's theme had more of a story line than the last few we've been to and a lot more live performers too.

Zombies. Voodoo gods. Wild Women of the Woods. Three-headed dogs.
Mexican witches' brew. All these and more are in store for those who
dare to climb aboard this year's Stanley Park Hallowe'en Ghost Train.

Just ask Georgie—if you get a chance! Georgie is on the run, dodging
and ducking an international group of ghouls and ghosties that
inhabit the underworld. Will the mischievous child outrun the Wild
Woman of the Woods, outwit the voodoo god Obatal, outsmart the
Goddess of Death Kali? And can Georgie stay one step ahead of
the man with the child-sized sack, Gentleman Jack?

Since 1999, the Ghost Train has become an annual tradition for thousands of families craving thrills and excitement. Reinventing itself each year with new themes, sets, costumes and many more surprises conjured up by the creative team at Mortal Coil Performance Society , the Ghost Train is a uniquely wonderful and fun experience every trick-or-treat season.

taken from the Ghost Train website

I did take my camera, and I did take some pictures, but not of the ride itself. I like to step out from behind the camera every now and then and to experience an event as a participant as opposed to being an observer, plus any pictures I would have taken would have been flash lit and taken away from the dark spooky atmosphere that the ghost train is all about. To properly photograph the ride would involve being off the train with my tripod and the participation of the players; which would be cool, but not going to happen any time soon. So I captured some of the non-train activities and decor.

The gateway into the underworld

In addition to the Ghost Train, Mortal Coil the company that puts on this event, and the park sets up some fantastic props and other activities to set the mood and keep the impatient (read: 3 year old) busy until it's time to catch their train. There is face painting, Hole in the Head Wooden photo props and this year a shadow puppet workshop. We made a bird puppet and had fun making shadows on the screen and watching the skeletons, snakes, ghosts and dragons shadows other people were making come to life on the screen.

We arrived early enough to take a leisurely stroll through the Haunted Farm Yard for more spooky fun. There were ghastly beach scenes, and creepy figures peeking out at those brave enough to venture past the gate, and of course, scariest of all; in the darkest part of the barn, were

BUNNIES!!!

This portion of the evening is not for the faint of heart.

The peanut took a shine to one of the Llamas, the sheep and the pony.

Turkey Time

Before I get into all the turkey talk I thought I'd let you know that I'll be offering free shipping on all photographs in TMCPhoto this weekend, get a head start on your holiday shopping! As I've been getting our home ready for guests and cooking our Thanksgiving Dinner, this weeks artist feature is on hold but next week's artist is enough to make up for this little break.

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and I'm cooking. Up until three years ago turkey dinner was something my Mom cooked and I ate. Up until three years ago the idea of roasting a turkey was an anxiety filled one. I mean that's one big dinner and growing up cooking a turkey seemed like a huge undertaking. I have memories of my parents getting up in the middle of the night to put the bird in the oven. That's a lot of work for dinner; interrupting sleep to get dinner on the table the next day, well not technically but you get the idea.

Every family has their own menu traditions for feast days: cabbage rolls and perogies for those with Ukrainian backgrounds for example. In my family these are the things that are always done:

We baste the turkey with a beer; growing up it was a Pilsner; the super colourful can. My spin; because I like to add my own dash of flavour wherever I can; is to use the husbands latest designer beer of choice or a rich dark stout.

Carrots and turnips are mashed together as a side. This dish is usually added to the plate and only rarely eaten by anyone under the age of 25. I have only recently acquired a taste for it, but I'm not sure if it's nostalgia based or a maturing palette.

Sweet Potatoes are one of those dishes that seem to have regional styles. Up until my mid teens my mom baked them, then mashed them covered them with mini marshmallows and baked them again. Then she topped them with pecans and brown sugar. Up until my mid teens I didn't really like sweet potatoes, once the change was made I changed my mind. I mash my yams with a little orange juice and top with a butter brown sugar mixture that caramelizes nicely.

My Mom stuffs her birds with a simple bread stuffing (onion, celery, bread crumbs, poultry seasoning, and broth) down the neck and store bought uncased sausage meat up the turkey butt if I may put it like that. This year I'm shoving a pork and apple sausage that I had at a friends house a few weeks back; up that butt. There's something so yummy about pork sausage that's been basted and roasted inside a turkey; my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

Thanksgiving dinner is not complete at my Mom's without what we call Marshmallow Salad. This is a dish that my younger sister would pile onto her plate with a small piece of white meat, a spoon full of potatoes and the bare minimum of vegetable. The ingredients for this dish are 1 bag mini marshmallows, 500ml of sour cream, 1 small can each pineapple pieces and mandarin orange slices with juices drained.

So I'll be cooking dinner this weekend and I'll be making some of those dishes above and leaving some out and putting my own spin on some and making new ones and I won't be getting up in the middle of the night to cook the sucker but I will be putting a lot of love and gratitude into it. It's Thanksgiving after all. What food traditions do you have? Whether your cooking this weekend or next month; will you be trying something new for your feast this year?

Just Another Day

So I've never really been a big New Years Eve party girl. My fondest memories of New Years Eve are back in the mid to late eighties and were spent at my Aunt & Uncle's house with my three cousins and my family. One year we played a murder mystery game and then charades, which was fun until the A-Team was the answer to and my one cousin couldn't get past the letter A in the answer. We laughed ourselves silly as he kept repeating over and over "The Ah, the ah, the ah, the ah, the ah,..." getting more frustrated with his brother, who was giving the hints with each ah. Bed time was soon decreed.

My first New Years after turning 18 was spent in a crowded bar, and I didn't even get a plastic thimble of champagne for the $50 ticket. My first New Years with my now husband was spent driving around with his not so great friends looking for a party. When new years rolled around we were stopped at a stop sign in Ponoka Alberta near the towns only bar. New Years Eve 1999 was spent watching TV to see if the millennium bug was going to dash us all into computer-less oblivion. One year we played Monopoly at my Brother in Law's house with his in-laws. Last year we sat in front of my Father-in-Laws red hot wood stove and watched movies and ate piles of junk. As the years go on my celebrations become quieter and quieter.

Last night, we counted down to zero and hollered "Happy New Year!" to Miranda at 7:30 and then I went to bed at 9pm. The Mother-in-Law (also known as my adoptive mom, I'm lucky enough to love her almost as much as my own mom) had left super early in the morning after a six day visit, and the husband was suffering from sleeping pill withdrawal insomnia. I fell quickly asleep and was then promptly woken up at the stroke of midnight, just in time to walk into the living room plant a big wet one on the insomniac, check to see who was shooting of firecrackers and make sure the toddler was still tucked in.

All in all not a bad way to close out the old year and start out a new one.