Lavender Hill Pumpkin Farm

I think I might have mentioned how much I love this time of year.  Maybe once or twice.  Or Thrice. 

We had planned to visit the Pumpkin Farm on Saturday, but a very serious and awful thing happened on Saturday instead, (more on that later, once I can bear to speak of it... right now, I simply can't... so...) and we didn't make it.

However, we were able to gather our wits about us on Sunday morning, and in fact were in need of a diversion.

Lavender Hill Pumpkin Farm it was, then.

Miss M asked us before we even left the neighborhood if it was "Very Far Away, more than a mile?"

Yes, dear.  More than a mile.  In fact, 15 or twenty miles.  We even have to get on the freeway and go up a few exists to get there. 

But, we made it ALL THE WAY there without catastrophe, fighting, biting or screaming, and the kids were super excited when we pulled into the parking lot. 

Miss M immediately says, "Hey! I've been here before! They have a SWING here!" which always surprises me, seeing how she's all of four years old, and just HOW MUCH can she possibly remember?

Quite a bit, it seems.

She ran immediately to the swing, which required copious numbers of photographs, like SO:

They must have put that swing there just for HER. 

My sweet boy was also in his element, as he spends his summers in Ohio on Grandma and Grandpa's Farm, and is love with all things that grow.  He was astonished to see what appeared to be GIGANTIC Italian squash - some were almost as big as he is - but in fact, were something else, although likely related.  he was sorely disappointed when I didn't buy one for him.  But what was I going to do with a zucchini (nearly) the size of a small automobile? 

He did find solace in the other varieties, though, so don't feel too badly for him. 


Sweet Boy points the way to the pumpkin patch.



In among the various squashes.



Isn't she the cutest thing?

"This little one?  Or.... whatever it is over there?"

Cut off the vine and ready for your wheelbarrow!

Mmmmm.... white pumpkins....

Not so many "Polar Bear" pumpkins left...

But plenty more pumpkins up the hill....



At the checkout stand, a Pumpkin Museum featuring quite an array,
but I have no idea if these are actual known varieties or special Lavender
Hill names or what.  They were pretty creative.
Clockwise from top left:
"EthelPink The Almost Ready", "Tiki Tiki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari
Bari Ruchi Pip Beri Pembo", "Rumplstiltskin", "EthelBlue the Unsure"



The apparent Literary/Historical Pumpkin Section included: "Alice",
"The White Rabbit", "Pippi Longstocking (I put that in there just
for you, Miss Pia!), "Sacajewea and "Jabba The Hutt".  And yes,
I realize that theRikki Tikki Tavi Pumpkin could have gone here
as well, but you know... the pictures didn't arrange nicely in a
group of fives and threes.

See you next year, Mr. Swing.

And THEN we went to get Frozen Yogurt and hit up the local Street Fair.

Pretty successful day, all things considered.

\Julianna