Each year, Ray Hernandez tells himself he’s not going to put out Halloween decorations. He tends to ignore that directive though, even this season, which follows a series of health scares.
“A little bit every day, since he’s had his heart problem,” said his wife, Sandy Hernandez.
Ray, 78, has dealt with atrial fibrillation – an inconsistent, fluttering heartbeat that can lead to pain, dizziness and fatigue – for most of the past year. The condition has even led to a hospital stay.
But last Tuesday night, Ray was in front of the couple’s central Petaluma home on Wilmington Drive, slapping his hands together to wake up the myriad ghouls loitering in the front yard just as the sun was setting.
“I’m the only one that does this,” Ray said. “I put it all up myself.”
Since he started decking the haunted halls 20 years ago – the couple also celebrates Christmas with enthusiasm – Ray has added to his creepy collection most years. That hasn’t been the case lately, though.
“I can’t any more. The shed is getting crowded,” said Ray, referring to a backyard storage shed that’s home that is divided in two, with Christmas decorations on one side, and Halloween on the other.
Married 33 years, Ray and Sandy have been in the scare business for a while, including spending years as volunteer actors for the annual haunted house Blind Scream. They did their own makeup, and made for a terrifying duo while doing their part to spread Halloween cheer.
“It was so much fun scaring people,” Sandy said, before admitting that she won’t go through the haunted house herself. “I’m scared of the dark.”
Sandy has lived in the family home on Wilmington since she was 4. After she married Ray, who is from Hayward, the couple began getting into holiday festivities, including taking part in Petaluma’s annual City of Lights tradition.
“We just decided, little by little, to get into it,” Ray said.
Their house has been a destination, now, for years. Sandy recounted a late-night visit from a teenager one Halloween.
“He said, ‘I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid, and I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it,’” Sandy said.
Last year, the coronavirus pandemic didn’t dampen the couple’s Halloween spirits, although it did lead to a caution tape-marked barrier, and a pole-mounted grabber to hand candy out from a safe distance. Ray reckons they still had more than 100 trick-or-treaters.
When asked whether there was anything special about this year, Ray paused for a moment.
“Not really, just that I can do it,” Ray said. “At first I said, ‘No, I’m not gonna do it.’ But then I changed my mind.”
Tyler Silvy is editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Reach him at tyler.silvy@arguscourier.com, 707-776-8458, or @tylersilvy on Twitter.
"caring" - Google News
October 28, 2021 at 07:32PM
https://ift.tt/3vURbfl
Scaring is caring: At 78, after a health scare, local man still keeping Halloween spirit alive - Petaluma Argus Courier
"caring" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2z0ngcp
https://ift.tt/3fgQ2Gv
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Scaring is caring: At 78, after a health scare, local man still keeping Halloween spirit alive - Petaluma Argus Courier"
Post a Comment