Results are in!

It was a perfect day for a giant pumpkin weigh off.  There were lots of backyard giants to see, but of course, we were cheering loudest for our grower and his giant.  Here he is waiting for his turn on the scale.

They line all the pumpkins up based on estimated weight.  They start with the smaller ones first, then move on to the gigantic ones.  They are too big to lift by hand, so they put harnesses on them and use a forklift to lift them all.

There were a lot of pumpkins ahead of our grower's pumpkin.  Finally, it was his turn.  He was entry 11 (I think 11 is a lucky number...I was hoping it would be lucky for him).

Making his way to the scale.

Father and son watching patiently.

He's on the scale....the moment we've been waiting for....

Yes, he is officially 923 pounds!!!!  A personal record for our grower.  Congratulations Steve!  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to tell the story of your giant pumpkin.

The giant pumpkin is back home.  I will definitely spend some more time photographing him. Thank you all for cheering him on.

it's on the truck...

The pumpkin is off the ground!  WOOHOO!!

Now, here's the story of how we got to that moment....

Last pic of the pumpkin on the vine.

In past years, many friends, family members and neighbors have come together to lift the pumpkin.  This year's pumpkin is definitely too big to be lifted even by a group of people.  Our grower needed to find an alternate way to get  this giant onto the truck.  He found this...

Once constructed, the pumpkin was put into a harness, and then he began to pull the chain which would lift the pumpkin of the ground.

Watching something this large leave the ground was a little bit stressful.  I think we all held our breath as he initially left the ground.  Thankfully, the pumpkin did great. Harness held up great, and the pumpkin was off the ground.

There was a collective sigh of relief once he made it onto the truck.

Pumpkin and his proud grower! If anyone wants to send them good luck wishes for the weigh off tomorrow, you can do so in the comments here or on my facebook page and I will be sure to pass them on.

All set and ready to go.  I wonder what the other drivers will think when they see a giant pumpkin in the back of a truck.

I will be posting lots of pics of the weigh off tomorrow.  If you don't already follow my facebook page, please click here and click on the like button at the top of the page.  I will be posting pics of the pumpkins there too.  Also, be sure to post how much you think they pumpkin will weigh there.  After the weight off, I will post who has bragging rights for guessing the closest weight.

It's almost time to lift the giant pumpkin...

This afternoon, the giant pumpkin will be lifted out of the pumpkin patch.  In past years, with smaller pumpkins, a lot of people put their strength together and literally lifted him up.  This pumpkin is far too big to lift like that.  I won't give away all the details of his lift yet (I will post those pics later).

If you haven't guessed his weight yet, please visit my facebook page and be sure to post your guess (the pic above is from a few days ago).  Weigh off is tomorrow...will keep you all posted.

the weigh off is just days away...

It's almost time for this backyard giant to be lifted out of his pumpkin patch, and taken on a journey to a giant scale.

It is getting cold here at night, and keeping a giant pumpkin warm is lots of work.  I visited him early one morning, as his grower was "taking his blankets off."

Yes, there are lots of layers to keep him warm.  The tarp will keep the blankets dry, then a heavy sleeping bag, and more blankets under that.

His color has gotten so much brighter in the last few weeks.  

Look how big the giant pumpkin is next to his proud grower.

This weekend, I will be there for the lifting of this giant onto a truck and I will be cheering him on as he gets weighed. I will capture it all and share it with you.  Be sure to leave any guesses on how much his official weight will be?

It's the most wonderful time....

I live for autumn.  I wait impatiently for the leaves to change into brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow.  I love the crunching sound they make when you jump into a freshly raked pile of beautiful leaves. I love the crisp air, the smell of apple pie, pumpkin spice latte, apple picking, plaid blankets, giant pumpkins....I love it all.  I look at the first signs of fall and I just think (to quote the Christmas song) "it's the most wonderful time of the year."

I'm starting a new photo series (yes, there will still be forgotten places)....autumn.  I can't wait to capture all the beauty this season holds.  There will be more photos of the giant pumpkin as this is his season; but there will be lots of other great autumn photos too.

Here is a little peek at what I am working on.

I can't wait to share all the beautiful things that make this my favorite time of the year.

the remains of a Mansion

On our first visit to Portland, we knew we wanted to see the remains of Goddard Mansion.  I wasn't expecting there to be much left...maybe some corner stones, perhaps a fireplace.  I would have been thrilled to see just that, as I think any remains are beautiful.  We followed the path to the mansion and were surprised when we saw this beauty in front of us.

The mansion was built in the 1850s.  It was the home of Colonel John Goddard and his family who lived here until the late 1800s. 

Of course, the windows are my favorite part.

In 1898, the US Army aquired the mansion.  It was turned into housing for married enlisted service men and their families who were stationed at Fort Williams.

I just loved the stairs to nowhere.

We continued on to visit the Fort.

This was my favorite photo from the Fort.

 

It's beginning to feel like Fall...

Although today is considered the end of the summer season, as I write this on Labor Day; today felt a lot like autumn standing in the pumpkin patch.  The air had that fall chill to it, a gigantic pumpkin in front of me....all I was missing was a pumpkin spice latte.  

I haven't been to the pumpkin patch in over week, so I couldn't wait to see how much this giant changed in that time. Although I knew he would be bigger and more orange, I was still surprised when I saw him.

He is now measuring 800 POUNDS!!! Yes, you read that right.

It's hard to even imagine how gigantic a pumpkin like this is until you stand in the pumpkin patch with it.  I tried to look over the top of it, and it was too big.  The measuring tape no longer fits around his widest part.

In a few weeks this giant will be lifted out of the pumpkin patch and head off to a giant pumpkin weigh off.  I will be there to photograph it.  Having the opportunity to photograph this giant as he grows is such an awesome experience. 

After visiting the giant pumpkin, the long gourd was next.  Two were harvested already, but one continues to grow.

While there, I got to help measure it.  Yes, that is 98 1/2 inches.  

The two already harvested long gourds.  The shortest one is 2 inches taller than I am.  And yes, this is the man who grows these giants.