Prichard Hall

October 24, 2009 – Well, we now had about 30 pounds worth of pumpkin sitting in our tiny kitchen.  So, naturally we wanted to carve them.  At a later point.  This morning we had more pressing concerns; namely, a photo stroll through campus, with a detour to Starbucks.  We wanted to take pictures of the pretty Fall colors, before all the leaves disappeared.  (It was a good thing we went this weekend, too, because in just a few days the weather would turn from nippy to wintery, and the leaves would seem to blow away overnight.)

These pumpkins are ready for Halloween.

In the evening, we got out our pumpkin carving knife, and had some fun making designs and faces.  We also put candles inside the pumpkins, and turned off the lights so we could admire our handiwork.

Pumpkins on the farm.

October 24, 2009 – The weekend before Halloween, we traveled over to Sinkland Farms to pick our own pumpkins.  The farm is just about 25 minutes form the apartment, and is on the outskirts of Christiansburg.  We parked in the field, and wandered around the outdoor crafts and livestock area (complete with horses, chickens, and pygmy goats).  There was also a Bluegrass band playing on a makeshift stage.  Then, we walked down to the pumpkin patch.  Since Halloween was just a few days away, the patch was pretty picked over.  However, we found two nice sized pumpkins and carried them back to the cashier tent.  We also picked up a nice bunch of Indian corn; it was pretty, purple and burgundy.

View from the Parkway.

After getting our pumpkins back to the car, we decided to keep on driving over to the Blue Ridge parkway.  We headed south, towards North Carolina.  We took a short hike across from one of the ranger stations/picnic areas.  Many of the trees were bare, but there were still patches of bright yellow dotting the hillside.  We also stopped at Groundhog Mountain for the view and a sign picture.