Halloween Spirit in Alameda

The Haunted Mansion
Detail photo of one of my Halloween shadow boxes

HALLOWEEN is my favorite time of the year! The scents of autumn float in the air with that marvelous combination of crispness and woodsmoke and best of all, houses around the neighborhood transform, sometimes over night, into witch's dens, vampire enclaves and haunted graveyards. 

Here in Alameda we're especially fortunate.  The Halloween spirit runs strong. Houses all over town don cobwebs and moody lights in preparation for the onslaught on Halloween night, when hundreds of children from around the Bay Area flood the streets in search of candy and a good scare. 

Below are some photos from this year's crop of neighborhood spooks and specters.

 And in the case of my neighbor just a few doors down, every Halloween is a chance to outdo himself with an even more unique and magical frontyard installation than he created the year before. He’s done everything from a mad scientist’s lab to death in the old West to a carnival of the insane and Halloween under the sea. This year, he’s taking us on a rocket ship to a haunted alien planet.