Pumpkin Carving

About two weeks ago, the Zoo Crew took a road trip to Catoctin Mountain Orchards. Grandmother & Grandfather Bolingbroke really enjoyed the drive through the hills of Maryland to the orchards. We were planning to do a little apple picking, but October means it's pumpkin patch time...so no apple picking. *sigh*

Flexibility is, of course, a Zoo Crew specialty, so we quickly opted to check out the orange gourdiness. The beasties were loosed upon the poor unsuspecting orbs to make their selections. Beastly eagerness nothwithstanding, the pumpkins have been patiently waiting on the front steps for THE day.

Abbey was more than a little disgusted to remember that the scooping of the goop comes first. (note her thumb pointing to the goop!) Once I explained that the stringy stuff can catch fire from the candles, Ben was ultra intent on getting all the goop out of his.

The candles, by the way, were Patrick's idea--his requirement, actually! We put 'em in the pumpkins just for tonight...on Halloween we'll use electric ones. But he was happy!

Matthew aimed high and put a moustache and eyebrows on his!! (I think it looks remarkably like Bill, don't you?)

Patrick, ever the traditionalist, took great pains to draw his triangle eyes and nose.

Once we finished I told the kids to clean up the mess so we could wander outside and light 'em up. Matthew's response? "First, I must prepare the hose!" hee hee hee


Oh...let me set your worries to rest...Bill was carefully supervised while using the sharp objects!!

More pictures here: Pumpkin Carving 2009