Two tracks have been released so far, and the full album comes out on 24th Sept. 2021. I love what I've heard so far and I can't wait for the rest! Click the album cover pic above for a link to the Bandcamp page, where you can listen to the first 2 tracks.
Well, shit, I've only been back in town a couple of days and all hell breaks loose.
Today started off relatively uneventful; the friend I'm staying with had to work today and I brought my laptop with me so I could work as well -- one of the big perks of being a remote freelance designer.
It was HOT today, I mean HOT. Summers in CT are extra special because humidity always makes it feel hotter than thermometer says it is. Heat index was probably 105 F. Thankfully, my old room has an AC in the window so I was comfortable.
I was about to join a Zoom meeting today a little before 6 PM when I realized it seemed kinda dark out there. Storm clouds were rolling in, and it soon started to rain. Summer thunderstorms are common as hell around here, and I was actually pretty psyched about it. We don't typically get t-storms in western WA, but summers are dry and don't usually get above 90 -- the conditions for storms just aren't there.
My old room is on the second floor so I had a good vantage point for watching the storm. It seemed peaceful enough at first but quickly intensified. Needless to say, I cancelled my Zoom appointment.
Thankfully we were all home at the time. My friend and I had just gotten
back from an errand about an hour before when the sun was blazing and
no sign of a storm. The wind started to REALLY pick up and the rain was coming down in torrents. The lightning was right overhead and getting crazy.
The streets started to flash flood a bit, branches and debris flying everywhere, the house was shaken a few times by the wind, trees were bending in half. Roof shingles and pieces of siding were strewn in the street. I started to feel a bit nervous about it, wondering if we should go to the basement for safety. The strength of the winds made it feel like we were in the path of a small tornado.
I don't recall ever witnessing a storm that got that intense that quickly, and we've gone through hurricanes, ice storms, Nor'easters, and plenty of strong thunderstorms. The damage from this event is more extensive than most any other storm I've personally lived through. I haven't heard any official confirmation yet, but there are rumors that a small tornado moved through the area. It passed pretty quickly at least; the wind and rains seemed to stop rather abruptly. It was an eerie feeling. We went outside to walk around the hood a bit to assess the damage.
A bunch of our neighbors were outside as well, everyone making sure everything was okay. Sirens in the air and reports on the scanner showed us that we were pretty damn lucky on our street, and relatively unscathed.
Some trees, including one in the park next door, were completely blown over. Our power went out for a few hours afterward. We heard many reports of fires and downed power lines, crushed vehicles, blown-out windows, destroyed gardens, flattened gazebos, and damaged homes. I don't think anyone was hurt though, what a relief. It was a fucking scary storm.
The air temperature cooled off considerably, though, so at least we weren't dying in the heat. The skies cleared up gradually, in unsettling neon shades as the sun set.
We lit some candles and sat outdoors for a bit and enjoyed the relative quiet, listening to the night bugs and the hum of a nearby generator. It was actually quite peaceful then, despite the inconvenience of the power being out.
Enjoy this 20 seconds of New England suburb summer night sounds.
It
was a pretty crazy experience, but we're all okay. The power was
restored close to midnight, hopefully it will remain. As I type this, I
hear more thunder rumbling in the distance. It is a dark and stormy
night...
Those of you who follow my Instagram account (and if you don't already, please do) may have seen my post yesterday about me arriving in Connecticut for a visit. If you're new here, one thing to know about me is that I was born & raised in CT and spent the majority of my life in and around the New England states.
I think my love for Halloween has a lot to do with growing up here. I moved to the Tacoma, WA area about 6 years ago, and while that part of the country has its own charm, it feels so different than New England.
The Pacific Northwest and New England both have their own flavors of spooky/creepiness. The PNW feels like an animalistic, untamed place, like it will catch you & eat you alive. But New England is seriously ancient,* spanning eons of dusty memories & full of ghosts that will haunt you forever.
