Patty's visit and the giant pumpkin

Patti Gotrik came to town,not too long ago, and spent a long weekend with us. We went out to eat, a lot: Malhi's Indian Cuisine, Casa Gutiuerrez etc. I swear Patty's taste buds are on fire. I coaxed into eating everything possible spicy and when I waited for her to gasp or cough she simple replied, "eh that's not that hot." Then one nice cool afternoon we took Patty down to Ventura Beach.

We walked along historic Main Street, ate breakfast at the Cajun Kitchen Cafe and sat on the rocks at Emma Wood State Beach. Kim and I even had Patty take a picture where Kim proposed in 2007. It was great to get a candid shot to relive the moment. Thanks Patty!

Our final stop put us at a local farmer's market near the town of Santa Paula, CA. Anytime we are in the area, we always stop at Francisco's Fruit Stand for fruit, nuts or fresh local salsas. This time we were on the hunt for a great pumpkin and Kim had the final say. The sucker weighed in at 35-36 pounds and cost a whopping $30. It was well worth this face.

It took 2 hours of scooping through hefty pumpkin guts and carving tough skin out of this 35-36 pounder. This ghoulish, creepy tree sat on Rowdy and Dan's front lawn as we passed out candy to the kiddies. One of my all time favorite activities.

Here's hoping everyone had a great Halloween!