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Sept Pumpkin Update

2011-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have not been very good at updating the blog this year. There have been several false starts for a big one. I have had several get to about the size of a basketball, only to find it mush the next day! But I think I have one that may make it. The vine is still in good shape for September. I still have about two months for it to grow and put on weight.

Corn Harvest

2011-08-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

I picked corn this morning before work. Not a bad haul!

You can tell the pumpkin vine is doing well also. Now I just need a pumpkin to take off!

Flower

2011-07-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

I got this bulb from my mom a few years ago. Last year it never bloomed. Mom's was in bloom back in April. I guess it is better to bloom late, than not at all!

Garden update

2011-06-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

A few pictures to show how the garden is progressing. I planted corn along the back fence in the pumpkin patch. Our new pool. And a swim in the new pool.

The Pumpkin is is the ground!

2011-06-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

I put the plant in the ground on June 1st.

I hope this keeps the rabbits off until I can get the big fence back up.

Cable Splicing School

2011-05-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

at&t is sending me to cable splicing school. Thought I would share a picture.

Then, since I get off work early, we took Nayland to meet Pooh and Tigger!

26 Apr 2011 Pumpkin time!

2011-05-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am a week late posting these pictures. I have been having computer issues.

I order seeds from on line this year.

A little about the Dill Giant Pumpkin.

This means the seeds are in the 500-700 lbs range. This package has 7 seeds from a pumpkin that was 592 lbs.

I file the edges a little to help the process along

I put 1 seed each in a 4" pot.

Now Laura is in charge. I have the heating pad in the window of her room. She is to keep them moist.

Pumpkin Patch Preperation

2011-03-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Aaron came over and helped me start the pumpkin patch for this year. Laura came out and helped. The rains from the last two years caused my retaining wall to fall over. We had to dig out all the dirt next to the wall and rebuild the wall. While Aaron was here, he help me start trimming the pepper tree. Opps, sorry neighbor. I need to buy some fence boards to replace the ones that broke.

California Adventure

2011-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Disneyland California Adventure yesterday. It started raining before we left and we got soaked! But we had fun anyway!

Headed to the "Tower of Terror"

"Lets go get the free tortillas"

"Hey cuz, having fun yet?"

A day at Disneyland!

2011-03-22T23:19:00.000-07:00

We had a good day at Disneyland. It would have been a great day if it had not been so crowded! Long lines for every ride. Indiana Jones and Space Mountain broke down on us. Wasted a fast pass on Indiana Jones. It was a 1 hr wait for fast pass riders when it reopened. So we skipped it. Had a great lunch at the New Orleans square. Dillion enjoyed all the rides he did get to do. Tomorrow we will try to get in more little kid rides.

2011-03-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great day at the San Diego Safari Park. It used to be the Wild Animal Park. We had a good time seeing the wild, and not so wild animals. Dillion really like the bunny, it was right next to us. And they had a baby cheetah in a cage. He laughed and laughed as it was playing.

Nayland's Blessing Day

2011-03-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today we gave Laura's baby a blessing. It is customary in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to have the baby blessed by holders of the Priesthood. It is normally done at Church. But today was not a normal church meeting, so the Bishop was able to come to our house to do it.

It was a great day having all my girls with their spouses and all 6 grand kids! Louise mom was able to come for the weekend. I wish my mom and sister could have been here, and I know there were here in spirit.

Christmas Dinner Japanese Style

2010-12-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

We decided to have a Japanese dinner this year for Christmas. This gave Louise a reason to break out all the dished she purchased while in Japan.

Nayland Christmas Photos

2010-12-25T19:21:00.001-08:00

Christmas around our house

2010-12-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from around our house.

As you can see, Louise has a few nativities from around the world.

Ginger Bread City

2010-12-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

Louise bought a ginger bread kit to put together this year.

Put frosting on and a little candy for the houses, and a little for us!

Now, will it make it to Christmas before the rest of the candy disappears?

