Toy Introductions Day 31: A Treat and a Trick

The Bird and The Bee . . .

Yesterday, while we were outside doing . . . well, we all know what dogs do outside, our human mommy was inside preparing the most amazing treat for us: every single one of our toys piled on our favorite bed. You probably recognize most of these toys, but there are a few that we didn’t get to introduce over the last month. So many toys, so few days. Of course, Puppy and Allie Gator were watching over the scene.

You can imagine the frenzy that ensued when we came back inside, turned the corner, and saw what could only be described as puppy dog paradise. (We interrupt this blog post to bring you an apology from our blogging assistant/photographer/Mommy: Please excuse the blurry images of Tallulah and Birdie from this point on. There was quite a bit of action occurring, and my photography skills need work. The photos you’re not seeing were even worse.)

We cannot thank you enough for joining us on this toy introduction journey. We’ve enjoyed more than we can say sharing all (well, almost all) of our toys and the precious memories attached to so many of them. We are thrilled that we’ve been able to free so many toys from the Land of Forbidden Toys, and we promise to do our very, very best not to send them to Squeaky Toy Hospital too quickly. This last month has been a real treat for us, and we hope it’s been a treat for you too.

And now about that trick. Every dog everywhere knows what today is. The day we all dread. The day the humans think it’s so much fun to see us in costumes, or with silly things on our heads, or being startled by creepy decorations. Yep, it’s Halloween, so here are our obligatory costume pics. These costumes were both worn previously by Harper Lee. We always suspected it but now we are sure: Harper Lee was a saint. We hope that your Halloween is filled with more treats than tricks. . . and if you have to wear a costume, we hope it fits better than these little numbers. Happy Halloween!

A note from Tallulah Bee and Birdie Blue’s mommy: Thank you for joining us for the daily toy introductions. We have a few tweaks planned for the blog, tweaks that will give Tallulah and Birdie more of a voice and presence but also continue to honor Harper Lee’s legacy. We won’t post daily (that was a lot), but we will have regular posts and regular categories of posts.

And speaking of the daily posts, many, many thanks to everyone who read daily and extra thanks to those of you who commented along the way. It was very special to reconnect with so many friends who followed Harper Lee’s adventures and to meet so many new friends throughout the month.

See you soon!

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Toy Introductions Day 20: Casper

Tallulah’s Turn . . .

Are things getting a little spooky where you live? Birdie and I are seeing lots of scary things on our walks lately: bats, witches, zombies, creepy pumpkin heads. Rex Skeleton has made his annual appearance at our courtyard table. He joins us for the month of October and sips on his beer day and night. He spends the rest of the year in a closet upstairs. So, yes, my humans do have at least one skeleton in their closet.

And this is Casper. Before you say, “What a basic name for a ghost toy. You couldn’t think of something more creative?” let me ask one question. What would you have named him? There are lots and lots of famous ghosts in history, literature, and movies, but only one friendly ghost–Casper. Look at the smile on this little guy’s face. He’s obviously friendly. Like most ghosts, he’s very quiet. (I resisted the urge to write, “He doesn’t say boo.” Haha. Get it?) He used to have some crinkly innards that ran the length of his body. Unfortunately, he went into the washing machine before a gaping rip on his side was repaired and his crinkly innards came out in the washer and disintegrated. At some point, someone also destroyed the squeaker in his head. Why are you looking at me? But Birdie and I sort of like the hauntingly silent type, so we’re happy to have Casper around to celebrate another Halloween with us.


October Photo Challenge Day 31: HALLOWEEN

On this the final day of my October Photo Challenge, Tallulah Bee and I wish you a very Happy HALLOWEEN! We hope it’s been absolutely BEE–utiful. And I thank you so very much for joining me through this month of photo challenges. I buzzed with excitement from Day 1 to Day 31, and I hope you did too. It was so much fun sharing a few of my tricks and hopefully a treat or two with you. Cheers!

The end! 😉


October Photo Challenge Day 30: HALLOWEEN THROWBACK

Why oh why did some human include HALLOWEEN THROWBACK in the October Photo Challenge? This one goes way back to 2013 when I met our little trick-or-treaters dressed as a hula girl. Despite my complete humiliation–and my inability to fill out that top–I somehow managed to strike a dignified pose. Tomorrow I’ll be attending a Halloween party at Children’s Hospital New Orleans . . . and Mommy says that I’ll be reprising my role as a hula girl. Only those sweet children at the hospital could get me back into this costume!

Tomorrow is the final day in my October Photo Challenge. Any guesses what Tallulah and I are going to be for Halloween 2017? You’ll find out tomorrow. 🙂


October Photo Challenge Day 25: SELFIE

Last night, Tallulah and I accompanied our humans on a little stroll to see Ghost Manor. Let me take just a moment to state the obvious: My family really, really needs to step up its SELFIE game. Can you believe that we took literally dozens of selfies and this is the best we have to offer? This selfie is, as the kids would say, definitely not on fleek. But it got just a little embarrassing to continue the attempts as the crowds milled about, so this is what you get. Selfie failure aside, Ghost Manor at night was even better than I’d imagined when we visited a couple of weeks ago in the daytime. (Click here to refresh your memory.) The skeleton quartet serenaded us from the porch. A beautiful lady danced in an upstairs room . . . before she was consumed by flames. And all the while giant eyeballs peered down on us from above. Creepy!

