My son and I were both feeling like we were in an opening scene of a horror movie during the final miles of our drive to a small town in upstate New York. The sun had set and the wind was building, swirling a rush of bright colored leaves and dust around our car. With each turn suggested by the GPS the roads were getting smaller, darker, and rougher and we hadn’t seen a house in a while….just one large, dark, crow~filled cornfield after another.
When she said our destination was coming up on the right we strained our eyes to see any lights ahead. When we saw the Inn where we were staying, it looked pretty spooky in the dark, mostly because of the remote setting. If we had been in a horror movie, this would be the part where the audience would be whispering “don’t go in”. But the lights and the sign were a welcome sight after miles of darkness, so we overcame any hesitations, knocked on the door, and all was fine.
The next morning, we toured the town of Clinton, dressed and ready for fall, the blanket of leaves, courtesy of the wind storm, made the setting even more festive.
Pumpkins and pots of mums were the main elements of the decor. I’m not usually a big fan of mums, but I must say they brought a fantastic burst of color to all of the porches and walkways.
While cruising through town I just had to snap a few shots of some of the displays, I thought I’d share them with you for some pumpkinspiration.
I loved this cauldron filled with pumpkins and squash.
These black urns, simply topped with a little straw and two plump pumpkins were perfection {pots of orange mums were on the step in front of the urns}.
These festive folks put a little crown of leaves between their layers of Cinderella pumpkins.
I had no idea they grew so much corn in upstate New York, no wonder corn stalks are so prominent in their harvest decor.
This lovely old home had it’s spooky friends flying on their lovely covered porch {wouldn’t it be a marvelous place to brave an autumn storm, sipping hot chocolate and brandy??}
I’d like to have elegant witch silhouette like this, especially with that sash of skulls..
Sadly, I cannot recommend the Inn where we stayed, the weekend keeper {not one of the owners} was far too unpleasant. I had tried to stay at the Artful Lodger, which is right in the town of Clinton, but they were full. I loved the look of the rooms on their website, they are furnished with classic Americana furniture, but with a bold twist of color.
So, do you have any pumpkins out? Are you planning on decorating this weekend? We’d love to see photos!
Glad you had such a great trip. Love the cauldron filled with pumpkins and squash. Such a clever idea.
xo E + J
Check out our current post for spooky craft ideas just in time for Halloween!
http://www.eddieross.com/
How fantastic! What a gorgeous little town. I wish Australia embraced Halloween a little more.
Great photos, Emily.
Kel x
What gorgeous inspiration. I would think just seeing all the pumpkin beauty made it worth it though a cranky innkeeper is no fun. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous pictures!!
Lots of fun Halloween and fall inspiration. I love the black urns! I've been doing some of these college trips as well – we should have coordinated!
This all so amazing, I love Halloween in the US, especially New England, oh I'm very envious of this trip.