a harvest holiday

I love this town and hate this town.  It’s small.  There’s a lot of prejudice (from every race) and old ways of thinking.  There’s a surprising amount of crime for the population.  In general, its just one of the most backwards places we’ve lived so far (in my own opinion).  But I am always on the lookout for its redeeming qualities, because I think every town has them.  In particular, for its size we have a surprising number of neat things for children – like a new library, a children’s museum, a "spray park," and little places like these – local pumpkin farm run by a woman who quit her teaching job to "work outside."

E. just turned three and she finally understands the joy of so many things, like her birthday (which seemed to last an entire week), and Christmas (she insists on visiting the seasonal section at Lowes), and this pumpkin patch, which she is still talking about.

I was drawn to how beautiful this little place was, from the rusty old potato chips stand holding the littlest pumpkins, to the artfully carved and painted gourds for sale in the shack:

These gourds really were beautiful and I thought of all you crafty, creative bloggers who see art in everything.  I’d seen painted gourd bird houses before, but nothing as intricately carved and crafted as these.