Halloween Night in Salem
Inside Cilantro, we watched the day turn into night and the streets of Salem fill with thousands of people. With a couple of good drinks in us, we headed out.
I think what makes this celebration of Halloween great is the people. There were no multi-million dollar companies flashing their gear, just regular people in some fantastic costumes. For the night, they were the stars of the show.
I ran into many people who made their costumes completely from scratch. Two guys really amazed me. They made their own Ghostbuster Proton Packs! These things were made from metal and had fully working lights and LEDs. They even made a working ghost trap.
Strange costumes were the norm. I heard someone honking an old bicycle horn. Then I see this killer clown riding a tricycle through the crowd covered in blood with a giant knife!
There were many people dressed as some of the all time classic horror heroes. I was lucky enough to run into Pinhead, one of my favorite horror movie characters. Others I saw were Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and the Frankenstein Monster.
Of course Halloween isn’t just about scary characters. I also saw two guys dressed up as Jay and Silent Bob. Just like most everyone else in full costume, they acted the part. Others I saw were the Family Guy, Chewbacca, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, and a dog as Piglet.
In addition to the thousands of people dressed up, there were all sorts of vendors and booths set up. There was even one where you could get custom fangs!
I also saw many street performers. One guy in particular was really amazing. As part of his act he seemed to fly as he did a flip over five girls and somehow landed on his feet!
I saw two guys dressed up as scarecrows just standing in the middle of one of the main streets in Salem. They would stand so still for so long. Many people thought they were statues and would stop to get a closer look. Then they would scream and run after an unsuspecting victim!
Why are clowns so creepy? This guy was wondering around shooting people at random!
You really had to pay attention and look around. There were so many creepy characters hiding in random places, standing still ready to scare people passing by. I found Leatherface in a doorway.
If you have never been to Salem, Massachusetts for Halloween, you have to add this to your list of places to see. We are definitely going back!!!
Halloween Day in Salem
We got an earlier start to the day. For breakfast, we went to a place called Red’s Sandwich Shop. They have been voted the best breakfast joint in Salem for the past 19 years!!! I don’t know of any other restaurant with that kind of reputation. After ordering, our breakfast was served to us by the friendly wait staff in less than ten minutes. My coffee never wen below half a cup without being refilled. The breakfast was perfect and inexpensive. A great way to begin the day.
Following the recommendation of our waitress from last night’s dinner, we started our sight seeing tour of Salem with the House of the Seven Gables. We took a 30 minute guided tour of the historic house. It was built in 1668 and is the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansion in the New England area. Each new room we entered was overflowing with history. It was interesting to see the little things that meant you had a lot of money like the height of the ceilings or wide wood just under 24 inches to avoid being sent to England. I couldn’t believe how they used to cook back then. The kettle alone without water could way as much as 25 pounds and hung over the fireplace!
Right across the street from the House of the Seven Gables was a little candy shop called Ye Olde Pepper Companie. It’s America’s oldest candy company dating back to 1806. They were even featured on the Food Network. They still make Salem Gibralters. They were the first commercially made candies in America. I picked up a few of these and some Black Jacks. The story goes that a woman by the name of Spencer was shipwrecked and landed in Salem. Her and her son did their best to survive. When neighbors learned that she knew how to make candy, they all got together and bought her a barrel of sugar. With this, she made the “Salem Gibraltar” which was carried around the world by sea captains and their crews. She first sold her candies on the steps of the First Church. They eventually become so popular that she purchased a horse and wagon to travel to neighboring towns. This was the inspiration for their logo. Today, the horse and wagon are on display in the Peabody Essex Museum.
We worked our way through the city, occasionally stopping in and checking out many of the local shops along the way. One of the places we went to was called Crow Haven Corner. Being Halloween, we decided to each get a reading. Jennifer got a Tarot Card reading and I went with a reading from an astrologer. My astrologer’s name was Angela. She has been practicing astrology for over 30 years. Whether any of it is true or not, the reading was very accurate. I told her only my name and birthday and was very careful not to mention anything else during the reading. She did the rest and pointed out some very specific details of my life in the coming year. Towards the end, she asked if there was anyone else I wanted to know about. I gave her my sister’s and my mother’s birthdays. Again, she was extremely accurate especially with my sister which ended with some really great news.
