Blazing Pumpkins Nicely Put Together

Every year in the past few, this event is getting bigger and bigger, but so do the crowds.... and, this is the problem, for me. On the Saturday I visited--on the first day of the 2010 season--there were too many people. Not that the tour has to be completed by a certain time, but if you're in a long line of people, you feel others on your back... not to mention the stroller that keep attacking your feet.

Those of you who do night photography know how important it is to have a steady camera without being nudged by other bodies. No tripods allowed and there aren't flat surfaces where you can place your camera to take proper long-exposure pictures. Most of my pictures from this night are better suited for the Museum of Modern Art.

This old house dates back to 18th century. Allegedly ghosts still haunt it.

But, overall it was a great night to be out and see pumpkins carved and arranged in such a creative way.

Spider Web, a little heavier than usual

The expert carvers are doing several hundred pumpkins every week while the show is on--which is about a month. However, you have to ask in order to find out that the 5,000+ lighted pumpkins on display aren't all real. They do have real ones--those that have candles burning inside, but most of the displays are styrofoam with a shelf life of 5 years; those have miniature electric lights.

Nailed to a tree

With the weather being unpredictable as autumn rolls in, we got lucky to visit on a great night. In the several days prior, we had storms with heavy downpours in the tri-state area. This wouldn't be a problem if you could just go when the weather is good, but they only sell a limited number of tickets and for specific times; ours was the 9 pm slot. The tickets have to be purchased well in advance as they sell out quickly.

It looked more impressive when I saw this