It's hard to tell when Fall has arrived in Williamsburg. The last of the leaves are still on the trees here in the first week of November and despite the fact that we had frost last night it is supposed to be 75 and rainy on Monday. But even with the confusing weather we have managed to embrace the season. A few weeks ago the three of us visited what was quite possibly the best pumpkin patch ever. It was a chilly day so we bundled up and headed over to Surrey. Unbeknownst to us this involved a trip on a small ferry boast across the James River. Jack loved being on the boat, so much so that he was rather reluctant to get back in the car for the rest of the trip. When we got to College Run Farms we were given a map and a pair of cutters and headed out into the fields. There were so many different types of pumpkins it was hard to choose. Finally we settled on 2 huge Mammoth Golds, some Cinderellas, a Lumina, regular Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins and a few Long Island Cheese (great for cooking), as well as a few assorted gourds. Jack loved running around the fields. He picked out his little pumpkin almost immediately and carefully carried it with him wherever he scrambled. For the trip home we shared a cup of delicious pumpkin ice cream, made at the farm - it lasted as far as the ferry. Mimi and BaBob came for Halloween. We spent one afternoon carving the pumpkins - Jack got to help and was especially good at the disemboweling. BaBob bravely donned his Man in The Yellow Hat costume to accompany Jack, aka Curious George, around the neighbor hood. It was a warm evening with lots of clouds skittering across the sky and flocks of geese flying low over our heads - very atmospheric. Jack loved trick-or-treating, or "tee-teat" as he called it. He actually walked the entire way and gamely strode up to the doors where he would wait for BaBob to knock then very quietly say "tee-teat." To his credit he did say thank you to almost everyone! He got a pretty decent haul and was thrilled to tuck into his first candy bar. The snickers were a huge hit. Since then we've been enjoying the lovely fall weather (finally!) and trying to get used to the time change although Jack is determined to have nothing to do with it. Hopefully Fall will last for awhile longer, or perhaps this is winter - who can tell.