1st Christmas Eve with Nayland

2010-12-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Bible Christmas Story
Luke Chapter 2, King James Version

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Pumpkin Chuckin 2010

2010-11-29T10:09:00.001-08:00

Refinished Chest

2010-10-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

I finally got a day off! Time to catch up on some old projects. I started to refinish a couple of chests for Laura to use. She like old stuff and these were old. A friend gave them to us and they were his mothers and told us to put them to good use. The other one is done, but I need Laura to clean it off and let me take pictures.

La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum

2010-10-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

We told Sean and Brendan we would take the to do something for their birthday this last week. We took the four boys to LA and went to the Tar Pits.

I told the boys that I need bamboo sticks to build me a vine holder like this. Hummm could you see a pumpkin hanging from here?

The guys got some hands on trying to pull the rods out of the tar.

And of course Louise was looking cute today as always.

They had the bones of big cats on display. We even went out the the observation pits to see where they were working this last summer (they only dig in the summer). It looks like a messy job!

Pumpkin Harvest!

2010-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

I may not have grown my biggest pumpkin this year, but this is the most I have grown. This is from one plant. And there are four more still on the vine! The one on the bottom right was the first one I let grow and was going to be my big one this year. Maybe next time I will have better luck.

Fixing up an Old Chest

2010-08-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

With Laura moving back home in a couple of weeks, we picked up a couple of pieces of furniture for her from a friend. This chest is a great old piece. With a little loving care to make the drawers slide easier it will be ready.

The little drawers on the top someone remove the old locks, I am going to replace the missing wood and cover the holes.

Pumpkin patch

2010-08-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

This year I did not have good luck in growing a super giant pumpkin. So, I went for a punpkin patch. Should have some good carvers this year!
Three are growing from a vine hanging over the fence!

Pumpkins!

2010-07-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

There is a where's the other pumkin in this photo. Brendan and Sean found it yesterday. It is under the vines going over the fence.

I love when these flowers are in bloom. They remind me of fireworks.

Pumpkin growth and bird update

2010-06-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you Margene! It is a Mexican Oriole. We love having them in our back yard. The humming birds don't because they also like the sweet nectar.
We have had some good growth this week on the pumpkin front. As you can see it more than doubled in size. I also made a wooden pallet for it to set on.

A Giant Pumpkin begins!

2010-06-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well to start off, we have had these visitors eating from our humming bird feeder. There are four of them, 2 males and 2 females. This is one of the males. The females do dot have as bright a color. Anyone know what they are?

Then there is this plant. It must have come from the compost bin. I decided to see what is was and it looks like a cantaloupe! Hey we enjoy melons!

Here is the one I am going to let grow. It is about one week now. We will keep an eye on it. This photo is from this morning.

Here is a view of the vine. You can see the pumpkin down in front. This was taken Sunday morning.

The garden update

2010-06-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

The next door neighbor says he can see it growing! It does look good so far.

Tin Canyon Hike

2010-05-31T19:57:00.001-07:00

The grandsons spent the night last night and we took them on a hike this morning. I had seen it one day and wanted to do it. Well today was the day! It starts near a housing track in the south west side of town and heads towards the Cleveland National Forest. We just did a small trail today. It was fun and we saw lots of flowers and frogs to the boys delight.

Pumpkin Update

2010-05-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures to show the what the vine looked like last week. I am so behind!

May 18

2010-05-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of weeks and the vine is starting to take off now. I did another feeding of Miracle Grow today. The "June gloom" has started, so the morning are cool again.

Pumpkin and Garden

2010-05-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I wasn't taking any chances this year! I put up a double fence until the pumpkin plant gets bigger.

It is still pretty small. It was cool right after I planted it. The temps are to hit 90's this week. I will need to keep it watered.
I have my veggie garden in also.
We got our 1st raspberry off the vine this morning. Yummy! I didn't want to wait until Cherie got here this afternoon, she loves em and it would have been gone! Sorry Cherie....

