If this were happening in California, I would blame (or thank) the smog for these colors, but I’m pretty sure we don’t have smog here in Virginia. I can’t explain all of the BEAUTIFUL sunsets we’ve been having recently. I happened to be leaving Target tonight when the sunset took form. I turned around, parked back in the lot and snapped these. Thanks again Richmond, you’re doing a fantastic job at being gorgeous!
It’s my second favorite time of the year!!!
I used to love dressing up and collecting candy when I was a kid. Now that I’m all grown up, I enjoy decorating the house and passing out candy to the kids in the neighborhood. It’s almost as fun, if not more fun now than it was back then.
I also looooooooooooooooooove carving pumpkins! I used to draw the face on the pumpkin and Dad would carve it out. But he always let me pull all the seeds and guts out, that’s the best part ;-)
Now that I’m all grown up, the carving has become more intricate and involved.
Rather than just post the finished product, thought I would show the step by step of how I do mine.
Start with a template, I buy a new book every year. I have enough patterns to carve, oh, probably 80 pumpkins (and would if they were sold year-round, were cheaper and lasted longer).
Always choose your pattern first, it will help you determine what shape of pumpkin you’ll need. Also find one that has a flat and smooth side to it. And always pick a pumpkin with a nice tall stem (this one happened to grow some mold after I bought it, gross, but kinda cool).
Find the perfect side and tape the pattern, folding the paper as you need to in order to make it as smooth as possible.
Do NOT use standard kitchen knives or utensils. The template books usually come with a least a few made-for-carving knives and they work perfectly! They all may look the same but each has its own function.
Cut the opening in the top. I recommend cutting a point into the back so you will easily know how to lay the top back on.
Time to gut it!
Now for the tedious part. Poke holes in the template, basically a connect-the-dots game, only you’re creating the dots you’ll follow later.
Once you’re done, pull the paper gently away, you’ll need to reference it as you’re carving. You’ll be left with a very faint outline of your pattern. Carefully start carving ;-)
Once you’ve done the rough carving and poked out the pieces, then comes the detailed carving. And eventually, you end up with your finished jack-o-lantern!
All that’s left is to put a candle in it, light it up, and add it to your Halloween hearth!
And don’t forget about the cats!
Played with the color a bit in this one.
That second pumpkin looks awfully boring next to the other one, doesn’t it! I’ll carve that one up tomorrow night and add to this post. As for tips on keeping the pumpkin fresher longer, I’ve read that dunking it in a bucket of water/bleach mixture will help hold off mold and the rotting process, but the bucket I have isn’t big enough. So, I’m trying a spray bottle of water/vinegar mixture instead. I’ll report back on whether or not it worked.
**Updated 10/30/13**
First pumpkin is still holding up pretty well! This is it 24 hours later. Just need it to stay fresh for another 24 hours!
Carved the second pumpkin this evening. And yes, the V in Velcome is on purpose.
Here is a link to some of my pumpkins from years past.
https://anyonecantakeapicture.com/2012/10/14/pumpkin-carving/
Happy Halloween!
There is too much to do in the Charlottesville area to put into just one post, so I’ll organize by activity.
Carter Mountain Orchards not only have the pick-your-own apples, but they also have a little country store with yummy apple cider donuts, picnic tables overlooking a spectacular view of the city below and when you go in the fall, they have pumpkins!
They have become über successful over the years! The first time we went a few years ago, the road up the mountain was dirt and there were only a couple dozen cars in the lot. When we went a couple of weeks ago, they had a nicely paved road and flaggers directing traffic to one of three parking lots! But all the best to them, they have a nice operation and delicious apples!
They happen to grow my favorite type of apple, the Mutsu (Crispin), which is why I don’t mind waiting in line for 20 minutes to pay for 5 apples! They are green, crunchy like Granny Smith, but sweet. Not a fan of red apples and I hate the soft, mushy apples, so this is literally the best apple I’ve ever had. I can only find them here at CMO or at Wegmans (if they are in season). Just all kinds of yum!
Wow, never knew I was so passionate about apples, but well, there ya go! Anyhoo, on to the pictures!
White pumpkins!?!
Michie Tavern is literally right next to Carter Mountain so we stopped by and took a few pictures there.
Ordinaries? Necessaries? I guess it’s better than saying I’m going to the toilet!
For some Charlottesvile hiking, check out the Jones Run Falls hike I did a couple of years ago at https://anyonecantakeapicture.com/2013/03/06/shenandoah-jones-run-falls-may-2011/
Lots more to come from Charlottesville, stay tuned!
I love Old Town. We’ve been visiting Alexandria for the last several years. It’s right on the water, upper King Street has a lot of the commercial retail shops, but lower down are the unique little boutiques and restaurants.
We also love going to the King Street Art Festival in September. We usually see the same artists and vendors year after year, but Alexandria is just such a nice town to visit! Traffic and parking can be a little bit of a nightmare, but we’ve been successful at finding close, free parking the last couple of years so we’ll continue to go back!
Doesn’t hurt that a Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant is 10 minutes away…double the fun!
This year we parked a few blocks away and I shot these to/from the festival. Just a little snippet of what the town has to offer. This will be a work in progress and I’ll continue to add pictures as I take them.
September 2013
Random deer on the facade? No, actually it is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. I have never heard of an Elk Lodge…Moose Lodge sure, but never an Elk. So I had to research what the BPOE stood for…
September 2014
It was a rainy King Street Art Festival this year, but always worth the trip!
anyonecantakeapicture 