"Damn its cold. Where's my flask?!"

Last night was pretty darn cool. We went to a gigantic Jack-O-Lantern blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor in this charming place called Croton-on-Hudson. There were over 4,000 hand carved pumpkins that were displayed on this gorgeous manor. There were dirt roads that twisted and turned. Each display had a different theme from snakes and spiders to dinosaurs and pirates. There was even an aquarium with fish and sea creatures. The sound effects and lighting were incredible. It was spooky and creepy and certainly got me in the Halloween spirit.

The grounds were huge. I couldn't figure out if someone lived there year round. It reminded me of an old plantation. There were colonial houses all over the property, lit with colored lamps and the orange glow of the jack-o-lanterns.

As we were walking through the candlelit trails of pumpkins and listening to the leaves crackle beneath my feet, I couldn't help but wish we were at a haunted house. I wanted to have a good fright. Everything was so still and eerily quiet. (I did get one good fright when I was leaning over to take a picture of a really cool jack-o-lantern man when I saw movement below me. GASP! It was a live pumpkin man growling up at me! No... It was a ticket attendant that gave me cardiac arrest. What a scardey cat I am.)

Anyway, we spent the evening with our cousins Dawn and Patrick. I heard about this event on the radio and was desparate to go. I wished I had children that we could take to this- and use as an excuse to stand in line with all of the other curious little faces. Then I realized that Patrick and Dawn are big kids just like us and would totally love to do this.

We had dinner and drinks at Gasho. We spent most of the time laughing and talking over each other. We have so much fun when we are with them. It's always a good time.

After dinner, we drove over to the blaze which was about a fifteen minute drive. We were all bundled in scarves, mittens and hats. On the drive over, I couldn't help but notice how charming the area was. It reminded me of New England in a way. When we got to the venue, there were crowds of people waiting. People were sipping a hot drinks or huddling together for warmth. There was lots of whispers and chatter for anticipation of what we were about to see.

I adjusted my hat and mittens and braced for the cold. I snuggled up to my man and he smiled down at me. It was then I realized how much I loved New York. That I really can make a home here. That I can love autumn just as much as when I was in Massachusetts. It was a good feeling.