Premium pickings from the pumpkin patch

Found ! Going to carve this one up!

Had the perfect day for a visit to #North Arm Farm. What a great set up for families. Lots of open spaces, under amazing clear blue skies, encircled by imposing mountain ridges, #North Arm is the place to be for picking up your premium pumpkin. It is a drive to get there - further north, through Pemberton and as always, an incredible landscape.

Who knew there were so many colours and skin finishes to choose from! Notice @Mac is blending in with his shirt selection - going under cover so no-one gets any ideas about his plans. Sneaky move.

Food and drinks (including coffee) available to keep the adults amused. A controlled fire area where for a dollar a pop you can roast a marshmallow or even heat up a hot dog. Swings and mazes for kiddie- fun and of course, a tractor trailer ride.m for all ages.

We made sure we were at the head of the line to get the front seat on the wagon!

Definitely the place to be

The deal is, you can scoop up your pumpkin from in the shed or you can wander out into the field and find your pumpkin spirit to sate your creative juices. We went to the field first - and then, under the guidance of the #Whistler Family did swaps and made additions. That table was laden with the selections - but we were keeping ours "under wraps" - don't want to give away any insights into our plans.

To be fair, this connotation of "picking" was more in line with a "selection."  All the pumpkins had been harvested and were actually just strewn around the field. All shapes and sizes and colours and in various stages of ripening and rotting. There was a lot of handling involved - sizing up your pumpkin and checking its nether parts to ensure it wasn't rotting where it rested on the ground. Lots of crows in the field, pecking holes in the outer tough skin and then getting into the pulp and the seeds. 

Another pecked out pumpkin - @Mac had to resist this good start

It is pretty cutthroat out there and it is every man for himself as @Kevin will tell you. He walked the length of the field, discarding many and eventually narrowing his choice down to the "perfect" selection for his creation. He carefully picked it up and cradled it back to where the #WHistler Family choices were being gathered. He probably turned away from the stash for no more than 2 minutes when a little pumpkin picker sashayed up to the stash and delicately picked his perfect pumpkin from the assembled pile and walked away with it! He didn't think it would be politically correct to tackle an eight-year-old to retrieve a pumpkin, but he did stalk her for a good 20 minutes in the hope she would abandon it for another choice. No such luck.

It explains why @Mac carefully stashed our pumpkins behind cover. No pumpkin pipsqueak was purloining his perfect pumpkin picks.

You think those experience pumpkin pickers would know better than to leave them unguarded loose on the ground!

@Mac - incognito - pumpkin shirt, dark glasses and bags to keep it all under wraps

Started looking for shortcuts - thought he could get one "pre carved" - quickly advised it was "not in the spirit of the competition."

Definitely needed "pumpkin" intervention strategies for our whole group. Couldn't believe the pile of pumpkins we amassed. Think I may have been equally guilty for picking a few too many, but at 40 cents a pound who cares. We went for size and variety. Lined them up at home for a "before" photo and definitely wondering if bears eat pumpkins!!! Is that a thing I have to be mindful of in the leadup to competition day.

The Halloween story is growing along with the pressure. Apparently, I have either missed the memo or hadn't read the fine print because the commitment is:

• Thursday: Halloween Baking for school fundraiser
• Friday: Pumpkin Painting
• Saturday: Pumpkin Carving and COMPETITION!!!! (Maybe @Mac can run a book.)
• Tuesday: Tapley's Halloween Night - costume and donation

The before shots of our pickings - hope they don't attract the bears!

Part of the #WHhstler Family - pumpkin pickers

That is their collection on the table! So many pumpkins - so little time. @Mac is still guarding ours, under wraps, in the background 

 Wherever possible we do start the day with a bit of sport.  We had our matchy-matchy PJs on this morning (no hairy coos for us) and @Mac thought he would showcase some of his moves watching the NFL and cheering on the #Giants and then the #Eagles.

Not sure if this is rugby and we are packing a a scrum or NFL and he's trying to sack the tight end (I wish)

Even with all @Mac's special manoeuvres not as many laughs as the real thing in TV in the Giants vs Washington Commanders game where three of the players have the surnames of Sweat, Hurt and Payne. The commentators were loving the pun combinations.

And that was Sunday. All intermingled with hamming it up for every meal. Even managed to work in @Mel's family collected Maple syrup in the dinner combo. After so much ham in the last few days, think I caught @Mac hanging out with the pigs at #North Arm - thought we was blending in with his "spirit animal" at the farm.

PS Where's @Aunty Gail when you need her. Cheese (and ham) on toast- not reaching her legendary status of the "best cook in the world" for her signature dish of "cheese on toast."