Pumpkin Update

2010-04-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

It is in the ground! How is that for an update. I have the ground well prepared and fencing around the area to protect from rabbits. What I don't have is pictures!

Panama Cruise

2010-03-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Photos from a rainy week

2010-01-23T21:30:00.001-08:00

Rainy week in So Cal. I have been working in it all week. It was good to see the sun today. Louise took a few pictures so you can see what was going on at our neck of the woods.

The pumpkin patch shows signs of settling.

A mud stream at the bottom of our hill.

A flood at the side of the house.

A flood in the garden.

Stay at home Saturday

2010-01-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

It seem like we never have a Saturday where we just stay home and do things around the house. Well today was one of those rare days.

Louise enjoyed playing with her new sewing machine. Making blankets for Sean and Brendan. They saw one done last week and wanted to take it home. But nana said they would have to wait until they are both done.

Louise's sister moved from an apartment in San Diego last spring and gave us all her plants. She wanted to keep here pots. So we made do with whatever container we could find. The big ones sell at Home Depot for $40 and up. Big Lots get the same ones and they run $12. That many adds up fast!

As you can see they all match now. They make the patio look great!

New Years Day

2010-01-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

I had some help New Years Day taking down the lights. Why put a ladder around when you can just put a kid on your shoulders!

These two helped by staying out of the way. The back of Papa's truck has always been an adventure.

Happy New Year!!! 2010 Begins

2010-01-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

We would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!!

11pm the PARTY continues!

2009-12-31T23:08:00.000-08:00

Movie time! Ice Age 3 and now Scout Camp...

New years eve PARTY!

2009-12-31T21:01:00.000-08:00

Colin had a sour patch candy!

You can do it nana!

Concentrate Brendan!

Go Finn!

Sean crashed after 28 layers!

Big time party tonight! Started with Foosball and moved on to Jinga.... stay tuned for the party!

Ok it's not halloween anymore

2009-12-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

This was taken on our way home frome Thanksgiving in Utah. This is not the past storm... but the mountains here look like this.

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

Louise spent sooo much time and effort sewing everyone else's costumes that she was burnt out. She went with a T-shirt. All the times I tried to get away with that!

She did great sewing me a pirate's outfit. I wore it to our Church Trunk-or-Treat and I gave out candy Halloween night in it

Pumpkin Carving

2009-11-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

I had fun carving this years pumpkin. There was a little mold starting to grow inside. Another week and it might have just melted to a gooey mess. I was able to save some meat for cooking. the pumpkin pancakes for breakfast yesterday were good.

The little pumpkins better watch out! My big guy just might eat them up.

Pumpkinmania! 2009

2009-10-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

My pumpkin did not make the trip this year. Because of the crack in the bottom. You can see here the big one this year. 903 lbs!

So how much does mine weigh? Well maybe not to the pound, but pretty close.

150 pounds. ( 170- 20 lbs for the wheel barrel) Not bad for a bad year.... Wait till next year!

Pumpkin harvest

2009-10-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Aaron helped me harvest the pumpkin. It was a two man lift this year. I wont be taking it to the weigh off because it has a split through the bottom. But it still looks good in the front yard!

Apple Sauce

2009-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Louise brought home a pan from school to make apple sauce from the apples we got last weekend at Oak Glen. First step was to peel and core them. Can you believe how long that peel is?

While we wait for the apples to cook, Louise gets the kids into the Halloween spirit with a good book.

Smashed or puree? I think the smashed was a hit. But the puree was just like store bought.

Sunday

2009-10-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday we had a family outing. We want to spend some time with Laura. So we went to an apple farm at Oak Glen. They have a small hiking trail we went on. I think the kids all had fun.

Sunday evening we were back at the house. We were all starving so I put a tri-tip on to cook. Laura and Colin took turns on the pumpkin for their classes. Sean and Brendan checked on the rocks being tumbled. and Laura got dog piled!

