Never again ... A Haunted Story

Duc, our exchange student from Vietnam, told us earlier in the month that he had never been in a “haunted house,” since Vietnam doesn’t celebrate Halloween.  Of course, Ella and I, being caring host parents, took that as a challenge, and we dragged Duc to the local “Haunted Barn” on Friday night, intent on scaring the dickens out of him.

Throughout the “tour” of the ghoul-infested structure, Duc was alternately fascinated and startled, really loving the scary clowns, as well as the “acting” of the performers.  He did refuse, though, to go first into a pitch black hallway, and he even got separated from me and Ella at one point, and we had to double back to find him.  I knew though that we had succeeded in our goal of frightening the young lad when he told me “never again” after being chased out of the barn by the creepy guy with the chainsaw.

Friday’s foray into typical American scary fun was just the beginning, though, as we have several other haunted attractions lined up despite Duc’s protests.  We even plan to take Duc through the local corn maze.  Of course, we will make him watch the movie, “The Children of the Corn,” first.

Duc and Ella watch sword swallower
drive nail into his head

On Saturday, we continued our quest to introduce Duc to the quintessential American life by taking him to the Georgia National Fair.  His art teacher had entered several of his paintings and drawings into the art competition, and while he didn’t win, he was excited/proud that they were on exhibit.  He also got to see several shows, pet the smelly animals, and eat fair food.  In addition, we paid an extra $3 each to see the freak show, which, as you might expect, was totally hokey, but the sword swallower drove a spike into his head through his nose, which was kind of cool.

Before the fair, we went thrifting at a local church sale, and came away with five boxes of loot, including books, DVDs, flasks (including a new belt buckle flask), pewter belt buckles, and collectible toys.  I’m still sorting everything, but it was a nice haul.

We also stopped at an estate sale of a prominent local businessman who had passed away.  While I found a few things, Duc enjoyed wandering through the large house, admiring the architecture, and the huge selection of artwork that adorned the walls.

I had several good sales throughout the week, including this one, which makes me think some people have more money than sense:

It's a handheld game that sold for $160.  I can play for free on my computer.

This weekend promises to be busy as well, with two major thrifting events, one on Friday and one on Saturday.  Both have been lucrative for me in past years, and I hope this year is no exception.

Oh, and in case you haven’t been paying attention to the influx of Christmas decorations at your local retailer, there are only 72 days until Christmas, so you better get listing.