Trick or treat

We headed off to Rosedale right on dusk. It was the first time I had ridden the subway with zombies, cat in the hat, tin man, bleeding, stabbed people, high camp gorgeous frocked men and cool looking witches. They were all going about their day in the most normal fashion. People  dressed in boring clothes like us stood out. I will admit to a few moments when I did look at someone and thought is this Halloween or just edgy street wear. There was a woman in the subway who gave us directions with the most fantastic super glued blue eyelashes, but wasn’t sure whether this was her normal look. I don’t, however, think that the tin man goes to work dressed like that with a brief case every day, but then, I could be wrong. Rosedale, is one of Toronto’s most expensive residential areas. Amazingly gorgeous mansions with the most fantastic decorations. Apparently Halloween is the only time that you can legitimately stare through people’s front windows and take photos of children without being arrested. That is exactly what we did. I think the suggestion of Rosedale was a great one. In most areas we had been we had seen an odd mouldy looking pumpkin or a ghoulish creature on a door. Here it was full on, larger than life animated headless horseman, spiders bigger than a house and spooky looking arches across doorways where small, wonderfully dressed kids had to pass massive skulls and amputated hands all over a lawn to bang on a respectable door yelling trick or treat. We are here looking at models of community participation and Halloween was one of the best examples we have seen. Although I am a total Halloween cynic, it was fantastic. There were bumble bee babies being carried by witches and if you were big enough to toddle in your fairy costume, you had a great swag over your shoulder for your bounty.