Saturday evening

2009-10-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

In the evening we met Cherie and family at a pumpkin patch. The first one we went to was a dud so we moved on to a bigger better one.

Colin and Finn goofing off behind a bale of hay.

Saturday at the park

2009-10-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to see the boys baseball games. It was fun seeing them have being happy. Sean and Brendan's team even won the game. Go team!

Experiments

2009-10-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

The grandsons are really into learning right now. So I am will to help expand their minds. They have been into collecting rocks for some time now, not just throwing them down the hill in the back yard. One of the teachers Louise works with had a rock tumbler in the class room and let us borrow it. After a learning curve to set it up and not leak, we put some rocks in and turned it on. Each stage takes about a week, so in about a month we well see if we found any great gems....

Louise found a book of experiments that the boys could try. Some only take an hour or two to do. This last Sunday they brought it over and wanted to make an magnet. Well papa was willing to play, I mean help. A battery, copper wire, and a nail and we were off.

Mom's Birthday dinner

2009-09-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

We took my mom out to eat for her birthday. We went to a place that Louise's parents eat at often. It is Al the Wops in Locke Ca. I will let you read about the town at http://www.locketown.com/als.htm if you want more information.

We had a great dinner of steak and pasta.

This town was built by the Chinese and Al bought one of the buildings in 1934 and started serving steaks.

It took us over three hours to get there and after looking at the map, it only was an hour and a half home. We drove up and down the deltas looking for the place. I called Louise's mom a couple of times. We just kept getting turned around. Guess I should have pulled it up on the computer!

Pumpkin patch

2009-09-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Louise took some pictures of me watering the pumpkin this morning. It has grown a lot this last week. You can see I placed a baseball next to it so you can compare the size.

2009 pumpkins are growing!

2009-09-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have two pumpkins that are off and running now. It has been a slow start this year with the rabbits eating plants. I still have about six weeks of growing time left. I think I will let both of the go this year. they are on opposite ends of the plant. We shall see. I will try weekly updates now.

John's 50th B-day in the park

2009-09-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had a great day at Disneyland with my wonderful wife. The line for rides were not long so we did almost all the rides we wanted to do. We had a great lunch at the BBQ ranch. It is severed family style with chicken and ribs. I think that is the first time I left a meal there stuffed!

All five grandsons!

2009-08-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Colin, Finn, Dillon, Brendan and Sean

That's a HOT one!!

2009-08-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

We had a family dinner tonight with Cherie and Amber's families. Sean is into "spicy" food. A couple of weeks ago I showed them my sweet banana peppers. Tonight I told Sean that I had a Hot pepper plant. He said he would taste it. Then he changed his mind and said he would try one if I would pay him. After checking that my wallet was not in my pocket I said sure. Well watch the video...

I felt it was worth more than the 62 cents in my pocket. So I gave him $5 and told him to get some ice cream....

A new Truck!!!

2009-08-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

I turned in my old truck for new one. Uncle Sam was willing to give me money to turn my old one in if I was willing to get one with better gas mileage.

Hey, no knobby knee jokes. You are suppose to be looking at the truck!

Colin and Finn wanted a ride in Papa's new truck.

Brendan and Sean like it.

We had to break the new truck in. We loaded up and went to the drive-in to see a couple of movies. We saw UP! and G-Force.

A Pumpkin Plant Grows!

2009-08-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

While we were on vacation, I put a small ring around the plant to protect it from the rabbits. It did well. Now I have a bigger fence and it looks like the plant is going to take off. I may get a big one yet.....

n va

Yellowstone sidetrip

2009-07-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Me and Louise's dad took another side trip today while Louise and her mom spent more time with Amber and Dillon.

We drove through the park and saw the wildlife.

This little guy was just resting, he looks about as old as Dillon.

A couple of elk hanging around.

Some more elk.

When we got back to town we went out for pizza. Then back to Travis and Amber rec room to watch a movie. We are getting ready to leave tomorrow.... we will miss the little guy, oh and Amber and Travis.

