October 31, 2019

Pushing pumpkins

I flash orange-tinged jazz hands to you all!

I don’t recall pumpkin patches being such a big deal during my youth in Ontario. We either bought them at the supermarket or my Grampa gave them to us. He grew lots of different vegetables as a retiree/gentleman farmer. The Rising Family™ has its own way of doing things: Embrace the Pumpkin Experience.
Yeah, I’ve got pumpkins on the brain. That’s due to the variety of pumpkin patch outings we’ve had since late September.
And the fact that it is Hallowe’en this evening.
This year, we first encountered the magical orange squash plants during a visit to Cheekwood. It’s an old-money family residence which now is botanical garden and historic estate.
We went there in late September for a Japanese cultural event. But we stopped in our tracks upon seeing this remarkable house made of straw and pumpkins.
Next, we ventured out on our 2nd annual trek to the pumpkin patches on local farms. The idea is to say goodbye to summer and welcome the fall by seeing the farms, enjoying the harvest, and briefly touching the pastoral life.
It’s healthy outdoor family recreation: go on a hay ride; feed the animals; navigate the corn maze; and sample pumpkin flavored foods and beverages.
Of course, during the visit you can also see hundreds of pumpkins. Different shapes, sizes and colors! A great chance to choose the perfect pumpkin for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Beats the supermarket every time.

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October 21, 2019

Summer 2019 Scraps

Courtesy of ed.com via Marian Wayan & Shutterstock
Summer is the greatest season. But it does end. According to the calendar, summer faded into autumn on September 23. In middle Tennessee, according to the thermometer, it was much later. Through the first week of October this year, Nashville's temperature surpassed the 90ºF (33ºC) mark nearly 100 times. Almost 25 percent of the year that hot? It warms my heart! 
That much heat, humidity and fine weather enabled a lot of activity. So here are a few more scraps of summer 2019--time well spent.

“Visiting with folks”
A few days before my family returned home from summer leave in Nippon, I took a solo trip to Tallahassee to see longtime bud Mike Penilski in his native habitat. He was on vacay with his family. I took the opportunity to take another long drive, always a pleasure for me, and visit them for a day. It was PG-rated, no buddy bacchanalia. 
Mainly this was a dip in Wakulla Springs, a taste of Florida panhandle hospitality, and cocktails on the boat deck at sundown.
The Rising Family came back to Music City in late July and the silly season continued. My brother and his girlfriend came to visit us mid-August. This enabled me to conduct a tour of downtown Nashville and fire up the BBQ. It was great to have other relations join my family here.
County Fair
We hit the Williamson County Fair with all the smells, sights and bustle that it entails. As my daughters grow up, they want to indulge in different carnival rides, and their taste in food changes. So this year stressed more exciting, adrenal rides. Less kiddie stuff.  It was the second year that we had major league fun. 
I love the agricultural origins of these fairs. They remind us of where our food comes from. And the families, flirting teenagers, doting grandparents—old time, uncomplicated fun. A source of youthful joy. Hard to come by as the world grows faster and more complex.

Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay + Louisville Slugger Museum
We took advantage of Louisville this year! Spent two days riding Kentucky Kingdom’s roller coasters and amusement park attractions, and dipping and zipping in Hurricane Bay’s water park. 
This year, I also convinced Marina Man to come with me to the Louisville Slugger museum tour in downtown Louisville. It was baseball heaven. With this visit and two ballgames under her belt this year, I am exposing her more to the joys of the summer game. The museum visit tugged at the heartstrings of history and was educational. I loved every minute of it!
Beyond the history oozing from the walls and dripping on the wood shavings, I saw staff making new bats for today's heroes from all 30 major league clubs including Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (Blue Jays) and Joey Votto (Reds).

I closed the season underlined by a weeklong obsession with the song “Summer Girl” by the L.A. sister trio Haim. It’s right up there among the great hits about Los Angeles, but with clear nods to Lou Reed. It became my song of summer 2019.

It’s great to be alive, people.