Vampires, Ghosts & Thieves

Some of the people in this photo I'm either related to, married to, 

or adore like crazy. I leave it to you to figure it out who's who.

Well, what can I say? Another party, another disguise, another reason to dress up, or at least in my case, make a tiny effort, thanks to a leftover gold mask (finder's keepers!) that I managed to keep on my aging punim for 10 minutes, a personal record. Let's face it, when my brother John throws a Halloween Bash, aka VamPirates Ahoy, you know it's going to be more fun than you should be allowed in one lifetime. So you get in the car, you go, and you scream a lot in between hysterical laughter.

Plus, John invites the most interesting guests, like this headless guy here. "I'm so glad you made a new friend," I said. "Ahoy, matey," John said, "get ya, goin', you're holding up the tour."

Here's Lucky the Pirate, getting into character. The dog has quite a left hook. Get it? 

I mean, come on, are Scotty and Meg the cutest (and possibly the only) VamPirates you've ever encountered? The correct answer is yes. 

Oh dear God, what sort of fresh hell lurks within this haunted shower? Don't ask. It's the stuff of nightmares, I tell ya. 

This spooky/foggy shot comes to you courtesy of someone's very old iPhone. No names mentioned. Hint: It belongs to my brother. But isn't it worth it just to see Char, my adorable, always-up-for-a-party mother-in-law? Not to mention my cuzzy Andy and Lucas, his doctor-in-training son? Also featured as an added bonus: the unmasked SJG and a scary pirate with fangs. You're so welcome. 

Hmm. John did his best to block us from leaving. "You're not going." "We're going." "I'll bite you." "You better not." "Boo!" he said, and leaned in. I made a run for it. And so ends another great early Halloween. Same time, next year (assuming we're invited).