Stay tuned I promise picture of Dillon to come soon.

Side Trip on the Road Trip

2009-07-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Louise's dad and I took a side trip today while the grannies stayed with Dillon. There was a dirt road I wanted to take between two major roads in Montana.

About 8 miles in the road crossed a stream. I decided it was not a good road for the van..... so we just drove on major road in Montana.

Dillon Blessing Day

2009-07-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

It is a tradition in our church for the father to give a child a name and a blessing. Those holding the proper authority in priesthood and asked by the parents to join in the circle holds the child in their arms and the father gives the child his name and pronounces a blessing upon the child in the name of Jesus Christ.

Dillon Mark Elliott

Born 12 June 2009

Proud parents Travis and Amber

The whole gang

Sisters minus Cherie...

Laura said Cherie would be jealous

Road Trip

2009-07-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

We left home Thursday after I got home from work. Friday morning the four of us left Fresno and made a stop at a lake for lunch in the mountains before Reno. We spent the night in Winnemucca, NV.

We stopped for lunch Saturday in Twin Falls ID over the Snake River. There were some people getting ready to base jump off the bridge. It would have been fun to watch, but we had to get on the road....

Papa meets little Dillon

2009-07-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

I get to meet the Lil' Dill. He is a cute kid... takes after his Papa John...

I did have to share him some...

Then grandma took over......

Dillon Mark Elliott

2009-06-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the information I can remember from my 3 am call. 19" 7lbs 15oz. Amber and baby are doing well. Born 2:50am 12 June 2009

Backup Plants

2009-05-21T08:52:00.001-07:00

I started another set of seeds in case the rabbit plant does not make a come back. As you can see they are coming up.

This is 24 hours later. Fast growers.

My retaining wall was letting leaning on the far end. I dug it out and bought longer post to support it. The dirt should go back in today.

Pumpkin Planting

2009-05-18T20:05:00.001-07:00

Is was time to put the plant in the ground. A 50/50 mix of planter soil and the enhanced soil that I made.

Here it goes....

Then...... That rascally rabbet..... two days later instead of a flourishing plant.... three leafs are gone!!!!

Ok Babaganoosh, You asked for it....

2009-05-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is what I am bring to wear for the baby blessing..... I am going to start letting the sideburns grow to go with it..

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-05-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I have made a few changes to the pumpkin patch. Three loads of compost and 1 of planter mix. I borrowed a rototiller from a neighbor to work it all in.

This is the seed heating mat I won last year. I found out the hard way that I need to not put the seeds directly on it. I cooked two seeds.

I have three plants ready to put in the ground. The right one is from the same seeds I planted from last year. The other two are seeds from Mr Bill.

Mothers Day

2009-05-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!

I treated Louise to flowers from out front yard. Our neighbor Scott has planted some new ones and is taking better care of mine. The vase is from our high school prom! "A time to remember" was the theme.

The Taylor's Mexican Cabana

2009-03-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Mexico. We want to thanks Dennis and Margene for taking us. Here are a few pictures to share with you.

Off to Mexico

2009-02-26T21:48:00.001-08:00

Louise and I are off to Mexico for a few days with friends from Church. Look forward to pictures when we return. We are just south of San Felipe.

A rough week is SoCal

2009-02-22T17:55:00.002-08:00

As you can see we had a rough week. Monday and Tuesday it rained but gave way to great weather Wednesday for a trip to Disneyland with my mom and sister.

Louise was ready to go, as always her pass never expires. My sister was there for her birthday and I was getting a pass for this year.

I know you don't have weather like this in Idaho, but we have learned to deal with it.

Me and Barbara enjoying a walk through the park. Well she rolled through on an electric cart.

We learned recently that Thunder Mountain was based on the landscape of Utah. Talk about bringing the beauty to us...

It is a Small World. The revamped ride was fun. They added some Disney characters to the mix.

On Thursday we went for a ride to the snow. It was about an hour to Oak Glen. In the fall they have an apple harvest. We had a snack at one of the apple farm restaurants. We had grilled apple and cheese sandwiches. It was good.

