Deep Southern Land: Happy Fall Y'All!

Fall in Middle Georgia, and possibly all over the States, is a huge affair. Pumpkins and squashes of all shapes and sizes adorn front porches, supermarkets, church grounds, and shop window displays. Restaurants and cafés have an abundance of pumpkin and/or spice cookies, pies, soups, etc - "pumpkin spice latte", anyone?!

There are harvest festivals, including the Georgia State Fair and the Mossy Creek Barnyard Arts and Crafts Festival, and other seasonal fun. Spooky barns and forest trails offer the public a few scares and screams, for a few dollars, and the temperature and humidity drops - yay!!!

This is all leading up to Halloween, of course, and everyone seems in a festive and fun mood, and even small children seem not to be spooked by sights that would have Isabella cowering in fright.

Our little posse of expats is going to have a "pumpkin carving" session in a week or so, to get in the spirit of it all, but I really don't feel like decorating my front lawn to resemble a graveyard, or having a pirate skeleton on the front porch to greet - or terrify, visitors!! Happy to have some potted colour, and maybe even a pumpkin or two. I'm enjoying the spectacle, from a distance, you might say.

On the weekend, I joined some of the girls for a Haunted Trail, which was a lot of fun - not least because Maggie, who'd organised it all, was the most terrified of the group, screaming at the top of her lungs every time someone leapt out at us. Maggie had insisted we dress up, which is always a challenge for me, partly due to a lack of imagination, but also because I'm just to worried about looking "stupid"! Those concerns were definitely not on the radar for my buddies, and when they rang the front door bell to pick me up, I was greeting by a creepy skin-peeling ghoul (Lizzie), Wednesday Adams (Kym), Morticia(?) (Maggie), and a gothic looking Minnie Mouse (Tiffany).

Isabella came to the door, and it was probably not a wise decision to let her see Lizzie or Maggie, especially, as they weren't really recognizable and were pretty creepy!! I had joked that as I was out for the night, Dave would be left to deal with the trauma, and that actually turned out to be the case - poor Dave! Isabella ran and buried her face in the couch cushions and cried for about 10 minutes, even after I'd explained they were just pretending and that it was only makeup and grown up costumes, albeit convincing ones!

Hard to believe that Lizzie's our resident Avon rep!!

I wasn't sure what to expect with the trail, and wasn't really expecting to be that scared. I mean, I do get really scared by horror movies and can't watch them anymore, but a haunted trail with people dressed up - how scary could that be?!

We paid our $12 per person and our group lined up, enjoying the company of "Ebola Man" and his friend, while we waited.

"Ebola Man" - too soon, I think - and Lizzie, with Maggie in the background, behind another of the trail's inhabitants

When it was our group's turn to go through, we entered the trail and along a very dark path, lit by the occasional small and dim lamp, we came across a "railway crossing" complete with tracks, flashing lights, and haunted engine driver - complete with wounds and zombie expression.

He waved us across the tracks, even though the lights were still flashing. Kym and I made it across as we had taken the lead, but as Maggie and Tiffany were mid-straddle of the track, a huge train whistle blew and a train headlight flashed on full bore, a metre from us!!! We all screamed and jumped out of our skins!! It really felt as if we were about to be run over!!

There were a few more surprises, as we went in and out of dark buildings with screaming, dragging "bleeding" zombies, but the best one for me was at the end of the trail, when we had a longish stretch of path with a lot of darkness between lamps. We were waiting and expecting a final scare, but we all jumped out of skins again when a man leapt out at us with a real chainsaw - albeit with the chain removed (we'd been told that at the start!!). Yikes!!! I hadn't thought I'd be scared, but for some reason I managed to have a sore throat by the time we'd experienced "chainsaw man"!!

As for Maggie, when "chainsaw man" leapt out at her, she got such a fright she fell over, dragging Tiffany down with her, and landing on Katie behind!! "Chainsaw man" fell out of character and asked her if she was ok, offering her a hand to get up!!

Even evil, chainsaw wielding maniacs are polite here, in the South!!

All those scares called for a ciggie...

and a margarita, or two!

Just as well it was after 10.30pm and most small children were fed and in bed...

But sadly, that place closed, so another beckoned...

That same weekend was the Mossy Creek Barnyard Arts and Crafts Festival, so on the Sunday, the kids and I went and had a look. Dave decided to have some "shed time" instead.

Isabella hadn't read the directive to have fun

Daniel, on the other hand, had - and he can't even read!?

The Festival was set in a pine forest and there were plenty of interesting things to see and do, from face-painting - the bane of our lives because we invariably have to queue up, which is such a waste of time - to a story-telling leprechaun, hayrides, and market stalls. It had a lovely, relaxing, family-friendly feel - simple and unsophisticated, but very, very cute.

I noticed a uniform, of sorts, for some of the gents - hat, beard and braces - especially those with stuff to sell.

Food at such festivals is usually pretty junky, fried, salty or sugary, fatness on a plate. Mm, time to try a "funnel cake" ... there was a queue, so it must be good, right?!

It looks like all the little bits that float around a fryer, which is basically what it is - with icing sugar!

Starting from midnight of the night before Daniel's 3rd birthday, I'd expected the tantrums to stop - I guess he hadn't got that brief...this one was because Isabella had "broken" his stick. Thankfully, the promise of food distracted both of them, and it was short-lived.

Now for a hayride...or at least a stationary one! That pumpkin was real, too, despite looking too orange, too shiny and too perfect.

These pictures sum up the kids pretty well: Miss Poseur, and Mr Action!

Now for Isabella's turn to "drive"...

Here's Larry the Leprechaun, direct from Ireland ... via a few decades in Georgia, methinks! He was very cute, and kept the kids enthralled - such a simple form of entertainment, but so refreshing to see kids who are usually entertained by computer games or screens of some description, can sit quietly and maintain interest and attention in a funny old guy in green.