Spooky Sunrise
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: #Eerie Sights and Sounds

Now that my children are grown and gone, I really don’t celebrate the day much except for a few mild decorations, which I shared last week.

Since Sunday Stills landed on Halloween today, I was inspired for this week’s theme, “Eerie,” by the Google Chrome theme “Eerie Autumn” which cycles wallpaper images to my desktop. Creepy spiderwebs, misty moons, and decrepit graveyards adorn my desktop as a reminder that Halloween is in the eye of the beholder.

Eerie Full Moon
Eerie full moon viewed through pine trees

The definition of Eerie is: “Uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear; weird: an eerie midnight howl. (esp of places, an atmosphere, etc) mysteriously or uncannily frightening or disturbing; weird; ghostly”

Merriam Webster Dictionary

As I was capturing decor images last week, I got this eerie one on my porch.

Halloween decor and dog
Doesn’t Brodie’s photobomb make this image look creepy?

Do you get many trick-or-treaters where you live? In my former Sacramento neighborhood, despite being around the corner from the elementary school, we rarely got visitors on Halloween. This coincided with 9-11 in 2001, and it’s been crickets ever since. As I write this I’m wondering if we will get any on our new street, which still does not show up on some folks’ google maps! There are only two occupied homes, and unless parents drive their kids (golf carts and ATVs are a popular way to zip around here), I doubt we will see many kids out on our street. Oh well, more candy for me!

Eerie Editing

Back to our theme, what makes an image “eerie?” With our sunny days and cold nights, we’ve had lots of ground fog which makes for an eerie photo.

Spooky Sunrise
Eerie Sunrise in black and white

“At night the fog was thick and full of light, and sometimes voices.”

Erin Bow, Plain Kate

Another way to invoke “eerie” is to shoot or edit in black and white. I took the original image, then edited it to black and white, and added some other effects.

Suburban pocket forestEerie Edited Forest
A beautiful forest transforms into an eerie sight on Halloween

A visit to Apple Hill near Sacramento in 2019 on the actual Halloween day gave us inspiration for some wine-tasting using this creepy gargoyle aerator!

Gargoyle Wine Stopper

If you use your imagination, perhaps with a twist of the screen, you’ll find mythical beasts in the reflections.

Autumn Lake ReflectionsDragon Faces at an angle

Eerie Sounds

Speaking of eerie. Recently, in our backyard with my dog Aero about 1:30am, I heard what I thought was a coyote howling. I’m terrified my little 13-pound dog will be attacked by coyotes (it has happened to neighbors’ dogs!). So I am vigilant when we go out to do his business. I waited for the yip-yip to accompany the spine-chilling “howl” but heard nothing except another howl, this time with undertones of a whistle and roar. Sufficiently nervous, we went in quickly and I thought no more about it until I read another blogger’s post (Donna from Wind Kisses) which described the mating call of the bull elk during the Autumn mating season as a “bugle.” It was then I realized I had heard an elk’s mating call. That close to my backyard?? As the video suggests, I imagined Tolkein’s ringwraiths calling to me! Eerriieee!

Eerie Aurora

I’ve been dying to share this image on my blog. Many of you might have already seen it on Instagram and Facebook. I follow a Facebook group called Nine Mile Aurora Chasers and I read a post that mentioned weather conditions were perfect for the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, to be seen in Spokane, Washington area. Yes, please.

To my naked eye, the aurora looked merely like a grey, misty cloud on the horizon. Had I not been tipped off by Google and the Facebook group, I would have missed it. When I imagine the northern lights, I expect to see eerie green and blue ripples of light dancing above my head. I’ve since learned you must be much further north to see them in that fashion.

The northern lights usually occur between 60 and 75 degrees of latitude, which covers northern parts of Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Alaska and Russia as well as all of Iceland.

Discover the World

I used my Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ to photograph the horizon to the northeast from my house using night mode. When I saw what my lens saw, I jumped for joy. Using a little ambient light from the neighbors’ lights helped more than hindered.

Aurora Borealis from my porch
Aurora Borealis from my porch

The Aurora is created when the energy from a solar flare emitted by our sun hits earth. One such flare hit earth Monday night, creating a rare spectacle that could be seen across much of the norther tier of the United States. The aurora was visible across the Inland Northwest thanks to clear skies overhead and relatively early nightfall this time of year.

