The Hunt for this Year's Great Pumpkin

As these kids get older, I just imagine how messed up my schedule is going to become. I would normally take all of them to the pumpkin patch for the purpose of procuring a pumpkin. Unfortunately, this year we have social schedules and of course work to run helter skelter on our plans. Sofia, being the active kindergartener, had her Harvest Festival on Sunday and Emily had a doctor's appointment on Saturday. Mark had to work on Saturday so he was out but as it was, it worked out well on the transportation end. We only had to take one vehicle both days and split them between families. Saturday I went with Jesse and Renee' and the kids and Sunday with Jason and Emily and the kids. At least I knew which road to turn up by Sunday.

If you are a local to this area and have kids, you know - the little ones who enjoy such things - go to the Smith Family Farms for their Harvest Celebration and Pumpkin Patch. They have a great Vegie Stand out front and some U-Pick tomatoes near the parking area. The fun (which costs $9 per person and includes the pumpkin) starts when you walk through the entrance area to the barns and displays.

There is a barn show hourly and the kids get to pick an instrument from the basket to play in the band. They have a great time with this.

this is a movie I did ... no editing, sorry but it may take awhile to load. There are 3 on this blog.

I don't know why, but there is a display of the main characters from the Wizard of Oz outside the barn. Lots of tractors and old vehicles adorn the grounds.

There are some new things this year including some Miwok Indian Village huts made of corn stalks and tulles. They have a 4-H display with people around to discuss signing your youngsters over 5 to memberships. There are animals from sheep, cows, shetland ponies, peacock, chickens, rabbits and the like. (didn't see any pigs, though)

Then you can take a wagon ride to the pumpkin fields between stalks of sunflowers and corn. The pickin's get more slim as the month progresses. There are some large ones available for extra but mostly they are just average to small in size.

Then there is a corn maze, a straw tunnel, and a straw maze as well as a live band and some catering trucks with munchies. It is a full day, so start early. The wagon takes you back from the field to the parking area so you can offload your pumpkins.

You can go back and enjoy more festivities or head out at this point. We tend to do all the stuff first, then get our pumpkins and pack up.

By then it is about 12:30 and the kids are ready for their nap which usually starts as soon as the truck leaves the driveway of the farm. This has become a family tradition for us and one I look forward to. I still wish the old guy up in Cordelia with the "only giant pumpkins" was still there. They did not have "kid-stuff" but man, what great pumpkins, Charlie Brown!

Happy pumpkin pickin', my friends! Until next time...enjoy the 'artsy' ones now...