This past Friday was an early dismissal day at school for the girls, so we used the afternoon for our annual pilgrimage to Hollin Farm to pick our pumpkins. We have been going to Hollin Farm for our pumpkins since Meg was just under two years old and Clare was an infant. We have so many fun memories from over the years. We have gotten ourselves thoroughly lost in corn mazes at Hollin Farm (though sadly, there hasn't been a maze for a couple of years). One year the girls picked out such large pumpkins, I lost control of them as I tried to get them down the hill to our car. I was terribly thankful to a complete stranger who helped me get them under control again and safely packed in my car.
It is always exciting to see exactly where the pumpkins will be located. Presumably to preserve the soil, the pumpkins rotate to various locations. I'm happy to say that the pumpkins were in our favorite spot this year--on the hill just above the check out stand. This year, we continued up the hill--pass all the pumpkins and a few rows of sunflowers--to the apple trees and picked a small amount of apples. We didn't want to pick too many, because we are scheduled to pick apples in a few weeks. On the off chance that the apples are all picked before that date, we have at least picked a few.
It is always exciting to see exactly where the pumpkins will be located. Presumably to preserve the soil, the pumpkins rotate to various locations. I'm happy to say that the pumpkins were in our favorite spot this year--on the hill just above the check out stand. This year, we continued up the hill--pass all the pumpkins and a few rows of sunflowers--to the apple trees and picked a small amount of apples. We didn't want to pick too many, because we are scheduled to pick apples in a few weeks. On the off chance that the apples are all picked before that date, we have at least picked a few.
We rarely just go the Hollin Farm because it is located in Delaplane, Virginia, which is nearly an hour west of us. One year we stopped at Hollin Farm on the way to a Columbus Day weekend stay at a ski resort, where we watched deer meander right up to the back door of the town home-style condo we rented. Most years we are not so luxurious. We typically stop at the Cracker Barrel in Manassas, which is the halfway point of the trip. We treat ourselves to fall-ish desserts such as apple dumplings or pumpkin custard, and we rock in every rocking chair on the Cracker Barrel front porch.
On our return home, Anne was anxious to decorate the pumpkins. We don't typically carve the pumpkins until Halloween, because the squirrels and chipmunks will begin devouring them as soon as they are carved. Anne, however, had no interest in carving. She simply wanted to paint the pumpkins. I gave her some paint brushes and a few paint colors squirted on a Styrofoam plate and she entertained herself for quite some time.
On our return home, Anne was anxious to decorate the pumpkins. We don't typically carve the pumpkins until Halloween, because the squirrels and chipmunks will begin devouring them as soon as they are carved. Anne, however, had no interest in carving. She simply wanted to paint the pumpkins. I gave her some paint brushes and a few paint colors squirted on a Styrofoam plate and she entertained herself for quite some time.
RSS Feed
