Patchy

SOGGY PUMPKINS: A few weeks ago, we saw on the news that there was a corn maze with a Ken Griffey Jr. theme. Of *course* that's where we had to go this year for our annual pumpkin hunt!

The scene above was one of the first things we saw coming into our chosen pumpkin hunting grounds, and it about summed up our experience.

The 5-acre maze was in the Nisqually Basin, at Schilter Family Farm. Schedule being what it was, we wound up going there when the sky was crying. Hard. Oh well, We soldiered on!

Behold the pretty barns in the Nisqually basin, we'd unknowingly passed by this farm many times. They're just east of Interstate 5. 

Though we weren't there for pumpkins, we had to avail ourselves to the cheesy photo opps in the pumpkin patch. 

Truth be told, most of the pumpkins we saw were way past their prime. 

We spent some time in the petting barn area. It was time well spent because, although there are plenty of animal petting opportunities at the Washington State Fair, the kids are so ride-focused there, we usually skip that. In the rain yesterday, a dry animal barn was a great place to hang out.

This sweet calf was tolerant of many gentle pets.

We checked out some chicks.

And the goats hoped we'd put a quarter in the feed machine. Unfortunately, we had no change. :(

Some pig! This baby didn't wake up when CJ and Annabelle stroked it gently.

The farm offers pony rides as part of the draw. There were none on the dreary day we visited. We didn't sweat it, though. This pony had zero interest in interacting with us. We presumed it was a 'ride' pony.

Annabelle produced this cartoon with that in mind.

The corn maze was our main draw, and we spent some soggy time in it.

 We found just handful of the markers on the 'to do' list, though.

Below, the kids stand in the middle of the "4" in "24."

A good portion of the maze was darn near impassable. This mud was ankle deep if you dared wade in.

Se we decided to be 'ok' with not finding every marker. 

Other attractions weren't open, either.

But it was fun wondering what corn shooting out of this might look like!

 The kids stood under a goat run (they apparently sometimes walk atop the gangplank pictured below).  However, the goats were smart enough to stay under cover!

CJ and Annabelle had no trouble navigating this hay maze. My allergies are still paying the price, however. 

All on all, it was a fun day, and we're glad we made the trip.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

HOT DAWGS: Saturday afternoon we had the great pleasure of heading to the gorgeous University of Washington campus under full on blue skies, bright sunshine and pleasant temperatures. It was a lovely October day!

We caught a bus less than a block from home and it dropped us off on the northwest part of campus. From there, we walked our way toward the southeast corner of campus. Naturally, we had to stop and admire the view at Drumheller Fountain. 

We, and a whole lot of other people, eventually made our way to Husky Stadium. I haven't been there much since its major renovation, and I am still wowed by how much different - and more comfortable - it is now. 

We were there more than an hour ahead of kick off, so we headed to the east end zone for some tailgating. 

There, among the throngs of partying purple people, Annabelle managed to sit down and get some art-making time in. 

The University of Washington Marching band made an appearance, playing the old standards like "Bow Down to Washington" and "Tequila." 

As we made our way to our seats, I had to stop to admire these saxophones glistening in the sunlight.

 And these slide trombones were most impressively stored on the sidewalk!

Our seats were up high. Way, way high. As in row 55 of the third level. As we sat down, I noted that it would have been nice to have a sherpa along for our climb up. 

But the upside of seats so high is that we were afforded breathtaking views.

This shot of the softball field made me more determined than ever to get to a UW softball game this year.

We also appreciated all the trees putting on a fall show of color.

 The Husky Marching Band was terrific, as always. Their presentation of the flag was clever and well-executed.

 The halftime show featured theme songs from old TV shows featuring super heroes. I enjoyed seeing the Wonder Woman logo come to life!

Oh, and there was a football game, too. A good one, if you're a Husky fan. (Not so great if you were a Beavers fan.)

Toward the end of the game, we abandoned our high perch and headed for some standing room spots in the endzone. It was fun being close the action. 

HAWK-Y: Another day, another game. Come Sunday, we were all about the Seahawks. We had our first 'Hawks party of the year. For the occasion, we carved and painted a pumpkin into a 12 theme (Seahawks' fans are called 12s as in the Twelfth man on the field). Then, we stuck a spigot into the pumpkin and turned it into a pumpkin beer keg.

We thought it was nice of Cap'N Crunch to make some Touchdown Crunch featuring Seahawks' colors!

Christian carved a groovy design into a standard orange pumpkin. I made some Harvest Ale cupcakes featuring Elysian Night Owl pumpkin ale.  

It was a long, frustrating, often terrible game. AND IT ENDED IN A TIE. 

That's right, a tie. And we're talking American football, not soccer.

Oh so unsatisfying. But our party was fun, nonetheless.