The Salem Witch Museum was our next tourist destination. This place has won many awards and is a must see to understand the history of the Salem Witch Trials. I really enjoyed the main presentation on the trials, but the following presentation called “Witches: An Evolving Perception” was a great way to end the tour. It really explains the different meanings of the words witch and witchcraft according to various beliefs such as Paganism, Wicca, and the classic Hollywood image.
Our next stop was the Witch House, sometimes called the Corwin House, which was built somewhere between 1642 and 1675. This was the home of Judge Jonathon Corwin. He was called upon to investigate the claims of witchcraft and served on the Court of Oyer and Terminer which ultimately sent nineteen to the gallows.
Our room at the Salem Inn was just one block away from the Witch House. So we dropped off all the gifts and souvenirs we acquired and readied ourselves for the night to come. We were walking by a placed called Cilantro when I spotted some Laphroaig and Balvenie through the window. We ended up talking to a man named JC for about half an hour. He turned out to be the owner. He started out in the computer software business and is now a successful restaurant owner with his wife acting as executive chef. There were many parallels between us. He was a motivated guy and whether he knows it or not, he really inspired us to keep reaching for our goals.
Night Before Halloween in Salem
It was late afternoon when we arrived in Salem, Massachusetts. The drive was very easy, it took us a little over three hours to get there. We decided to stay at the Salem Inn. The Inn is actually three different houses located in the heart of Salem. We stayed at the Curwen House. They even had complimentary Port Wine waiting for you! If your visiting Salem for Halloween, staying at a place downtown within walking distance is an absolute must.
After we settled into our room, we decided to walk around the town. One of the first places we explored was the Burying Point Cemetery. It is the oldest cemetery in Salem and is located in the center of the city. Some of the headstones date back to the early 1700s. The best way to experience it is at night!
After checking out a few of the vendors and shops, we were ready for some food. We decided to eat somewhere that had the word witch in the name. We found a small place called the Witch’s Brew Cafe. The choice for dinner was easy. We both decided to have the Witch’s Steak dinner.
Just like everyone else we met in Salem, our waitress was very friendly. She gave us some great advice on some places to see on Halloween day. We also asked her if there were any local bars that she would recommend. She mentioned a place called Rockafellas. It was a short walk from the restaurant. Inside, we enjoyed a couple of drinks while listening to some great covers of classic songs by a band called the Lisa Love Experience. This band really knew how to get people out on the dance floor. The majority of the people here were in costumes. They had a costume contest towards the end of their set where three people dressed up as rock, paper, and scissor won.
After talking to Lisa for a bit, we decided to head back to the Inn around midnight. We knew we would need to be well rested for tomorrow’s Halloween festivities.
Get Your Pumpkins
Halloween is right around the corner! So if you haven’t gotten your pumpkins yet, better get them soon. Sunnyside Gardens in Saratoga Springs still had a pretty good selection left. They never seem to run out. I am going to carve some wicked Jack O’Lanterns this weekend, so I bought a few of the standard orange pumpkins. We also picked up a few Sweet Dumpling Squash. They make great decorations and can double as sweet treat when baked with some brown sugar.
Sunnyside Gardens still had some of the Long Island Cheese Pumpkins left. There are many people who say this is the best type of pumpkin to use for making pumpkin pie. The flesh is dense, smoothed grained and high in nutrients and sugars. I never had a pie made with a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, so we bought a large one so Jennifer could bake acouple pies. The seeds for these pumpkins are available from the Long Island Seed Project.
I realized a couple of days ago that I don’t have many pictures of myself on the blog. So here is one Jennifer snapped while I was loading the pumpkins.
