Blazing Pumpkins

I love Halloween. I wish it wasn't over. It's one of my favorite holidays. I just love the creepiness sf it all.

This weekend we went to an event up in the Hudson Valley called The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze. It was on the grounds of Van Cortlandt Manor. As we were getting off the highway you could see the sea of blazing pumpkins from the road.

With my 2 girls, the hubbs, and camera in hand, we followed the crowd and the bright orange lights ahead of us. Wow!!! This was amazing! Hundreds of pumpkins intricately carved and positioned to create different forms. My older one wasn't too impressed. Wanted it to be more scary. "But look at those carvings. Aren't they amazing!!" I squealed. "I'm hungry" was the response I got. My little one was just off that night. You know what I mean? You can just tell when something is up with your kid. Yes, the event we had been waiting for for weeks now, and my little one decides to get sick, and cranky, and tired, and sick, and cranky, and tired. "Pick me up!!" was all we kept hearing. I don't even think she knew where we were! Completely oblivious to her surroundings. Why didn't we think to bring the stroller??

Well, I did manage to take a bunch of pics. Thought it would be fun to share with everyone. It absolutely doesn't even come close to seeing it in person, but I think its worth a look. Keep in mind, this was just me and my camera. No flash, no tripod, no mono pod. Just me, steady as I can, holding my breath and hoping for the best. This is what I got...

Hello there...

flying above us in the trees

OK - here's when the rainbow of lights started. I swear I didn't change the color of these photos in Photoshop. This was really how it looked - the lights on the manor kept changing to give different effects. Cool!!

This one is my favorite. It has a ghostly effect. Extra creepy!

My older daughter liked this one the best. "Pink Mama!" I say purple, she says pink. We settle on purplish pink. That works.

Look who we found lurking in the corner...

The part I actually like best about this next one is the blurry lights in the background. Love the bokeh!!

X-Files anyone??

I know this one is super blurry, but this spider web was amazing in person!! I couldn't resist.

Now we head into Jurassic Park...

followed by a snake pit,

pirate ship,

and of course, a pirate. What's a pirate ship without a pirate?!?

Peace, baby.

Finally a send off from this guy. Bye!!

So, what did you think?!? Did any of you go and see it? Would love to hear about it.

If you want to catch it in person next year, make sure to order your tickets early. They sell out really quickly!!

And, don't forget the stroler.