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| Click on Image to Enlarge Our little lefty literally attacks her pumpkin at Carvepalooza 2017 |
Saturday evening, some of the usual participants gathered around my sister's dining room table for an evening of pumpkin carving. This year we nicknamed it Carvepalooza 2017.
Four generations attended, including two men who helped with the heavy lifting; although, only the x-chroma-zones actually did any carving. My mom watched and kept us all company, as four of us dug in to my sister's "home-grown" pumpkins.
My sister carved a creative traditional jack-o-lantern, and her annual mouse-house accomplished with a power drill; my youngest daughter cut out her own hand-print and scraped down the outside of her orange-green pumpkin to a freaky finish; I carved two skeleton hands and spooky eyes into my tall orange canvas; and my youngest granddaughter attacked her pumpkin with enthusiasm, strength and endurance I have rarely before seen in a six-year-old.
At one point, a Bach organ prelude filtered up from the lower level of the house - my brother-in-law practicing for a Sunday church service - providing Phantom of the Opera-like music that somehow seemed totally appropriate to the occasion.
We missed the family members not in attendance this year, but otherwise enjoyed the evening immensely, even the clean-up. As always, the favourite part of the evening is lighting up all the finished jack-o-lanterns and taking pictures in the festive glow: It's always an Ooh and Awe moment.
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| Click on Image to Enlarge This years' jack-o-lantern collection |
Kudos to my sister for growing the fabulous pumpkins we carved this year: It's a real accomplishment. And, tonight three of those orange beauties lit up our front porch to greet the youngsters who came trick-or-treating.
Not unlike the warm glow of the jack-o-lanterns in the darkness outside, Carvepalooza is a lovely long-standing family tradition that lights up my heart each year.
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| Click Image to Enlarge Photo by: Bryan Salisbury |
