Pumpkin Gallery

All All right, I admit it... I am a little bit conceited about my punkins... It all started innocently enough, in 2001 when Joshua, who was two at the time, asked if we were going to carve a pumpkin. Tina told him, "Ask your Daddy..." I couldn't easily say no then, and I can't now, so a tradition was born... The first pumpkin was simple, but I was surprised how well it came out in the dark - I was not used to the look of a carved pumpkin in the light. Joshua loved it, and Tina acted like she was impressed (no easy task, BELIEVE me...)

So that was the start of it. In 2002, I decided to go for a little bit more of a challenge, not knowing at the time that I was creating the monster of outdoing the previous year while I was at it... Once again, Joshua loved it, and Tina acted like she was impressed, so I was hooked.

2003 was the first year I did two pumpkins. We had them around, and Joshua was not satisfied with the witch when there was still a perfectly good pumpkin just sitting there, so I got out the Sharpie, drew my own design, and whacked away at it. The goofy face pumpkin took about 15 minutes total, but I have had people tell me it was their favorite... Go figure.

The Witch (2003) - getting more difficult...

The goofy face (2003) - quick and easy!

2004 was the only year I missed so far - it was a rough year for the family, and my heart was not in it. Let's skip to 2005, when I got back into the swing of things. The bat and spider came about because Joshua and Jessica each wanted one of them, and I had a BIG pumpkin, so I figured, "Why not?" The bobcat was by far the most intricate design yet, and it took about 3 hours to do.

2005 - Back to the simple life...

Well, maybe not.

2006 was the first year I tried two complex designs. The tiger took about 4 hours, and the wolf two. My hands were very sore, believe me, but it was worth it... I didn't even think, until after the pumpkins had been carved, that my choices were significant in an unexpected way to Joshua. This year he joined Cub Scouts, and anyone involved in Cub Scouting knows that Tigers, Wolves (and Bobcats, for that matter) are special indeed. Serendipity, I suppose...

The 2006 tiger - at 4 hours, the hardest one yet

The 2006 wolf - if you like two patterns, carve two pumpkins!

2007 was, if not as rough a year for the family as 2004, a devastating year for me personally. Again, I just didn't have it in me to carve any pumpkins, until...

2008 has been the most prolific year yet. I planned on doing a bear pattern, to be consistent with Joshua's progress through the Cub Scout ranks (he started as a Tiger Cub, moved up to Wolf, and now he's a Bear Cub). When Joshua saw me looking at patterns, he declared that he wanted to do a pumpkin, too, and he would even do the carving himself! Well, once we agreed to try that, Jessica wanted her say, too. So, to make a long story short, I found a butterfly pattern that she really loved, and THREE pumpkins were in the works. The results are below:

Now, for next year... I have an idea or two, but we'll have to see what happens... Wish me luck. If I can only find a good Mastiff pattern...