Sunday, October 07, 2012

The Evidence of Fall

Maybe you've heard me proclaim that we have no Fall here in South Florida. The weather doesn't cooperate with the calendar, and we're left with little to get excited about. No leaves changing, no cool air; it's pretty much life as usual. For the most part, Fall just isn't much of a sensory experience where we live.


But what was I thinking?! I forgot that we actually do have a way of telling when Fall has arrived.


It's the Pumpkin Patch at Trinity United Methodist Church in Palm Beach Gardens.


For years Trinity has been taking advantage of the great lawn out in front of their brick church. They load it down with thousands of pumpkins! (The guy there told me each shipment they receive has about 5,000 pumpkins in it and they were getting, (we think he said) 6 shipments.) Of course Casey heard differently about how many pumpkins. She thought he said 2,000 pumpkins per shipment. So as you can see our actual facts are iffy. We just know it's a lot of pumpkins!

Through the years we've made it there now and again for the spectacle and the fun of hunting for pumpkins. Most years, we tend to forget.

So this year, Casey and I decided to head over while we were both home for an hour at the same time, and while we were thinking of it, so we could get a glimpse of our only known South Florida evidence of Fall. 

It was a hot, sunny afternoon and the rain hadn't made it's way over from the West yet. We arrived to a visual sea of pumpkins and no other customers, which was kinda fun, especially since once the schools start to come on field trips, it gets kinda crazy there. They had some cute displays, wagons for hauling kids and pumpkins, scarecrows, hay, and they were also selling pumpkin bread.


My hope was to find that they had blue pumpkins (a phenomenon I was alerted to by Revi over at Revisionary Life). Unfortunately, there was not a blue one to be found at this pumpkin patch. 

They did have a very few really dark grayish green ones but they were covered with lots of creepy pumpkin warts. So I opted for a cool veiny one instead. I also snagged one of the few teeny little white ones they had. The guy said the kind of pumpkin I got (the big veiny one) has been known to last all year if you keep it indoors. Nice; I like getting my money's worth.

Casey wanted to take my picture by the big pumpkin height chart, but I passed and got a shot of her instead (makes for a much better picture I assure you), high black work socks and all. Too bad they didn't have this height chart back when the kids were little so we'd have the comparison photos. 


We do have a shot of all three of the kids standing under a tree in the middle of the pumpkins back in the day. So we got a picture of Casey with her pumpkin standing under that tree as well. She was trying to recreate the same stance as her childhood photo so we could compare them when we got home. 

My how they've both grown - she and the tree! The tree was just a little thing with it's branches hanging just above the kids heads last time they took a photo there.



The next day, the little silver Pottery Barn frames below came home with me from a garage sale. They had been used as dish markers. I decided to make use of them in another way for the time being. So today while working on a sign I've been making, I worked on these as well. Last night I cleaned the frames a bit and today I worked on painting all the glass with chalkboard paint.

The plan for the frames was to spell out something pertaining to Fall. Since I only had 5 frames, I went with the obvious, F-A-L-L (I know; I'm just busting with creativity!) and used the leftover frame to draw a leaf. This way, in case it stays hot and I forget it's Fall, I'll have the word right there to spell it out for me. :) Yes, the L's look a bit like C's, but I had no intention of starting over.

In the end, I decided I liked it better without the old books in the mix. You have to say, I'm trying to be a sport and participate in "FALL". You've gotta give me some points for that.

What? You don't? Oh. Never mind then.

Meanwhile these little chalkboard frames will come in handy for all sorts of other things when they are finished serving as my Fall reminder.



The book on the table, Autumn, is a Susan Branch recipe book I've had for years. The old books were purchased at one of the sales on Saturday, for 50 cents each. They include: The Complete Works of Alfred Tennyson (1883); It also has an inscription inside dated June 11 - 1886, which says:



"To Sallie, from her friend and teacher, H.S. Leslie. June - 11 - 1886." 

...The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (1940) and The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe (1946).


Each of the books has so much character to it, but I think they are making my table look a little cluttered right now. I'll just have to find a new spot for them.

Check back soon and I'll unveil the little sign I've been working on and more of what I found this weekend as well.

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP

22 comments:

  1. We have a huge pumpkin event up here on NY called Blaze. There are thousands of pumpkins, many of which are lit up and many are carved into varying shapes like dinosaurs, scarecrows, etc. it is a huge event and gets sold out weeks in advance. Your daughter is adorable and thank you stopping by my blog!

