Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Nature's bounty from the farm……………


Hello sweet October.  
This is always my special month.  A birthday for me, 
other special family members, and this year I will celebrate 
52 years since coming to live in the United States of America.
Sunday afternoon, dressed up in sunshine and blue skies. 
A few fields of tobacco, dry and golden, awaited the 
last harvest.  
Cotton and soybeans were picked clean. 
Sunflowers, their huge blooms long gone, stalks plowed under.
Horses stood quietly in pastures. 
Now and then a dog barked in a far away field. 
A hawk circled above.
Tractors were still.
The countryside appeared to be at rest in the warmth 
of the afternoon.

We were thrilled to return to Johnson's Pumpkins with 
our granddaughter Cassie this time. She wanted 
pumpkins to decorate her home, and being another 
photographer in the family, I knew she'd capture 
some colorful shots at the farm.

Doug and Freda farm a lot of land in this lovely area 
of North Carolina. 
This is their family farm which goes back several 
generations. They told me this time, now that we know 
each other better, that they were high school sweethearts 
and have been married fifty years. They gave me the OK to 
publish their photo here online - and you have to admit 
they are a very special couple.

I believe the pumpkins are Freda's babies! She planted 
six acres of pumpkin seeds back in the Spring.
After a lot of damaging rain early on, the sun and heat 
of Summer arrived and the pumpkins did well.
She also helped harvest them, and then displayed them 
beautifully in their yard, ready for sale, by the side of 
the country road.
How could anyone resist pulling into the farmyard, 
grabbing a wheel barrow, and loading up with 
such awesome pumpkins, gourds, squash etc.


Cameron, Freda and Doug's lovely granddaughter, with 
Lucky the cat. 
We loaded up the trunk with colorful beauties - mostly 
Cassie's, but I admit to buying a few more too!
There's just something very special about a pumpkin patch.
I think it brings out the child in us.
Surrounded by almost comical shapes and raucous 
colors, the pumpkins seem quite magical.
But, perhaps even more special, is a pumpkin patch 
where the delightful family who grew the pumpkins
are there to tell their story, with laughs, jokes, and 
great pumpkin and squash recipe tips.

Try to visit a pumpkin patch this Fall - you'll have 
a wonderful time.


9 comments:

  1. Such beautiful photo's of the pumpkins. And you have the most gorgeous grandchildren.

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  2. What a fun place to visit. Wonderful pumpkin photos and the one of the owners is sweet. Hard working folk that love what they do. I'd be picking quite a few pumpkins form the variety there too!

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  3. You make me want to visit a pumpkin patch. There's one not too far away that I drive by. How wonderful to have the farm for so long. I wish them joy. Pumpkins are such cheery things - who can be unhappy looking at a pumpkin's lovely roundness?

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  4. Love your adventures to the pumpkin patch. Now seeing the growers makes it even better.
    Then meeting Lucky the cat, how perfect is his name. I once had a black dog named Lucky.
    He wasn't so lucky. Yes, I must make sure and visit the pumpkin patch since we don't have
    any in our garden this year. Maybe Desmond will come along.

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  5. I adored the photography in this post! Haha, I am a big fan of the overhead shot, and the pumpkins get to show off their colors, textures, and shapes. I would be loading up my trunk with those beauties too if there was such a grand pumpkin patch anywhere nearby!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your positive comment dear - once I started looking down I couldn't stop, they looked so beautiful through the lens - used my Olympus this time at the farm.
      Hope you stumble on a pumpkin patch this month - they are so great for wonderful photo ops.

      Hugs - Mary

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  6. What a feast for my eyes seeing all your beautiful photographs of this amazing harvest. I can see you are still finding great photo opportunities where ever you venture to. Glad to see you are enjoying and making the most of each season. You are always so good at sharing interesting facts and lovely people. What a wonderful pumpkin patch.
    It was lovely to find your comment , thank you. I am afraid I have very limited time online, usually just post every so often on my blog, when my eyes allow. Hope you are keeping well and looking after Bob too..hope you both enjoyed the crumble. Best wishes, take care . Eileenx

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  7. Good morning Mary! You have captured the beauty of your trip perfectly. Such gorgeous fall colours. Your grandaughter is beautiful. What a lucky gal to be able to spend a fun day with you.

    hugs,

    Becky

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  8. Wow - amazing how many different kinds and colors there are - great photos. Love the collage - it should be printed and framed.

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