pumpkin patch

if you've been reading for any length of time at all, you're all too familiar with my fascination and general appreciation for the fall season, so it should come as no surprise that i love pumpkin patches which are, to me, the ultimate symbol of the arrival of autumn.

saturday, matt & i drove north into everett to go to a patch simply called "the Farm". this was, by far, the most amazing production i've ever seen in terms of pumpkin patches. not only did it boast a gigantic patch littered with pumpkins in shades of red, green and orange, but it also featured a 12-acre corn maze shaped like washington state. a tractor-pulled hay ride drives you around the "oregon-washington border", into "idaho" and drops you off - then it's up to you, and your map, to follow any of the 250 actual highways to see the various landmarks of the state, and come out the other end at gray's harbor. in addition to the patch and the maze, the farm includes an 18-hole putting course, a "four little pigs" entertainment show, a beverage/snack bar, a bakery, petting farm, and a hay maze just for children. totally incredible! sure, it was mostly geared for kids, but us adults had an awfully good time - and we were comforted to see that we weren't the only childless couple there to play! a few (ok, a ton of) pictures to share:

{i'm not sure if thsoe pumpkins are there to make a point or not, but it reminds me a little of public hangin's in the town square or Henry VIII's fascination with beheading people and displaying their heads on a stick around the entrance to his castle.}


{doesn't this squash look just like a goose?? it even has a speck of dirt right where the eye would be...}








{fun little constructions marked the various washington landmarks. this, their rendition of our capital building in olympia, was among the most amusing. note the dome - made with a faux-ceramic flower pot turned upside-down.}


{this shot brings me dangerously close to singing showtunes from "Oklahoma!" - you know, with the corn being as high as an elephant's eye and all...}

on the way back to the freeway, i spotted a beautiful little scene i just had to photograph (see last two photos) - so i brought the car to a screeching halt on the side of the road, and sacrificed a bit of my dignity to run back up a cement overpass to take a picture... too bad matt forgot to bring his paper bag. ;)