Pumpkin Fest

The Keene Pumpkin Festival started in 1992 when a bunch of people got together to see if they could break the world record for the most lit jack-o-lanterns in one place.  They achieved the record with 1,628 pumpkins, and since then have set 6 more world records.  Other cities have gotten into the mix (Boston and Highwood, IL) and the title has gone back and forth in recent years.  Since it was so nice on Saturday, we decided to drive down to Keene to check it out.



Aiden carved a small pumpkin to add to the Festival's total, which we placed on a street corner next to some of his brethren.  It was a crazy madhouse in downtown Keene by the time they started lighting up the pumpkins at 6:30!  Seemed like there were a million people there, jostling and squeezing past each other to see the giant tower of pumpkins (there were also bleachers full of pumpkins lining the streets) or find something to eat at the food tents.  We grabbed some fat knockwursts and headed into a cobbled back alley to get out of the fray somewhat, where the kids could skip around a bit without us panicking that they had disappeared or been trampled.  The pumpkins were definitely cool, but I'd have to say the festival was a bit too much for us with small kids- we left with some daylight still remaining to find our way back to the car.  It turns out that Keene had it's best year ever with over 29,000 pumpkins (and I'd say at least that many people!) but they didn't set a world record- another city came in with over 30,000 pumpkins this year too!

pumpkin bowling

Aiden's favorite

Next to "their" pumpkin (the little one to the right of Haley)

On Sunday we went on a local hike at Low Plain to enjoy some peace and quiet after the crazy pumpkin festival the day before.  It was absolutely gorgeous in the woods there, with all the bright yellow beech leaves standing out in contrast to the dark green hemlocks, and the still beaver pond reflecting the fall foliage.  Haley had about 6 meltdowns (wrong jacket, don't want to walk, don't want to go in backpack, do want to go in backpack, etc etc), Kimball ran away after every other dog we passed, and Aiden spilled boiling hot "mountain tea" on his leg in the bird blind (and on the dog), causing another brief meltdown- BUT it was still worth getting out there on a day like that.  No doubt.  In my memory I'll recall the kids bundled up, sipping sweet tea in the chilly blind, looking out at the bright blue sky reflected in the quiet beaver pond.  Fall at its best.

view from the blind

leaf identification quizzes

We're back at UVAC swim lessons each weekend for Aiden, and he's been making more pillows too!

Pile The Leaves

On the whole, this Fall has been soggy and raw so far.  We finally got a sunny weekend day this past Saturday though... it was cold, but we'll take it!  The kids headed outside first thing in the morning to rake leaf piles and jump in them.  No Fall season is complete without that rite completed.  They discovered that the grass and many of the fallen leaves had frosted edges, which were fun to melt with your finger... a harbinger of the snow that is sure to come soon.

In the afternoon we gathered with friends for a hike in celebration of Ben Anderson's birthday.  The sweet little trail that leaves from Twin Lake Villa meanders alongside a stream for quite awhile, and the kids had a great time sprinting ahead wielding sticks and logs and whatever else they could find on the forest floor.  We also unearthed two geocaches on the way.  Then it was back to the Andersons for a late-season barbecue and cake for Ben.  Sunday was rainy again, so indoor projects ruled the day.  Getting us prepared for winter, I suppose.  Aiden sewed and stuffed a pillow from scratch, using some fabric and a weaving done by Nancy Lyon, a local artist who volunteered for Andy's work and unfortunately passed away recently.  We bought a number of her small "sample" weavings at a fundraiser for ASLPT a few days ago, and at the rate Aiden is going (2 pillows in the past week) I think they will all be turned into pillows shortly.

Off they rush... as far ahead of us as they can get!

Look at these goofballs!

Aiden with his first pillow

Poultry Preparations

This weekend my parents came down with a small house trailered to their pick-up.  Our chicken-house.  Since we agreed to take HaPa and Grandma's chickens in the "off season" while they are in the sunny south, they built us a beautiful coop to keep them in.  Dad milled the lumber himself from cedars taken down at the camp on Lake Champlain, and it came out perfect.  There are four little roosting boxes inside, just at the right height for the kids to collect the eggs, a removable droppings tray under the roosting bar, a varmint-proof door that automatically closes on a timer at dusk and opens every morning, and a well covered child-proof electrical outlet so the chickens can have 16 hours of light during the dreary winter months.

Over the long weekend, we built a partially covered run for the chickens too.  It's quite big enough for 7 laying hens, and they should be able to scratch around and attack vegetable scraps that we throw in to keep them busy.  We also painted the house a nice brick red color, and it looks really nice in the yard.  Now we just need some chickens!  Sometime in November is the planned transfer date for that.

We also had time this weekend to go to the UVAC splash park and hit the Warner Fall Foliage Festival with the Kennedys and VanVrankens.  Buffalo Plaid, a cover band featuring 3 of my co-workers, was playing at the festival and we had a good time dancing to their music.  Aiden is especially entranced every time we see them, and he dances like a maniac and then has to go up and personally say hi to the band members when they're done.  He's a Buffalo Plaid groupie.  Between that and the midway rides, sno-cones and a stuffed "chickie-pie" won at one of the carnival stands, it was a great night for Aiden.

What's that smell?

Kimball went and got herself skunked last week.  All I heard was Andy shreiking, "KIMBALL...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!!!" in the backyard, right around dusk, and when I went outside to see what was happening, it was more than obvious.  My nose told me the whole story immediately.  Meanwhile, Kimball was twitching her head around and foaming at the mouth, trying to get the stuff out of her eyes, nose and mouth.  It was like one of those very un-funny-at-the-time comedy scenes.

I was surprised by how different fresh, up close and personal skunk spray smells compared with what you pass on the highway at 70mph.  It's stinky alright, but way acrid...almost like burning rubber, and it hurts your nose to breathe it in.  Andy and I were totally unprepared for a skunking.  We tied the dog up outside and madly googled the best homeopathic way to wash a skunked dog- at 730pm in New London, there aren't any pet stores open, so no way were we getting any ready-made "doggy-deskunking shampoo."  The consensus from google was that tomato juice is sort of a myth, just masking the scent but not removing it.  Instead we went with a concoction of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing liquid.  Mix it up and apply liberally.  Rinse and repeat.  And repeat.  And repeat.  After about 6 washes, Kimball still has a distinctive funk to her if you get your nose down really close.  When it rains and her fur gets wet, she still downright smells.  Friends assure us this will go away eventually.... in about a year, or a week or so before the next time she gets skunked.