*(literally true, in the geological sense, there are some pretty fucking old rocks in eastern North America)
Cornfield, East Windsor CT, ca 1999, photo by me
No matter what time of year I'm here in New England, it always feels like Halloween is just around the corner: about to occur or just passed. Right now, we're nearly halfway through August already and the late-summer/early-fall funk is hanging in the humid, uncomfortably warm air. I can feel time and timelessness so much more intensely with every one of my senses. I generally despise hot weather, but there's something about being outdoors on a sticky August night that feels eternal, free, and wild.
Which leads me to my story from earlier this evening. My friend and I had been out doing errands just after sunset, and decided to stop for takeout on the way back to her place. We had about 10 or 15 minutes to wait when we arrived at the restaurant, so we had music on in the car and were chatting with the windows and sunroof open, the strip mall parking lot mostly dark and quiet, near about 10PM.
Then -- as we were talking -- every few minutes, we heard some sort of cry/song/vocalization of an animal, which sounded fairly close by to where we were parked, but not on the ground -- higher up, as if it were up on the roof of the strip mall. The first time we heard it, we didn't think anything of it, it was just background noise partly drowned out by the music. The second time, we wondered if maybe it was just part of the song that was currently playing? But no. We stopped the music to see if we could hear it again. Every few minutes or so, we heard a similar sound coming from the same spot. Sometimes, we heard another similar call from further away, and then the closer creature (???) would call out again, seemingly in response. Was that its mate? Who knows.
Both my friend and I immediately thought that it must be a bird of some kind - but nothing similar to anything we had ever heard before in the wild, and definitely not at night. Was it an owl? Didn't sound like any owl either of us knew of. Was it a parrot, I wondered; maybe somebody's pet who escaped? Part of the sound/call was almost a "laughing" sort of sound that a money or kookaburra might make, but like... what the hell lives in CT that would make that noise? So strange. And whatever it was, there were at least 2 of them. We wondered for a few moments if was it a recording of some kind designed to scare off other birds or creatures from the rooftops -- but the sounds we heard were slightly different every time. Baffling.
We kept our eyes peeled but we never saw anything. Finally, it occurred to me that I should pull out my phone and see if I could capture any audio. The video below was all I got:
I suppose that I will someday find out the answer to this mystery -- perhaps someone will listen to this audio recording and laugh, it being obvious to them what is making that sound. But for the time being, the unknown is a little unsettling.
I was rummaging around in one of my desk drawers today and found some Halloween stickers that I totally forgot about. Some I've had for a long time and can't even remember where I bought them initially! Check out some of these gems:
These two designs are both by the same manufacturer and I probably
acquired them around the same time (though I have no idea when). They're made of a hard rigid plastic
and thicker than your average sticker. No date on these, and the
website listed on the back is a dead end.
Next up: These jacko stickers by Hallmark. If I had to guess, I'd say I got these sometime in the mid to late 90s, judging from the price tag on the back. The Big Party! was a chain established in New England around 1995 and filed for bankruptcy about 5 years later, and was bought out by another chain called iParty, which was eventually consumed by Party City.
Check out that massive discounted price, too, woooooo
Next up: These great glittery foil ones by American Greetings, and altho I don't see a date on them or any other clues to their age, I don't think they are very old. I probably got these at a Target.
Next: These fantastically illustrated jackos by a company called Tattoo King. It's a little hard to see from the scan, but these have a light dusting of iridescent glitter accenting the design. The back bar code sticker says these were made in 2018, so another recently purchase. I can't remember where I got these, but I'm glad I did.
Next: This set of truly vintage stickers - printed around 1984, with a design nod to even older vintage Halloween aesthetics. These are fantastic and I love these illustrations. Classic Halloween in every sense.
These were made by the B. Shackman Company, which according to their (inactive) Facebook page was established in 1898:
"Manufacturer and wholesaler of vintage-inspired European- and American-made fine paper goods. Established in 1898.
Since
1898 B. Shackman Company has been manufacturing and importing unique
gift items. Many remember our famous store in lower Manhattan in New
York City.
Now
we primarily supply our items at wholesale for other stores and gift
shops to stock, but you can also buy our wonderful products direct
online around the world! Please contact us for information on how to get
your Shackman products."
Sadly, their website is a dead end and they haven't posted on Facebook since January 2018.
