Gourd Wranglin' in the Town of Beavers

On 10, heading to Clare. . .

If that title doesn't raise an eyebrow, folks, I don't know what will.

So while Yours Truly was out reliving my blurry High School years out at Trevor's with an assortment of old scoundrels this weekend, Kris and the girls opted to do something a little more . . . well, family friendly.

Trees changing colors?  Still a big deal in THIS family. . .

Since we were in the neck of the woods anyway, and Halloween is quickly approaching and everything, Cindy invited Kris and the girls out to Beaverton to check out some gigantor pumpkin patch they have out there.  For the last few years, Dad and Cindy have repeatedly came down to Orlando to hit up local pumpkin patches with the girls right around Halloween, so it made since.

Much earlier in October than usual, this time around, but I guess up here in Michigan pumpkins don't rot overnight if left outside.  So we got that going for us these days.

Two of my nephews - Bradley and Jax - as well as Kris' mom, Marcy, also went along on this grand ol' pumpkin quest, and by the looks of things, it was a pretty swell time.

Check it out.:

You forget how often you see these things driving through rural mid-Michigan (they're nonexistent in Central Florida.)

Home Sweet Home

Driving through my old neighborhood, en route to Dad's.  Kris dropped me off around 11am before heading over to her Mom's to visit for awhile.  By 2pm, Kimmel swung by and picked me up to head to the brewery downtown (our adventures that followed, of course, you already know about), and Kris and the girls would meet Cindy back at the house around 3pm.

Alayna, Abby, Bradley and Jax arrive at the pumpkin patch in Beaverton. . .

Looking at some kind of domesticated animal.  I wasn't there, so I don't know.

Abby - and her buttcrack - venture into the perilous unknown of a treacherous hay bale maze. . .

Checking out another passageway.  The kids apparently had a blast finding their way through this thing (fortunately it stood just high enough that little kids couldn't see their way to freedom, but adults lacking a fine-tuned sense of direction - like my wife - could.)

Freedom at last.

I hate goats.  God, I hate goats so much.

Those two kids climbing the fence were later torn to pieces by a pack of murderous sheep.  So I'm told.

Feeding. . . some kind of hooved animal.  Probably goats again - they're like the 'Smiths' and 'Joneses' of the Petting Zoo.

Sharing snacks with. . . more frickin' goats.

Jax picks out his lunch.

How come pigs never look like pigs when you see them in real life?  I've never heard of black, hairy pigs. . . only the fat, pink kinds.

These photo ops never turn out.

Not sure this is going to end well. 

Feeding the creatures in the kid exhibit. . .

Hunting pumpkins down in the wild. . . with a bunch of other paying customers.

Abby nabs her giant vegetable for the day.

(I think that's Alayna. . . but it could also be just some random kid.)

Getting ready to head back to the farm, pumpkins collected.

Alayna and her pumpkin.

Hot cocoa and donuts at the. . . wherever the hell it is they're eating, here.  Again, I wasn't here for any of this, so I don't know what I'm talking about.

Girls and gourds, ca. 2015.

- Brian