Rob Oxford: Halloween House

The Halloween lineup at Del Rudolph's
Photo by Rob Oxford

By Rob Oxford

While returning an item borrowed from a friend earlier this week, I found myself taking a wrong turn and getting lost. To my delight I happened upon this marvelous Halloween display just off 15th Ave NE across from Fircrest.

Pirate ships and Halloween trains
Photo by Rob Oxford

I love decorations, but I must confess that since my sons are now in their teens and much less likely to be around during the holidays, spending hours digging in the attic for decorations and untangling strings of colored lights has lost some of its appeal. 

Not so for Del Rudolph and his wife Diana. Together they take great pride in decorating their home for the holidays. Halloween, Christmas, Easter. They have wooden cutouts for every occasion.

What started over two decades ago as a single Bugs Bunny cutout for their first grandchild, has now blossomed into literally hundreds of holiday decorations which Del takes great pride in setting up each year. Some are quite ornate, like the three-piece pirate ship with its ghostly crew or the dragon that hangs above the carport. As one can imagine, the Rudolph’s home can become quite popular depending on the season.

In storage until Christmas
Photo by Rob Oxford

All handmade with a jigsaw and expertly painted, Del was happy to give me a quick tour of his outbuilding which houses nothing but his fabulous creations. Out of respect for his neighbors, he declined my request to include his address in this article, citing the abundance of traffic which already finds its way down his street each year.

However, he assured me that when night falls and the ghouls and goblins awaken from their afternoon naps, a slow drive north on 15th Ave NE from 145th in the vicinity of Hamlin Park and the old Fircrest school, looking west one might easily spot a friendly witch returning from an evening ride on her magic broom.

I appreciate Del taking the time to share his passion with me and look forward to visiting once again at Christmastime. I’m certain our community of Shoreline hosts many homes like that of Del and Diana Rudolph and to find them, I plan on “getting lost” more frequently.