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Corny Occasions

October is a busy month for us. So busy in fact that sleep and sanity are often sacrificed. However, we love Halloween too much to abandon all of our favorite seasonal activities in the name of party planning. Hence, this October we made sure we still got to experience some of the screams and silliness of our preferred holiday. Here’s a synopsis of those shrieks.

Devilish attire seemed appropriate for the Witches' Ball.
Devilish attire seemed appropriate for the Witches’ Ball.
A queen of evil or just your average fiend?
A queen of evil or just your average fiend?

Jason and I attended the Witches’ Ball at This Is The Place. It’s essentially just a costumed dance party but we had a lot of fun jiving in peculiar attire and plan on attending again next year.

There was a number of friendly owls at the Witches' Ball.
There was a number of friendly owls at the Witches’ Ball.

As has been our custom for a number of years, we spent on evening getting startled and lost at Cornbelly’s with a group of our buddies. This outing involved wandering through mazes of both the corny and the scary variety. Romping around in shadowy fields with friends and chainsaw guys is always amusing.

Cornbelly's brings out childish behavior and that's a good thing.
Cornbelly’s brings out childish behavior and that’s a good thing.

And who says aerobic exercise is only for the breathing? Jason and I, along with Jason’s dad Keith, ran the Night of the Running Dead this October. Are you livingly challenged? Do you crave a tasty brainiac on occasion or enjoy scurrying for your life? If your answer to any of those questions was yes then NOTRD just might be the race for you. Both humans and zombies may enter. The humans get a modest head start and then the trackside snacking begins. Jason and I, per our rotting flesh, ran with the zombies. That’s no bombshell but it may shock you to hear that Jason, Keith, and I all won first place in our respective age divisions. How did we manage? Some things are better left buried.

Jason and I took a break from our snack break to show off our newly acquired medals.
Jason and I took a break from our snack break to show off our newly acquired medals.

Jason and I also hit a couple of other Halloween hangouts. We toured the Haunted Village at This Is The Place and explored Evermore’s Pumpkin Fest. What did these hair-raising parks have to offer? At the Haunted Village you wander through the night from one tiny building to another. These structures, historic replicas, are effortlessly eerie but they leave much to the imagination…and my imagination has a big imagination. Evermore also has a different spin on spooky. Its ghostly landscape is very interactive and guests can go on quests through sinister graveyards and forsaken temples. I’d recommend checking both of these places out.

Evermore, along with its abundant haunts, had pumpkins aplenty.
Evermore, along with its abundant haunts, had pumpkins aplenty.

Every year, Jason and I look forward to our Halloween dinner. The two of us spend an evening preparing a meal full of fall shapes and flavors. This time those morsels were broccoli-cheese soup, cheese puffs disguised as pumpkins, and popcorn balls. All three of these recipes turned out great so we were more than happy eating their leftovers for days.

From broccoli-cheese soup served in pumpkins to cheese puffs dressed as pumpkins, our Halloween meal was squashed.
From broccoli-cheese soup served in pumpkins to cheese puffs dressed as pumpkins, our Halloween meal was squashed.
We made popcorn balls the old-fashioned way using our stovetop.
We made popcorn balls the old-fashioned way using our stovetop.

Decorating our house for our party wasn’t my only design task this October. The company I work for encourages each department to spruce up their area of the building for Halloween and gives them a small amount of cash to do so. I was nominated by my team to head up our bedecking. (Gee, I wonder why.) After much debate, we decided that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban would be our theme. I’m pretty proud of what we created on a little budget. House banners colored our ceilings. Dementors drifted above our stairs. Sirius Black posters, cleverly photoshopped with one of my teammates’ faces, covered our walls while hand-painted Patronuses protected them. A cauldron, jars of potion ingredients, wands, and the Marauder’s Map were at the ready, waiting for the magic to begin. I dressed as Hermione and even wore a Time-Turner. One of my coworkers, the poster child, came as Sirius Black.

I made sure chocolate frogs and bars were in ample supply to counteract the Dementors' effects.
I made sure chocolate frogs and bars were in ample supply to counteract the Dementors’ effects.
Leo the Lion, the mascot for the Real Salt Lake, showed up at our office as a Halloween treat.
Leo the Lion, the mascot for the Real Salt Lake, showed up at our office as a Halloween treat.

Speaking of decorating, Jason and I discovered recently that the kids in our neighborhood call our home “The Halloween House.” This name was bestowed upon it because, in the words of one child, we “always have the best decorations and the best candy.” I can never give out just one treat to each of the roughly 125 youngsters that come a knocking every year. So this time, instead of providing handfuls of snack size sweets to every kid, I offered full size candy bars and giant Pixy Stix. Surprisingly, the Pixy Stix were vastly more popular than the candy bars. According to a preliminary survey, this was because they contain a greater quantity of sugar. And who says kids don’t understand economics.

