Okay, okay... so we said we would post at least once a week. We lied. Well, we didn't lie, per se, we just didn't fulfill our promise. So instead of posting about updates, here's a visual update of our latest excursion out to the Pumpkin Patch!
When we were growing up, they just didn't have this kind of thing, or, at least, if they did we weren't made aware of it. The best outdoor family holiday trip we got was the occasional Christmas tree hunt at the Pitt Meadows Tree Farm, now which I believe has been sold off and now a large pole and flag identifying the property as a religious group's land. I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate Christmas, either, so there's a childhood feel good memory replaced by modern day real estate trading! I digress... The pumpkin patches around the Lower Mainland are a great way to get families outdoors, have some fun, and learn a little about agriculture, too!
The Pumpkin Patch of choice this year was The AppleBarn in Abbotsford (
www.applebarn.ca). We've previously gone to Aldor Acres, but on the whimsical recommendation of my sister, tried something new this year. Sadly, one male child under the age of one (who shall remain nameless) was particularly cranky, and as such, we didn't have the freedom to explore the property. But we could see there was lots to do.
Obviously popular based on the volume of people there, the AppleBarn was full of families wanting to try their hand searching for the Great Pumpkin. Others were bouncing on a huge inflated bladder (not really sure what else to call it), feeding goats, pigs, chickens, and other farm friends, or launching apples and pumpkins out of their fruit cannon! While a classic hayride tot he patch would have been a great way to lead up to the hunt, with strollers it was much easier taking a walk down the corn-stalk pathway. VERY reasonably priced pumpkins, as determined by the Scarecrow with the weight balanced hand. The most expensive a pumpkin could be was $7. Those large orange squash were of very good quality - not a lot of rot, and they had a whole lot of variety in terms of shapes and sizes.
Bella, in her sweet girly nature, couldn't wait to tear into the patch, and was on the lookout for HER pumpkin. Daddy couldn't point her in any direction, because as soon as I had a say in it, she was adamant that SHE had to pick it. After tripping on roots, vines, stumps, and other stuff, she found it. It was perfect for her, and she wanted to carry it right out of the patch. Then she helped me pick a large one out, and away we went.
We paid for the festive fare, (and a bag of Honeycrisp apples - which is the most JUICY apple I have ever had), and we were all done by then. We hadn't even turned the car around to get back on the road, and Jaxsen was already out cold.
Adventures in Hallowe'en coming soon...
