Thursday, October 25, 2012

Fall Harvest Festival

Halloween.  It's my favorite time of year.  The air finally cools off and we can all get cozy, eat fun size candy bars, and watch 13 Nights of Halloween on ABC Family. 

Last year, my typical Halloween enthusiasm was hampered by third trimester malaise and it took everything I had in me just to carve up a few evil gourds.  But this year, much like every horror movie villain ever, I'm back... with a vengeance! I have unfinished business. I will own Halloween 2012.  Let the blogging begin!

First, our coverage of the Underwood Family Farms Fall Harvest Festival.


Fortyish miles northwest of Los Angeles is Underwood Family Farms, a big-little family operation that serves as the city mouse's one stop shop for all things country, with a year-long calendar of seasonal specific events, as well as weekend festivals for folk music, antique tractors and (for some reason) Civil War Reenactments.  (We all remember Col. Mulholland's historic victory in the battle of Simi Valley, right?) And of course they also rent out their land, equipment and animals for movie shoots.

The farm's Fall Harvest Festival has pretty much everything you'd want it to: a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, tractor rides, and corn maze.  And, I don't know why this thrills me to no end, but you get your very own wheel barrow to cart around your pumpkins, jackets, assorted purchases, or small children who are sturdier and more predictable than mine.

We lucked out the day we went because the weather -- which had been out of control hot in recent weeks -- took a turn and it was a cool, cloudy, decidedly more fall-like day.

We started at the petting zoo.  Oscar, who didn't seem to notice our pets for the first chunk of his life, is now infatuated and spends much of his energy chasing Midge the Cat and squealing.  You can imagine how much she enjoys that...

So my point is he loves animals. Here he is, meeting an Alpaca.







Then, we took our tractor ride around the grounds.  Free with admission! 



Then we wrapped up the day frolicking through the pumpkin patch, which was massive and sprawling and had all kinds of different colors and textures of pumpkin.


We claimed two pumpkins to take home and grabbed a carving kit from the country store on the way out.   (How do I buy one of those kits every year and immediately lose it come November?)   We also bought some Indian corn for decorating and fresh picked apples... for eating.

So take that, last year's Halloween.  I am back on top!  Of this giant pumpkin.

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