As you might know, I am a huge Kringle Candle fan, especially around Halloween time. They just announced their pre-order is happening on 1st August (just in time for Lughnasadh, an ancient Irish festival marking the beginning of the harvest season). I didn't buy any of these ones last season but I think I will this time around!
New/Different: According to the Kringle website, in 2021 there will be 16 different candles! In 2020, there were only 10 (if I recall correctly). The selection seems to be some repeats from last year, plus new ones. There are some scents returning, although some of those classics are being described as new & improved formulas. I've added descriptions from their Instagram site where available. This post will be updated as Kringle posts more info.
The scents this year include:
[* New Scent for 2021! / ** New scent formula]
Poison Apple - One whiff of this enticing scent will transport you to a dreamlike state.
Top: Apple, Bergamot
Mid: Apple Blossom, Muguet, Jasmine
Base: Amber, Vanilla, Oud Wood
Lady In White - * All dressed in white, a flicker of light deep in the night, the Lady in
White. A pungent but lovely blend of forest greens, woody herbs &
patchouli.
Top: Forest greens, Earth
Mid: Herbal, Ozone
Bottom: Patchouli, Wood
Graveyard Night - We’ve conjured a mixture of savory & sizzling aromas of pumpkin with cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. It's a flaming favorite! Top: Pumpkin, Apple, Clove; Mid: Vanilla Pumpkin, Orange; Base: Spice, Vanilla Cream
Witches Cauldron -Primary notes of clove and cedar dance mysteriously with
hints of incense, citrus and other exotics to create this utterly
bewitching fragrance. Top: Cedar, Clove; Mid: Incense; Base: Incense
Sleepy Hollow - * Don’t lose your head over Halloween, betwixt in the twilight of pumpkin & spices, musk & smoke…
Top: Pumpkin, Spices, Anise Star
Mid: Clove, Cinnamon, Caramel, Bayberry
Bottom: Sweet Smoke
Spectre - * Someone there? A waft of this mostly ghostly scent captivates.
Top: Bergamot, Red Currant, Fig Leaves
Mid: Waterlily, Gardenia, Pomegranate Seeds
Bottom: Must, Warm Amber, Galbanum
Wolf's Bane - While folklore suggests this unassuming yellow woodland
flower might repel werewolves, we're sure its delightful floral
fragrance will have you happily howling at the moon! Top: Floral; Mid: Amber; Base: Powder
Fright Night - Fiendishly delightful citrus notes swirl intriguingly
with rare wood accords to create a fragrance that will drive you batty
with pleasure! Top: Fruit; Mid: Patchouli; Base: Citrus
Haunted House - This fragrance will haunt you with warm clove, fresh pine and touches of spice and floral spookily brought together. Top: Smokey Firewood, Cedar; Mid: Black Pepper, Sweet-Spicy Pomander
Day of the Dead - A magical elixir of sparkling citrus mingles with spiced florals and rich oriental accords.
Top: Citrus
Mid: Florals
Base: Oriental, Wood, Jasmine
Blood Moon* - A combination of super fruits within a shadow of earthy notes, our Blood Moon fragrance is total lunar magic.
Top: Vibrant Cassis, Tamarind Pulp, Cedar, Bergamot Extract
Mid: Pomegranate Seed, Blood Orange, Cassis, Clove
Bottom: Incense, Acai Berry, Orange Blossom, Wild Ivy
Nightmare - * A nightmarish combination of herbals & florals or is it just a dream? You decide.
Top: Cardamom, Green Palms
Mid: Lily of the Valley, Orris, Violet
Bottom: Musk, Cedarwood, Ambergris, Sandalwood
Scarecrow* - Welcoming this scarecrow into your house with open arms is a no-brainer.
Top: Tobacco, Oriental
Mid: Bergamot, Herbal
Bottom: Leather, Amber
Candy Corn - Who can ever pass by that dish of tri-colored Halloween candy? Nobody!
Here's our take on the classic creamy vanilla, honey and light spice
that bedevils every autumnal sweet tooth.
Top: Creamy Vanilla
Mid: Sweet Honey
Base: Light Spice
Black Cat - Good things happen when this cat crosses your path. A complex blend of wood, citrus and musk create a bright freshness.