Shadow at Sunset
This is “Shadow”, an American Straffordshire Terrier. He lives with Ray and Diana Pashoukos at the Double D Farm.
Flag Football
My section at work has a flag football team. They were playing this afternoon so I stopped by to take a few photos.
Pick Your Own Apples At Bowman Orchards
We spent the afternoon at Bowman Orchards. It is located a few minutes south of Saratoga Springs. Just take I-87 to exit 8A. This place is huge. It’s almost overwhelming.There are over 46 varieties of apples being grown. There were many I have never heard of before. In addition to apples, they also grow strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, and pumpkins.
Once you get there, stay in your car and follow the signs to the orchard. You will go up a small hill and arrive at a stand. Someone will greet you and give you a map of the orchard. If you need bags, get them here for 25 cents a piece.
We drove around the orchard stopping at every new section we encountered. They mark the apple trees with ribbons. Each ribbon is uniquely colored and corresponds to a different apple variety. This made them really easy to spot. I sampled well over a dozen types I have never had before. We ended up getting some Northern Spy, Empire, Radiant Runkle, and Mutsu(Crispin) apples. Jennifer chose the Northern Spy apples because of how well they keep during the winter. I picked a few of the Radiant Runkle apples because of their unique flavor and name. My Uncle really likes using the Mustu for sauce so we both decided to try these out, and we couldn’t leave the orchard without getting a few of the classic Empire apples. We ended up with nearly 30 pounds of apples and the total was just under $20!
After paying on the way out of the orchard, we parked the car and visited the gift shop and bakery. Then we went out to see some of the animals. They have horses, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Be sure to bring a few quarters for the cracked corn dispencers so you can feed them.
Fishing On A Summer Afternoon
This was taken at my mother’s place earlier this year. Here is Robert showing off his fishing skills on a beautiful Summer afternoon.
Elijah Craig 12 Year Old
It’s hard to find a better deal on Kentucky Bourbon than this. Elijah Craig 12 Year Old was rated 93 by the Beverage Testing Institute and costs just $17.99 US a bottle! It is named after Reverend Elijah Craig who was a Baptist preacher from Kentucky and is widely considered the “Father of Bourbon”. He discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he aged his corn whiskey in charred oak barrels back in the late 1700’s.
It is made by the Heaven Hill Distillery. This distillery was founded in 1935 after the repeal of prohibition. It is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned producer and marketer of distilled spirits products. Based in Bardstown, Kentucky, it is the second largest holder of Bourbon whiskey in the world.
From the Beverage Tasting Institute : “Deep copper color. Toasted banana nut bread nose with an acetone
edge. A round dry entry leads to a medium-bodied palate with layers of
sweet maple, charred oak staves, forest underbrush, toffee, and birch
beer. Lingering and evolving dry wood-driven finish with a touch of
sweetness and spiciness. A dash of water opens this over-proof product
up, reduces the oak, and adds further dimension. A very nice, dry,
cigar bourbon.“
Rated 93 by the Beverage Testing Institute.
Project FeederWatch
Project FeederWatch is a winter long survey of birds that visit feeders throughout North America. It began in the 1970’s as the Ontario Feeder Bird Survey. In 1987, the project expanded into an international survey managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. Today, it is a cooperative research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada, the National Audubon Society, and the Canadian Nature Federation.
The main goal of Project FeederWatch is to marry the interests of backyard birdwatchers with those of ornithologists who study bird populations. By making simple standardized counts of the birds in their yards and reporting them to the FeederWatch database, FeederWatchers help scientists track broad scale movements of winter bird populations and long term trends in bird distribution and abundance.
Anyone with a feeder and a small knowledge of birds can participate. Just sign up on their website and for a cost of just $15 you will receive a handbook, tally sheets, a calendar and a subscription to their newsletter. Just a couple of hours on two consecutive days once every two weeks is all it takes to count. It’s a great way to spend the morning with a cup of coffee or the afternoon with some tea. The project runs from November to early April.