KREM 2 News

A rare and joyful, if slightly eerie experience, indeed.

  • Strange Cloud
    Creepy Clouds
  • Foggy river reflection
    Eerie River Fog
  • two-headed hummingbird
    Two-headed hummingbird
  • Ghostly Cruise Ship
    Ghostly cruise ship on HIlo Bay
  • January Wolf Moon 2019
    After the Eclipse
  • Whale shark also plays peek-a-boo
    Swimming with Whale Sharks in Baja
  • Aliens leave behind Giant Boulders of Kryptonite
    Night Art in Lake Tahoe
  • Balboa Park Arboretum
    Balboa Park Arboretum
  • Who says there are no ocean waves in the desert?
    Crazy clouds along Route 66 near Victorville CA
  • Eerie ghost tree watching you
    The tree trolls are watching!

“Sharp winds ruffled his coat and caused bare tree limbs to bend and rustle, throwing eerie shadows on the ground.”

Mateo’s Law

Do you know what else is eerie? According to WordPress:

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
You registered on WordPress.com 10 years ago.
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

Photo Challenges this Week

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post. I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Use hashtag #SundayStills for sharing on social media.

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are the last week’s links from bloggers who shared their favorite seasonal decoration photos. If at any point I have accidentally left anyone off the list, please let me know!

Always Write

Bushboys World

Cats and Trails and Garden Tales

Cath’s Camera

Deb’s World

Easin’ Along (Image shared in comments)

Equipoise Life (Image shared in comments)

Geriatrix Fotogallerie

Graham’s Island

Hugh’s Views and News (Image shared in Comments)

Loving Life

Musin With Susan

Priorhouse Blog

Retirementally Challenged

Retirement Reflections (Image posted on Instagram)

Shutters on the World

Soul N Spirit

Stevie Turner

Wind Kisses

Woolly Muses

Women Living Well After 50

Working on Exploring

November’s themes are ready for your viewing pleasure on my Sunday Stills Photography Page. Next Sunday the theme is “Fur and Feathers.”

I look forward to your eerie posts all week!

Halloween Signature

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121 comments

  1. Lovely Halloween Post Terri!
    What I find scary is the difference between when I was a child and today. Children cannot go out freely anymore! Ironic!
    They pretend to dress up and be scary but the reality is that it truly is scary out there for children.
    Innocence lost.

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  4. I’m not a fan of Halloween as it is celebrated today, too tacky and too commercial, but then I am English and of a generation who didn’t celebrate Halloween at all – we were too busy getting ready for Bonfire Night. Of course traditionally the occasion was a combination of the Celtic celebration of Samhain which is where bonfires, and dressing up originate and two Roman festivals where both bobbing for apples and commemorating the passing of the dead were added. Interesting how these have evolved into today’s dressing up and trick and treating and ghost stories! And how an event that began in Europe moved across to America and then back again!

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  6. Ooooh that aurora Terri – fantabulous!!! I’d love to see the northern lights one day but I hate the cold so photos of it are probably all I’ll ever get LOL. Excellent job on the various elements of eerie and of course a timely subject for the week! Terrific post.

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  7. Great photos Terri! LOVE the aurora one. I would love to see it. I never seem to remember to stay up late enough or wake up early enough to see all these amazing things…lol. I agree, coyote are so creepy. We hear them often at our house. One year when we were still building I came up to do something and all of a sudden heard a “scream” that sent chills up my spine. I honestly think it was a mountain lion. We heard it one other time too and they have been seen in our area. Yikes. We don’t do Halloween (I’ll decorate for fall but we never did the creepiness of the day), and we don’t get trick or treaters up here either.
    https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2021/10/taking-in-life-around_31.html

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    • Thank you, Kirstin! I’ve already heard from neighbors that no one trick-or-treats around here, which is fine. I used to scare the neighbor kids back in the day (not on purpose) but I loved hanging the big webs and spiders and play an eerie collection of Halloween songs from a CD on the porch. LOL! And maybe you also heard an elk!

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  10. Wow! I love this post, Terri. Thanks for linking. The bull elk sound was definitely eerie. Your pictures are so fantastic, and the imagination you used with the reflected one and the woods to increase their eeriness is astounding. Your enthusiasm for photography really sparkles in this post. I love it!

