Our somewhat-annual treasure hunt for the twins managed to take place in this time of COVID thanks to some clever garage and back patio staging, along with some cooperative weather. Before they arrived, I broke out the smoke machine and filled the garage with some atmospheric spookiness, accompanied by the eerie soundtrack to ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ – so that when they arrived the garage door opened in a puff of theatrical fog, portending the spooky Halloween aspect of the day.
Unphased by the Halloween trappings, the twins eagerly listened as I laid out the intricately-plotted outline for the day. We began with a trail of tree identification for seven different trees around the yard, coupled with a list of five objects that would cast a magic spell. We found all seven trees, as well as the list of five items – an acorn, an oak leaf, a pinecone, a green tomato and a sprig of lemon verbena – and by the time our journey rounded us back to the garage, two Halloween baskets filled with candy and treats had miraculously appeared. The spell had worked!
From there we moved to the back patio, where curtains hung from the circular canopy, closing us off from the wind. A group of candles flickered on the table lending some warmth and light. I brought out some hot cocoa, marshmallows and fresh cinnamon rolls to keep us toasty. The twins also started in on their candy, which Uncle Al allows because he’s the funnest uncle ever.
They wanted to decorate pumpkins, so we stopped at Troy’s Landscaping before our lunch at Smashburger. We found a koi pond and some cacti, then made our way to lunch.
They showed me the Smashburger pose, we ordered our meals, and made a quick stop at Starbucks for dessert.
Back in the garage, we finished up the day with some pumpkin-decorating and more marshmallows. Apparently the hottest contest right now is figuring out how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth while still being able to recite a sentence.
It was a very good day – the longest of our treasure hunts by far. They are more talkative now, and there are more things to say, and they also have their independent streaks so I don’t need to lead absolutely everything. That said, it wiped me out. After four and a half hours, their Dad arrived to take them home, and I laid down for a two-hour nap. Next stop will be Thanksgiving, and we worked on some special name cards for that…
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