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  2. Liz I do really like those Frames-neet idea..SORRY ABOUT YOUR 'FALL" season [or lack thereof lol ] LOOK WHO'S TALKING..can't brag much about that in south Alabama. I have to GO SEARCHING to find a few beautiful leaves in 'shades of fall'.I actually went out and GATHERED a handful [5] large colorful leaves from the front yard..now hv to hurry and take some pictures before they finish drying and turn one shade of fall DARK BROWN. Hey we take what we are given don't we and find a way to enjoy it. U should see my SNOW PICTURES from 2011.Yes, we did..have SNOW.Shall I call you if it happens again?

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  3. Hi Liz,

    I've seen more of autumn in your beautiful photos than in my neck of the woods here in the Mediterranean!I LOVE the red and turquoise buckets of orangey minis and the sunflowers against the green of the grass. Looks like a lot of fall fun!

    Have a great week.

    Poppy

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  4. Great vignette. The little Pottery Barn frames as mini chalkboards are very cool.

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  5. Liz, I hear you, we've had hot weather here, too, there was no smell of Fall in the air... Love the little pumpkins and the giant ones... and the old books, I love them the most :)

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  6. Love your Florida Fall vignette and the wee frames are perfect! Lovely, lovely books too; I especially like the inscription! Great pic of Casey by the tree... are you going to dig out the original one for us too? :D Your big pumpkin is very cool and how lucky you two were to hit the pumpkin patch before the field trip arrived! TFS! :)

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  7. We have one more day of cool temps then back to 88, but I'll take it! Your Casey is beautiful. My nieces sport the black socks and Sperry's, too. They wouldn't be caught dead in white socks these days. ;)
    I love finding old books- especially with inscriptions.
    I haven't come across a blue pumpkin yet, but I'm on the hunt! i like the colors on yours, though.
    I see MY pickle sign all over Pinterest!

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  8. I'd take your warm weather in a heartbeat! I would really love a trip to Florida about mid January - and stay till about May!

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  9. I LOVE old book! I have this weird feeling when I buy them that I am meant to try to return them to their family. Odd story: Shopping a church booksale with my daughter...pick up a kid's book, my daughter says my son loves that book. I open the cover and it has a book plate inside. It belonged to my brother-in-law when he was a little boy. (he passed a way 20 yrs ago...way too young)I started to cry....of all the books...in all the towns....I gave it to his college age son....I was just meant to be the courier.....so I LOVE the inscription in the cover of yours.....just think about that family tree!

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  10. I love the "pumpkin patch!" That has to be a ton of work to bring in that many.

    Cute picture of your daughter.

    I love the chalkboards inserted in the frames. Very creative!

    Have a great day.
    Pam

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  11. Your fall vignette looks great! I love the frames done with chalkboard paint ~ genius :) I grew up in the south and remember getting our pumpkins from the church. Now I live in the NW where there's a farm/pumpkin patch every two miles and it's "pumpkins galore". Happy Fall!

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  12. Liz, Your Fall vignette is wonderful even though you don't have the cooler temps to go along with it. Love the display!
    Mary Alice

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  13. I just cannot imagine now having a fall. As far as the pumpkins, I would be the first one there every year, and probably the last one to leave too. They all look beautiful in your pics. Thanks for coming by my place :)

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  14. I think you are doing very well getting into the spirit of fall. That pumpkin patch looks like it was a fun place to go and make memories. Your fall vignette is very pretty. The temperatures have cooled down here so the leaves will be turning soon. You can feel free to get back at us when we all are freezing and you are in sunny Florida.--------------Shannon

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  15. I always wondered who it was that needed signs to remind them it was fall. Now I know!

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  16. That's a lot of pumpkins! I love the photos, especially #4 :)

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  17. Great idea for the small frames, and as usual...what a haul! Love the books. And always good to see Casey, of course!

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  18. I like the subdued nature of your fall display. I have gone as far as getting the bin with the fall stuff in it out of the attic, but it is sitting in the upstairs hallway. Maybe next year. Books are never, ever clutter. I love to find old ones with inscriptions in them.

    I don't think I would like the way that pumpkin was looking at Casey!

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  19. Those pics look as if they could have come from up North / AMAZING!
    Now that's one smart church you have down there! :) how nice that they have this!

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