It's officially Fall, everyone! Happy Spooky Season to all!
(gif art by Petrichor & Pumpkins 2022)
Labor Day Weekend
Some folks consider Labor Day Weekend the last hurrah of Summer, and the unofficial beginning of Autumn.
The weather this past weekend makes a strong argument for that notion. Dry, warm, breezy days which give over to light sweater-weather temps when the sun sets.
Moon & Mountain.Tahoma (aka Mt. Rainier) and waxing gibbous moon.
[all photos by Petrichor & Pumpkins 2022]
A vintage cautionary tale
Had a lovely chat with a dear friend today who told me about this short video he remembered from his childhood called Dark and Lonely Water, one in a series of British public info short films created as cautionary tales for children, narrated by none other than horror icon Donald Pleasence:
Brilliantly done, and really plays like a short horror/suspense film. Must-watch!
It's beginning to look a lot like --
Not sure why, but that Halloween Feeling hasn't been hitting me as intensely this year -- which is why I haven't been updating this blog or my Instagram much.
That didn't stop me from feeling absolutely delighted about exploring the selection I found at Nordstrom Rack this weekend, however:
I bought the fuzzy skull blanket -- I mean, who needs yet another Halloween-themed blankie? Me, that's who.
It seems like they were just beginning to put stuff out. Lots of fun bed & bath related decor.
Bauhaus: 19 May 2022, Seattle
Last night, Seattle - Bauhaus in concert at the majestic, opulent Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle.
Soriah was the opening act. We missed most of their set because we were in the merch line for quite awhile, but what we witnessed was incredibly powerful, setting the vibe for the rest of the evening.
The Paramount is one of the most ornate venues I've ever seen. Perfect setting. The scent of clove cigarettes, patchouli, weed, and booze hung in the hazy air. Literally perfect.
Then
the house lights went down and the stage lights flashed on. Strobe
lights and fog machine. Then the music began and it felt like a sacred
ritual had begun. The gods were summoned.
SET LIST:
- Rosegarden Funeral of Sores (John Cale cover)
- Double Dare
- In the Flat Field
- A God in an Alcove
- In Fear of Fear
- Spy in the Cab
- She's in Parties
- Kick in the Eye
- Bela Lugosi's Dead
- Silent Hedges
- The Passion of Lovers
- Stigmata Martyr
- Dark Entries
Encore:
- Sister Midnight (Iggy Pop cover)
- Telegram Sam (T. Rex cover)
- Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie cover) (!!!!)
Bonus content:
Beautiful details throughout this golden palace. It was a evening of wonder. Total experience.
Beautiful details throughout this golden palace. It was a evening of wonder. Total experience.
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| View from the merch line - which went all the way up to the second floor and wrapped around. Worth it. |
Now playing: Gamardah Fungus
A friend of mine recommended this one and I've listened to it a few times already. I've been in the mood for some dark ambient music lately, and this fits the bill quite nicely.
Now Playing: BLOOD INCANTATION
This band is new to me, but I've been hearing some hype over their latest release, Timewave Zero, which is reportedly a departure from their usual death metal sound. It's a dark ambient album and I am really enjoying it so far.
Now playing (on repeat) - new Bauhaus track (!!!)
Legendary goth rock band Bauhaus has released a brand new single, "Drink the New Wine," and I can't fucking stop listening to it. 🦇 The creative process behind the track is fascinating, too:
// "Drink The New Wine" was recorded last year during lockdown with the four members sharing audio files. The track employs the Surrealists' 'Exquisite Corpse' device whereby each artist adds to the piece without seeing what the others have done. Bauhaus have used this technique in the past to great effect. The title refers to the very first Cadavre exquis' drawing rendered by André Breton, Marcel Duchamp, Jacques Prévert and Yves Tanguy which included words which when strung together made up the sentence, 'Le cadavre exquis boiara le vin nouveau' ('The exquisite corpse will drink the new wine.") For the recording, the four musicians each had one minute and eight tracks at their disposal plus a shared sixty seconds plus four tracks for a composite at the end. All done without hearing what the others had laid down. The only common link being a prerecorded beat courtesy of Kevin. The final playback came as synchronistic revelation. //
I recently scored tickets to see them in Seattle!* I haven't ever seen them in concert before, so I am really looking forward to this.