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    • Thank you so much, Graham! Brodie is a sweetie with a scary bark, but yes, that photobomb of him did a lot for the image! We had hoped for an aurora last night but nothing came through. Maybe tonight and we still have all winter! I was surprised at the “eerie” photos I have taken over the years!

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  17. Wow! You have some stellar photos. Love the first moon one and the photo bomb dog! I’ve never really played around with filters but it’s interesting to see what can be done.
    As to the northern lights – I’m lucky to be blessed with plenty of viewings from our yard/house/balcony but it’s amazing how much more intense they look through the lens. Ive seen them dance and shimmer and crack as well.

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    • Thanks so much, Bernie! I think of my blogger friends like you who live way north and can see those amazing auroras. There was a prediction for a strong display her over the weekend, but it didn’t work. I’m just happy to see what I did! Have a great week!

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  22. After last years pandemic we weren’t sure if we’d have trick or treaters tonight. 4th lot just been. included a lovely little tot who’d obviously been instructed he had to give hugs for sweeties. He launched himself at me and Michael and beat a hasty retreat, looking tired. Very cute! Happy Halloween, Terri!

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  24. This is a fun one, Terri! I love all your photos! Especially your dog photobomb, the colorful creature in the lake, and the aurora! I remember the first time I heard elk bugling when we were camping years ago up in Banff. Certainly eerie when you don’t know what it is! I thought I’d drop by earlier this week, and came up with some eerie photos. 🙂 https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/2021/10/31/eerie-places-and-things/

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  27. Beautiful and spooky photos, Teri. I love the Northern Lights. We had hoped to see them last night, and sat in the dark on top of a mountain for hours. Nuthin’! But the stars were beautiful. At least I got to look at your photo. And those elk are amazing, aren’t they? I love hearing them, but wish they wouldn’t knock down my fences. Lol. Happy Halloween!

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  28. So much going on Terri! I love the idea of wild animals being nearby but not too close, the eerie images are spectacular and those lights in the night sky are fabulous. I really want to see them one day. Also huge congrats on your blogging anniversary!
    We don’t tend to do Halloween here although having said that it does seem to be a growing craze among younger ones. We live out of town so no-one visited us thank goodness as I had nothing for them!

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    • I’m hearing more how Halloween is more an American tradition (kind of like seasonal decorations, lol). I’m really batting 1000 with my themes in other countries 😅 Thank you, Debbie, glad you liked the eerie photos. I can’t believe I’ve had this blog for 10 years. It’s gone through several renovations! As for the aurora, I hope you can see those southern lights some day!

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  30. Wow, this post is chock full of Halloween treats. Thanks so much for bringing the spirit! Our street doesn’t get any little ghosts or goblins and although it is typically one of my favorite holidays, I didn’t decorate this year. All that stuff is packed away in storage. The Aurora photo is amazing and you were very lucky to have captured this. Fantastic gallery this week Terri, thanks.

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    • Thanks so much, Suzanne! Halloween decor comes down tomorrow but the autumn/harvest decor stays. Today we collected several boxes of Christmas decorations out of our storage unit. Glad you enjoyed the eerieness Today, have a good week!

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  31. Happy Hallow’en, Terri – I’m giving out Hallow’en treats while I catch up on my favourite blogs. (So far, I’ve given out 20 treatbags and we are still in early evening). I love your eerie photos. Sadly, I had no photos that could even be reasonably edited to ‘eeriness’. So I will have to go with this:

    Wishing you an awesome month ahead!

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  32. Happy Halloween, Terri! My favorite shot is that full moon at the top! Awesome.

    I’m so glad that you managed to see the Northern Lights from where you live. Mark read the article as well, but we were too far south already. We didn’t see anything in Southern Colorado. It’s one of my goals to see the Northern Lights one day. But, merely flying to Iceland in the winter doesn’t do the trick (as I’ve heard from friends in Belgium). The conditions have to be favorable even there!

    And, cool you heard the elk bugle as well. You are living in such an amazing place when it comes to wildlife. We’ve heard plenty of coyotes at night, while camping in the wilderness. Maya doesn’t even budge anymore when she hears the calls.

    I took an eerie photo two days ago. I’ll see if it’s easy enough to share it somewhere from my computer in the next couple of days.

