Halloween

In a surprising development our neighborhood was very active for Halloween. It's not a large neighborhood so I didn't expect much, and (as usual) wasn't exited about it. But when I turned into the addition from work at 6:40 there were cars everywhere, lining the streets, and parked in common areas.

Huh? I mean, where did all these cars come from? Is there some tradition here that people get their cars out of their garages for the night?

When I arrived home Liane confirmed that it had been very busy, and even though the trick-or-treating was to last another 90 minutes she was already concerned whether we had enough candy to last. And she bought more than usual.

A near constant stream coming and going.

Note the makeshift parking lot at the corner.
Cars were parked lining the streets near the front of the addition.

Ultimately we think we figured it out. We live in a rural area. Columbia City is nearby, but if you live west of us ours is the first real neighborhood you come upon when driving towards town. It never occurred to me before, but the house-to-house routine of the event isn't really feasible if you live out in the corn somewhere. So I think everyone drives their kids into a nearby neighborhood and lets them have at it. Fascinating.

And, I don't know really, but given that our neighborhood is relatively nice we may get more than normal. Parents may perceive it as more safe, or possibly they or their kids reckon they'll milk the "rich folks" and get better stuff. I have no idea really, but there sure were a lot of kids. It was fun, though I felt bad for how lame our decorations were. We even realized half way in that only one or our total of four lights on the front of the house was working. That's how distracted we've been with everything else.

Next year, I will be ready. This inspired me to do a little extra in the future.