In Search of a Pumpkin

My cousin John is here in San Luis Obispo visiting from San Francisco and we decided to make a day of pumpkin hunting. We did find a pumpkin pie at The Avila Barn. But what we really wanted was a pumpkin.

They had some nice looking end of the season tomatoes and squash. But frankly, I am burnt out on 'em.

We made our way up See Canyon to Gopher Glen and this was the days offerings of apples. I got a bag of Bellflower...one of my favorites ... they smell like apple blossoms in Spring....and a bag of Red and Gold. We tasted the cider..it was really good...but I am waiting to buy that for Halloween night.

We headed down Los Osos Valley Road to Mary's Pumpkin Patch. The sign on the road said OPEN. So we went down the driveway.....

Little Louie the tiny donkey was there......and we petted him.

huh? the pumpkin racks are empty......where is everybody?

we headed out back past the witches trail to the old barn....

and it was there that we struck gold...kinda...we saw the pumpkins but they were behind a locked gate...and no one in sight....quiet, cool and windy...but no Mary. nobody.

we walked the witches trail and this was our view...a field of corn and the mountains looking towards Morro Bay.

another view as we came to the end of witches trail....the yellow and orange in the fields are marigold flowers grown for their seeds....again, the mountains looking towards Morro Bay North

we made a circle and came back to Mary's. That's the Farmhouse where she lives....but no Mary.

Slick the cat was there in the barn...already on the job...seems like he was the only one around.

looked like no pumpkins for us today so we loaded up and headed to Carlocks Bakery in Los Osos to see what they had for Fall...

as we walked into Carlocks this poster caught my eye. I wondered if that would be fun? Probably not for me...you see..i have this really weird thing about guacamole..i have to make it myself and eat it on the spot...i never order it out. how long ago was it made? how old is it? i just can't do it. But i guess i could have a margarita....

Carlocks didn't dissapoint...they had haystacks and Fall leaf cookies....

and just look at those donuts...how often do you see that anymore?

that cute little sign as we walked in the door...

and the BIG SCORE of the day...a donut from Carlocks. That's my cousin John. We see each other about 4 times a year...and when we get together there isn't one moment of silence....we talk on and on......we might not have found a pumpkin that day...but we did find some donuts..and we had a REALLY good time.