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  38. Congratulations for the achievement. What a post i mean ! Thank you for the mention, I am elated. Great theme to play though we don’t celebrate it on a large scale and it is not a community affair here in India nevertheless I do my bit and surely i have something to share.

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  41. Fun pictures, Terri! I’m so thrilled for you that you got to see the northern lights. They are on my hope-to-see list for sure! And, yes to going out trick or treating without parents! We went out in “gangs” of about 10 or so for hours. I do remember my mother inspecting our candy when we got back (but it was probably just a ruse to pick out ones she and my dad liked 🙂 ).

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  47. A spooky collection is what you have here Terri. I love the tree troll, but I’m a sucker for those reflections, whether right side up or sideways. Years ago, my parents rented a cottage in Northern Michigan for two weeks. The owner had warned us about bears and to ensure we deposited trash at the dump and be careful going outside at night. She never told us about the call of the wild … the bull moose. Every night, tucked into bed, they began. Between the mating call of the bull moose and all the loons, after a few nights it drove you crazy. We have had some coyotes in the neighborhood the last few years and I don’t live in a rural neighborhood either.

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  48. Great images! I had no idea elk sounded like that. So high pitched! We live on a hilly street with about 30 steps to our front door, so I stopped doing Halloween when my kids were teenagers. The most trick-or-treaters we’ve ever had in a single year was maybe 12. Now, there are more townhouses and rowhouses on level land for the kids to enjoy one street over from ours.

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  50. Yes, I agree. Not only do photos in black and white make some photos look eerie, but did you know that black and white photos of me also help me look much younger than I am, Terri? Not bad for 23, eh?

    I’m so jealous that you spotted the Northern Lights. We live too far south in the UK, but they get to see them in Scotland and parts of Northern England when the skies are clear. I guess a trip to the North Pole to visit Father Christmas is on the cards for me.

    No trick and treaters this Halloween. I think the pandemic has made families celebrate indoors rather than knocking on neighbours doors. I wonder if next Halloween will be different?

    Something eerie from me? You may remember this video from a few years ago. It was filmed at the height of my acting career, just when I thought I’d won that Oscar! I hope it can be played here in the comments section of your blog.

    I hope you’re having a great week and that there were not too many frights this Halloween.

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    • We felt so lucky to see the aurora from our front yard, Hugh, but we needed the lens to see the colors. But that is A-OK for me! I’m on my PC now as I reply so I can’t hear the video unless I use my mobile (but it did pop up in a new window)! I had hoped you might promote one of your books via Sunday Stills, and you still can if you wish! Nothing scary for Halloween this year, unless you consider peace and quiet eerie 😉

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      • Thanks for the offer of using Sunday Still to promote my books, Terri. I did think about it, but time has been my foe this week, made worse by our clocks going back last weekend. Although I gained an extra hour, I slept through it. And now that it gets dark an hour earlier than it did last week, time seems to be in even less supply. I think the excitement of ‘Lent’ also plays a part. This time of the year, I’m like a young child waiting for the arrival of that sleigh and reindeer. Ahh, that takes me back.

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      • I totally get it, Hugh! Our clocks go back this Sunday and I’m ready for light in the mornings. The holiday season is certainly upon us! Please feel free to promote your books anytime you feel the weekly theme supports the idea.

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  53. This was fun Terri. Laughed at your description regarding elk bugling. There is nothing like the first time you hear it. I loved your eerie wine pouring spout. My favored was the comparison shots . Amazing the feeling of a photo changes when it is black and white. Always a pleasure to read, and see your photos. Donna

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    • Donna! It just occured to me that it was your post about Yellowstone that led me to realize that I heard the elk bugle! When I googled the sound, that was what I heard that night! I just fixed that and linked back to your post. Glad you got a kick out of the gargoyle wine aerator. We giggle every time we use it! Thank you so much.

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      • I am so glad you heard the bugle first had. Now to see the elk during the rut. That is another site to behold. If you can hear them, in time you will see them. Thanks for your note and add! Donna

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  54. Hi, Teri,
    I’m a little late getting to your post this week, but I’m so glad I made it. I love your gallery, especially the full moon photo. We don’t get Halloween visitors either. In our former neighborhood, we used to get hundreds. One family brought out a cotton candy machine which was a big draw. Have a great weekend, and watch out for those coyotes! Joe

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