Pumpkins A Plenty!

And these are the ones “not good enough” left in the field!

I had no idea that this corner of Virginia was so busy in pumpkin production,  but it was fun to see trucks hauling loads of pumpkins down winding country roads --- I kept taking in my surroundings thinking “I’m on Walton’s Mountain!”

When I was explaining my wonder at the fields of pumpkins – and then being told these were the “dregs” left to rot in the fields, I wondered why they weren’t good enough.   Are they too small? not orange enough?  Mis-shapen?  All I can think about is making pumpkin pies, and pumpkin bars, and pumpkin cheesecake rolls – and maybe even pumpkin soup, and all of those roasted pumpkinseeds for snacking ---

I love pumpkins!!

On this particular country road where I was pulled over, was an old church --- and the trees were so colorful:

Tiny little Primitive Baptist Church – who knows how long it’s been there, it looks like a one room thing!  And across the other corner was the church cemetery ----

Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere --- pumpkins!

My GPS did the fail again --- farther into the mountains I had no cell phone signal at all, so that was not much help either.  The route guidance ended as did the turn by turn directions.  I had to stop where some locals were working on a pickup truck and ask where this road was.  They told me --- I was not far off, and once I was on the right road, I could find the house by reading the house numbers on mail boxes as I traveled further back away from the main road.

When I found THIS landmark, just right where she told me it would be --- I knew I’d found my place!

This is the view from Linda’s upper deck.  Acres and acres of mountain farmland and wilderness.  Cattle graze lazily on the still green hillside pastures.

Behind the rise stands Buffalo Mountain, the tallest mountain in the area.

I’m only about 80 or so miles from home, it it feels completely remote and very very far away!

This morning we are headed out for a breakfast ---and to visit one of the old mills on the Blue Ridge Parkway ---it’s one of the major tourist photo op spots along the Parkway --- and with the autumn color still making a great show, I’m glad to have the opportunity to see it.

From there we will head out to set up for this morning’s lecture ----and then we will see what the afternoon will bring!