Colors

I'll give you one big, fat, orange guess where we went last weekend...

We went pumpkin-picking! And let me tell you -- I could write a whole post on the blue sky from that day. It was stunning.

Unfortunately, the best way to catch the sky's color is to shoot with the sun directly behind the camera (which usually means having the sun shining directly in the subject's face). So I don't have a ton of good blue pictures, but here are a couple that really showcase the gorgeous sky we had for our pumpkin patch trip.
We've been going to the pumpkin patch with our friends, the Cobbs, every October since 2005 (with the exception of last year when Josh had just lost his job -- hooray for making it through October 9 this year without getting fired!)

At our first visit to pick pumpkins, our little group totaled six people. This year? Well, it was a few more than six...

We had a few minutes to kill before the Cobbs got there, so the kids climbed like monkeys all over the massive orange pumpkins and the big green tractor...

...but my favorite pictures came when they walked out in the field together to watch the tractor/train run around the field. That green grass/blue sky combination was incredible!! (And I happen to think the tiny people are pretty amazing, too.)

OK, maybe those weren't my very, very favorites. They were the runners-up to this gem...

And while this one certainly isn't spectacular, it just makes me laugh for some reason. It's very American Gothic-ish.

Minus the pitchfork.
I was deep in photographer mode when I suddenly heard, "Ab-beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" screaming in our direction.

Alrighty then -- looks like the Cobbs are here.

Next it was on to the hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Step 1: Find the perfect pumpkin.

Step 2: Claim your pumpkin.

Step 3: Pick your pumpkin up off the ground (no easy task for a one-year-old -- I really wish you could see Izzy's face up close to get the full effect).

Step 4: Carry your pumpkin (equivalent to approximately half your body weight) back across the field to the wagon.

Step 5: Be sure to rest along the way.

Before we left, we took a quick ride around the field in the tractor/train contraption. I don't know if you can see my face, but my slight "freak-out" look is due to the fact that my friend, Kerry, shouted to me as we started off, "Did you know that thing flipped over last year? Don't let my girls get hurt!!"

Sure. No pressure. I used the enormous strength in my right arm to hold us all up the whole time.
After a quick bite at the picnic tables (serenaded by a little quartet of 117-year-olds), it was time to say goodbye to the blue skies of the country.

Until next year...