With only a $50 budget, we threw together house banners, flying Dementors, and a potion station.
With only a $50 budget, we threw together house banners, flying Dementors, and a potion station.
Most of this Patronus was my doing. My sketching skills are few so I'm pretty proud of this small accomplishment.
Most of this Patronus was my doing. My sketching skills are few so I’m pretty proud of this small accomplishment.

That brings me to the end of our seasonal adventures. We brewed, we screamed, we crawled through fields of corn. October was hectic but we still stopped to smell the rotting corpses.

Rachel November 22, 2014 No Comments
Family = Fun

Entertaining the Creeps

Halloween is a fantastic carnival of fear. Perhaps it’s fitting then that, for the last fifteen years, the approach of this holiday has inspired a certain mixture of dread and excitement in Jason and me. Yes, October means it’s Sabin party time and that means a lot of work. However, as tiring as it is to host, our Halloween gathering has become a diverting tradition for us and numerous of our acquaintances so it’s unlikely to ever fade into an apparition.

This year Jason and I dressed as Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. In a surprising plot twist, Jason didn't not get shot at the end of the night.
This year Jason and I dressed as Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. In a surprising plot twist, Jason did not get shot at the end of the night.

Our bash was well attended again this year. Nearly eighty friends and family members joined us for an evening of gruesome gaieties. We had all the standards: crafts, a piñata, a photo studio, piles of food, games, movies, Bingo, a costume contest…you know the drill.

I ideated and Jason built this swamp using Mylar, silk plants, and fallen leaves. We were pretty happy with out completed quagmire.
I ideated and Jason built this swamp using Mylar, silk plants, and fallen leaves. We were pretty happy with out completed quagmire.
I crafted a couple dozen of these adult goodie bags to distribute at our party.
I crafted a couple dozen of these adult goodie bags to distribute at our party.

The task of putting on this event was, as ever, a bit overwhelming but this time we did have a tad more help than we are accustomed to. Lee and Jacob came over one evening to give us some decorating assistance and Jacob, having not completely digested his creative juices yet, aided us a second night. That additional evening, he worked on a spooky scene in our basement for hours and was shocked at how little he accomplished in that time. Jason and I were not shocked. Such is the creeping pace of this inventive process. I’d guess that at least one guest at our shindig this year (probably one named Jacob) had some appreciation for the effort involved in our October enterprise.

Bart won first place in our costume contest with his Jareth likeness.
Bart won first place in our costume contest with his Jareth likeness.

And, wondrously, the help continued. During our party, a number of our visitors lent a hand with the children’s games. This assistance was crucial since Jason and I have yet to figure out how to be in four places at once.

A group of skeletons commandeered our front room.
A group of skeletons commandeered our front room.
I arranged for The Mouse Trap to feed our party with their artisan grilled cheese sandwiches.
I arranged for The Mouse Trap to feed our party with their artisan grilled-cheese sandwiches.

We also had some post-revelry relief. Andrew and Simone stayed after the other guests left to help pick up the cup corpses and disemboweled food strewn about our house. Thank you!

Brett and Lauren were off to see the Wizard.
Brett and Lauren were off to see the Wizard.
Cozy or creepy?
Cozy or creepy?

Even after those labors, our house was still goopier than Slimer on a lunch break. For instance, our kitchen looked like a ripper scene from an M&M’s horror picture. The floor had to be swept and mopped three times in order to properly inter the chocolate and potato chip remains smeared about. But I think the cleanup is under control now…just hours and hours of de-decorating to go and we will have all of our skeletons put away in their proper closets.

Jenn made malevolence look chic.
Jenn made malevolence look chic.
Foul bottles, glowing specimens, and eerie candles helped transmute our front room into a mad lab.
Foul bottles, glowing specimens, and eerie candles helped transmute our front room into a mad lab.

Our Halloween party doesn’t come about easily. It seems like perpetual preparations are required to pull it off smoothly. Could we scale back? Yes, but anything worth doing is worth doing perfect. Just ask me.

Elise and Emmit made a darling princess and frog pair.
Elise and Emmit made a darling princess and frog pair.
Need a hand with your food? Don't worry, there are plenty to go around.
Need a hand with your food? Don’t worry, there are plenty to go around.

Many thanks to our various helpers. You were instrumental in staving off “the institute” for another year. And thanks to everyone that joined us for our annual tribute to the terrifying. Minus you, we’d be crazy without cause.

Rachel November 12, 2014 1 Comment

The Family Stone Part II: Other Spouters and Splashers

The next day, we all jumped in our respective vehicles, forming a caravan of familial trippers, to journey around the park. We saw everything from a dragon’s maw to an acid lake during that gradual loop through Yellowstone. The following is an account of our round.

Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, was difficult to see under its shroud of steam but the intense bacterial mats surrounding it were hard to miss.
Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, was difficult to see under its shroud of steam but the intense bacterial mats surrounding it were hard to miss.

We began by heading east from Old Faithful, toward Fishing Bridge. At Fishing Bridge we paused for an extended time to allow for multiple unsynchronized potty-stops and to purchase extra layers of clothing. Why the extra layers you ask? Yellowstone was cold! Although it was August, the temperatures never rose above 50 F and they definitely drifted a lot lower. Most of us were not prepared for this unseasonal preposterousness and the omnipresent rain didn’t help our readiness.

It was neat to have a group of family members traveling with us.
It was neat to have a group of family members traveling with us.

However, the disagreeable weather didn’t stop our convoy from continuing north to the Mud Volcano area. The Mud Volcano region is stranger than fantasy. There you will see hillsides cooked by steam, lakes as acidic as stomach juices, and seething masses of ashen mud. Your nose will constantly be assaulted by the pungent aroma of hydrogen sulfide gas, something akin to a rotten egg reek. Yes, it’s a putrid, bizarre, and magical place.

Lower Falls is twice the height of Niagara Falls. It roars 308 feet down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Lower Falls is twice the height of Niagara Falls. It roars 308 feet down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

After Mud Volcano, we stopped for a picnic at Otter Creek. Our table was situated in a lovely spot near the Yellowstone River but the chilliness encouraged our eating to proceed rather speedily.

Acid-loving thermophiles have transformed the runoff from Pinwheel and Whirligig Geysers into these streams of green.
Acid-loving thermophiles have transformed the runoff from Pinwheel and Whirligig Geysers into these streams of green.

Following our quickly-consumed meal, we checked out the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point. Lower Falls plummets 308 feet into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Between the emerald tint of the gushing water and the red hues of the rusting canyon, this chasm is definitely a keeper.

Vixen Geyser, so named because of its temperamental disposition, erupts for seconds to nearly an hour at internals that range from minutes to hours.
Vixen Geyser, so named because of its temperamental disposition, erupts for seconds to nearly an hour at internals that range from minutes to hours.

The majesty of the falls persuaded most of the members of our group to seek a better look via Uncle Tom’s Trail, which leads to an unparalleled view of the waterworks from 500 feet down into the canyon. Uncle Tom’s Trail is not recommended for those with heart, lung, or other health conditions…or little brothers with acrophobia. This short but strenuous route travels over 300 stairs made of perforated steel sheeting, AKA holey metal, which means that you remain quite aware of the extreme drop-offs beyond your feet as you descend it. Drew was not thrilled about the vertical vertigo produced by Uncle Tom’s but he managed to make it to its terminus with some motivational chiding from his child.

Porcelain Springs in Norris Geyser Basin is colored by silica.
Porcelain Springs in Norris Geyser Basin is colored by silica.
We spotted this elk near the road.
We spotted this elk near the road.

Our last stop on the way back to Old Faithful was Norris Geyser Basin. This utterly wacky region was mesmerizing. Norris is one of Yellowstone’s most acidic and fieriest stretches. The water in many of its hot springs maintains temperatures above the boiling point and its colliding colors are nearly as extreme. We lucked out and saw Constant and Vixen Geysers shooting their stream as we wandered past them but even without those interesting bursts Norris would have been a rare treat.

Vibrant groundcover paints Biscuit Basin as well.
Vibrant groundcover paints Biscuit Basin as well.

The next morning, before Jason and I headed back to Utah, we toured the Black Sand, Biscuit, and Fountain Paint Pot areas. We were still eager to discover more of Yellowstone’s spurted secrets. We saw Fountain, Clepsydra, Cliff, and Spouter Geysers explode but Black Sand Pool was probably the most interesting feature we encountered that a.m. The natural plumbing feeding Black Sand Pool periodically shudders and groans like strained pipes before it shoots a wave of bubbles to the surface of the pool. The ground literally shakes beneath your feet. We weren’t expecting this and it was pretty dang cool.

The Fountain Paint Pot is a peculiar area in the Lower Geyser Basin where acidic waters have dissolved stone and created pools of bubbling sludge.
The Fountain Paint Pot is a peculiar area in the Lower Geyser Basin where acidic waters have dissolved stone and created pools of bubbling sludge.

Yellowstone’s bubbling springs, blasting geysers, and polychromatic streams are incredible and beautiful. It’s easy to see why it’s one of the most visited national parks. Got some family and/or some time? I’d recommend checking it out.

Rachel October 19, 2014 No Comments
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