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| (*Concert date has been changed to 19th May as of this posting) |
Spring things
A (perhaps) unpopular opinion (at least among the Halloween crowd):
I LOVE Springtime. I'm not sad that Halloween is still months away.
I don't want it to be Halloween year-round. I don't wish it were Halloween 24/7.
For one thing: Too much of a good thing tends to ruin that thing. I need variety. Enjoying the changing seasons helps me to appreciate Autumn & Halloween all that much more when it does arrive.*
(*in late July**)
(**don't @ me; if you love Halloween too, you know what's up)
Anyway, there is so much to love about the other seasons, with their own special sights, smells, sensations, activities, traditions, memories. I love Spring, with all its wild blustery, blossoming energy.
Also, it's Sugar Season - the brief season during late Winter, on the threshold of Spring, with freezing nights and mild, sunny, thawing days, where the sap of Sugar Maple trees begins to run, trees are tapped, and maple syrup is made. This is a regional practice, mostly in the northeastern USA and parts of Canada -- or wherever Sugar Maple trees are plentiful and climate conditions permit.
The practice of tapping trees and reducing sap down to syrup is an ancient practice, invented by the First Nations people of North America.
During this time of year, one of my favorite customs is to visit a local sugar house to have a great breakfast & to buy a bunch of maple sugar stuff. Since I haven't been able to do that much since I moved to WA state, here's a bunch of pics & video from my archives.
(Photos are from various visits to both Gould's Sugar House in Shelburne Falls, MA and North Hadley Sugar Shack in Hadley, MA. All photos below by me)
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| Wearing some Sugar Season flair: An antique maple tap & a real sugar maple leaf pendant. |
If you're in New England and it's sugar season: Find a sugar house that serves breakfast!
Sunny weekend mornings are the best time for this adventure. Chances are that when you arrive at your sugar shack of choice, it will be crowded and you'll have to wait a bit to be seated for breakfast/brunch. Not to worry though, you can check out their gift shop/general store, wander the grounds of the maple farm, and watch as maple sap is boiled down to maple syrup. You can pick out all sorts of locally made goods as well as maple syrup products.
Did you know it takes 40 gallons of Sugar Maple sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup? And, of course, later in the year Sugar Maples are one of autumn's most beautiful trees, with leaves that change to vibrant orange and red hues.
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| Every sugar house has some version of this sign. (Gould's Sugar House) |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| Some sugar houses boil down their sap over wood fires, which requires a massive amount of firewood for the season. (Gould's Sugar House) |
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| Watching sap become maple syrup at Gould's Sugar House. The aroma is heavenly, a sweet hint of maple and wood smoke. |
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| North Hadley Sugar Shack entrance |
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| North Hadley Sugar Shack |
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| Pure maple syrup candy from Gould's Sugar House |
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| Fresh batches of maple syrup from Gould's Sugar House, some of the bottles are still warm. |
Finally, when it's your turn for breakfast, you will be seated in a cozy, rustic dining area.
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
Enjoy the view of the countryside on this fine spring day.
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| North Hadley Sugar Shack |
Whatever you decide to order, you can pour freshly made pure maple syrup all over everything. There's plenty of strong coffee to cut through all that sweetness, and in some cases, sour house-made pickles as a palate-cleanser.
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| North Hadley Sugar Shack |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
If "Sugar on Snow" is on the menu, give it a try. You will be served a small tray of cleaned, packed shaved ice and a small pitcher of hot maple syrup. You drizzle the syrup over the ice, where it firms up to a soft, chewy, sticky candy.
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
One of the best things about a sugar shack experience is getting out there to enjoy a beautiful spring day in the New England countryside. The blue skies, fresh air, and sunshine are so refreshing as winter is on the wane.
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| Hadley, MA |
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| Shelburne Falls, MA |
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| Gould's Sugar House |
Here is a fun video about the iconic maple syrup bottle design!
Happy Spring to all!
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