Top: Spicy Cinnamon
Mid: Clove
Base: Cedar, Frankincense
(All info from Kringle Candle's official site & social media)
Teaser video below!
As with last year - This is not a paid promotion! I just love their stuff. 🎃
If you're new to reading my blog, you might not know that I also have an Instagram account. The 100 days countdown to Halloween began a few days ago, and I decided to participate in a daily-post challenge created by Instagram user @halloweenhappy - here is part 1 of the challenge!
Check
out my Instagram feed by clicking the collage below - and I'd love it if you'd
follow me if you've got an account. I tend to post stuff there that
doesn't make the blog here. I'm going to be posting a lot more frequently on here and Insta, now that the Halloween season is approaching!
I recently paid a visit to a strange and beautiful place just a little further south of Olympia, WA (the state capital) known as the Mima Mounds, ("MY-mah") a 600+ acre nature preserve with unusual features: an expanse of hilly mounds that are fairly equal in size, height, and distribution which formed thousands of years ago.
The weirdest part is that, despite extensive research nobody knows for sure exactly what created them/how they got there.
I first became intrigued with the Mima Mounds a few months ago when I watched a virtual video tour about them by Pretty Gritty Tours, a Tacoma, WA based local business that conducts historical and cultural walking tours of Tacoma and the surrounding area. Since the pandemic, the Pretty Gritty team has offered quite a number of engaging virtual tours to help keep themselves and their patrons occupied and entertained. The Mima Mounds video tour is a fascinating, in-depth look at the site, including the history and science surrounding them - I've linked it at the end of this post, and I highly recommend it.
But, as with most things, you can't really get a sense for what a place is like til you go there and experience it for yourself.
The first striking thing about this place is how quiet it is.
At least, it was the afternoon I visited.
Yes, that is to be expected in more rural parts, but anyone from western WA knows how hard it is to find true quiet anywhere near the I-5 corridor. I've been to lots of parks and nature areas of WA, and very rarely have I experienced peaceful silence like I found at the Mima Mounds.
We were also very fortunately to arrive on a beautiful day and at the ideal time, the mild golden hour before sunset. There was a slight breeze and the temperature was perfectly comfortable.
It's a surreal feeling to wander amongst the mounds, with only the birds for company. We saw only about 5 other human beings the entire time we were there (2 were leaving as we arrived, then a small group arrived after we did, but quickly went their own direction and out of sight/earshot).
It was surprising to find a beautiful park so empty, when most places like this are thronged with weekenders taking their evening strolls at this hour. It's almost eerie how quiet it was -- but in a comfortable way, not unsettling in the slightest.
Beautiful flowers and vegetation are plentiful here, and the tall golden grasses catch the sunlight and seem to glow. Meandering through here feels meditative, like walking a labyrinth. Old Earth magic resides here.
Notice the weird glitch in the above photo, it looks almost cut in half, and darker on the bottom - no idea how or why that happened.
You can learn more about the Mima Mounds by watching the Pretty Gritty Tours video below.
YouTube knows me well enough that it recommended this video today, and I have to say - I am seriously impressed with Home Depot'sanimatronic offerings for Halloween for 2021. Here are some of my favorites --
This guy is 12 ft tall!
Home Depot really seem to be stepping up their game, and honestly these ones rival Spirit Halloween's stuff, which I've found has been pretty ho-hum over the past couple years.
It looks like many of these are already back ordered! A lot of people are going to have pretty epic home haunts this year, I bet.
Maybe someday, when I'm not living in an apartment, I will too. A ghoul can dream...
If you combined The Lost Boys and In the Heights in a blender, the resulting smoothie might be something like Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020), which is currently on Netflix. This one didn't change my life or anything but it was fun as hell to watch. Check out the trailer below -
July 4th is over -- Orange and black stuff is starting to appear in craft stores and home decor shops. Spooky season has now begun! Here's a selection of tracks to accompany the sultry evenings where sweaty, creepy things go bump in the night.
If you'd prefer like a YouTube version of this list, it can be found below!