OK, friends, we really need your help. What are your best secrets to capturing the perfect selfie?


October Photo Challenge Day 23: DRINK

Tallulah and I have joined our human mommy in the courtyard for a DRINK and some treats. Tallulah, who lacks taste and sophistication due to her youth, is going for the treat. I, on the other hand, am older and wiser so I go for the wine . . . even though I never actually get to have it. 😦 Mommy says wine can fix a Monday, so I hope it’s happy hour wherever you may be. Cheers!

How was your Monday? Did it require a happy hour? 😉


October Photo Challenge Day 17: DRAWING

Check out my Halloween DRAWING. Wait . . . you thought just because I don’t have opposable thumbs I wouldn’t be able to complete today’s October Photo Challenge? Oh ye of little faith. 😉

Boo! 🙂

 


October Photo Challenge Day 12: DECORATIONS!

On Day 12 of the October Photo Challenge, it’s time for some Halloween DECORATIONS! Welcome to Ghost Manor, by far the most spooktacular house in my neighborhood. I did my photo shoot in the daytime because, quite frankly friends, Ghost Manor at night is just way too scary for this Golden girl. Ghosts fly from window to window. I can only imagine that they’re trying to escape . . . and I don’t want to be standing on the sidewalk if they get out. When the ghosts disappear to wherever they go, the skeletons start waltzing to and fro. And then dripping blood blocks the view. Time to turn your attention to the fog that fills the graveyard below . . . and hope no one pops out of the ground. If you’re feeling really brave, click here for a tiny nighttime glimpse.

Not scared yet? Really? Check out Ghost Manor on social media . . . and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

How many humans out there decorate for Halloween? And to all my fellow dog friends, do you get just a little spooked by creepy decorations on your daily walks? It’s ok to admit it. We’re all friends here. 😉

 

 


October Photo Challenge Day 9: HORROR FILM

What’s better than going to see a HORROR FILM? Going to see a horror film at a vintage single-screen movie theatre with an actual organ. Later this month my neighborhood movie house the Prytania Theatre, which is 103 years old, is showing two cult classics . . . at midnight, no less: the original 1978 Halloween, the story of Michael Myers who murders his sister on Halloween night in 1963 and then 15 years later escapes from a mental hospital and returns to his hometown to kill again (eeks!) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show will include a live shadow cast and the option to buy a prop kit with your ticket, just incase you’ve misplaced all your props from when you used to see Brad and Janet and Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Rocky every weekend 40-or-so years ago. From what I understand, dogs aren’t allowed at the Prytania. That’s fine with me. Midnight is waaaaay past my bedtime.

Do you have a favorite horror film or a favorite place to go the movies?

 


Haunted New Orleans: The Sultan’s Palace

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On the previous stop of our New Orleans haunted places tour, we met a couple of friendly ghosts just keeping an eye on things at Arnaud’s Restaurant. Well today, friends, the tour gets spookier . . . a lot spookier. That building behind me is the Gardette-LaPrete House, also known as the Sultan’s Palace. Originally built in 1836 in the Greek Revival style, the structure was purchased in 1839 by John Baptiste LaPrete, a wealthy plantation owner who planned to use the French Quarter residence as a town home. LaPrete made the lacy wrought-iron additions to the building and sought a renter to occupy the home when he wasn’t using it.  And that’s where our story takes a decidedly macabre turn.

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A young man from Turkey, said to be a sultan’s brother, soon became LaPrete’s tenant. He was joined by an entourage of beautiful women and eunuch servants. Before long, the lavish parties started. Neighbors heard exotic music from within and smelled incense escaping from the doors and windows. Rumors began to circulate: Was the young Turk conducting opiate orgies inside of the home? Was he grabbing beautiful women from the French Quarter’s streets and torturing them into submission before adding them to his harem? One night the music stopped, and a neighbor passing by the next morning made a gruesome discovery. Blood was trickling out from beneath a door, down the steps, and onto the sidewalk. When the police entered the building, they were met with a horrible scene. Body parts littered the home. Blood was splattered everywhere. There were no survivors. But where was the Turk? Eventually the police discovered his badly injured body buried in the courtyard. They suspected that he had been buried alive.

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The crime, certainly one of the most horrendous in the city’s history, remains unsolved. Some people at the time suspected that pirates had attacked the partiers. Others speculated that the Turk and his entourage had been murdered by emissaries of his Sultan brother, who was either angered that his brother had stolen his harem as he left for America or was intent on executing all of his male relatives in an attempt to secure the sultanate. We may never know . . . unless one of the ghosts that still haunts the Sultan’s Mansion decides to speak. To this day, passersby hear mysterious music drifting from the home. They smell the faint essence of incense. They hear blood curdling screams. And they see the figure of a man sitting in a window, perhaps trying to tell the people below what happened on that horrible night.

MISS HARPER LEE’S HAUNTED NEW ORLEANS TOUR

Stop 1: Gallier Hall

Stop 2: Arnaud’s Restaurant

Stop 3: The Sultan’s Palace

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