Mom sat in the car and enjoyed the sights. Watch out for the snow ball!

Look at the birthday girls!!!

Me Looking cool. Well it was not cold until the sun went down.

Mexico Cruise

2009-02-15T13:25:00.001-08:00

We had a great time with Louise's family on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Louise's dad had medical problems, but the rest of us pressed on and had a great time.

Louise's Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Chris had their first cruise. So we joined them to have fun.

We had a nice sunset as we left port and watched a sub pull out ahead of us.

We spent the time in Cabo walking around town. We ended up in a ice cream place. Figures!

Can you find the Scooby Doo rock?

Super Bowl Party 2009

2009-02-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

The new entertainment center was completed on time. The TV was set up.

It was time to have fun. The men had a good time.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T21:21:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas and was happy all could come. We wish Amber and Laura with their hubbies could have been here also. Merry Christmas

Grandkid overnighter

2008-11-12T17:01:00.001-08:00

We kept the boys over night on monday. We went to the drive in and saw Madagascar 2 and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. It was cold but the kids had a good time.

Tuesday morning before I went to work, Sean and Brendan helped me turn the compost pile and look for grubs. When we got down to Mr Bill they went running. He is in the middle of the rotting stage and he smells it! They pulled out over 20 of these grubs. I am sure they are from Japanese beetles.

National Pumpkin Chuckin Day

2008-11-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

November 6th is the National Punpkin Chuckin Day. When I got home tonight Mr Bill had caved in. It was time for him to join Little Squirt in the compost bin. They will rise again some day as a bigger better pumpkin.

Halloween

2008-10-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a great time growing Mr Bill. I was off today and carved it this morning. I took it to Louise's school to show it off. Everyone got a kick out of seeing it. They had heard a lot about it from Louise.

Then we took it to Cherie and Aaron's to get pictures of the kids. Then it off to home to show it off to Trick or Treaters. The phrase of the night was "Is it real?"

Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off

2008-10-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

The day of the weigh off has arrived. We got to the competition to find we have some pretty BIG competition.

Here we off load my entry

A Few fun photos

Time to weigh in

375.5 Pounds, not bad for a first try.

Time to start thinking about next year.

Time to take it home to get ready for Halloween!

A few of the others
1059

842.5

945.5

And the winner

1110 pounds

Pumpkin Carving Party

2008-10-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

We wanted to throw a party and have some fun. Cherie, Aaron and the boys came. We had two other friends come also.

Finn gives it a try.

Sean and Brendan help each other

Aaron preforms an emerengy carving.

McManus family caught in a web!

Papa John and the older three. Colin ask me to tell him about the Marines.

Pumpkin Moving Day

2008-10-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Great Pumpkin Update

2008-10-08T20:51:00.001-07:00

As you can see, growing season is over for Mr W. Bill.

Time to remove him from the vine.

Speakin of vine. As I pulled it out I spead it accross the lawn to see how many feet of vine it takes to grow a large Pumpkin like mr Bill. It went accross the lawn 5 times. 75 feet each time. Over 400 feet of vine. "some was still on Little Squirt.

Finn says "I touched it." Of course in his little mind, ALL pumpkins should be this big.

Who says you need a bunch of people to lift one this big. A 10 foot board and a 4x4 post picked it up.

The next task this weekend is UP the hill and into a pickup.

Mr W. Bill

2008-09-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Cherie came up with Bill as in water bill. So Mr W. Bill is his name.

This is the view Little Squirt has of Mr Water Bill. I told Little Squirt he has about 4 week to grow up before harvest time.

This is the main root ball.

A good view of the vine here.

Mr W Bill has not stopped all together yet.

C= 115.5 inches or about 392 lbs

OTT = 275" or 444 lbs

Little Squirt

2008-09-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Little Squirt is still growing. The other one that started next to him is still real little. LS is now 34 inches around and has not hit the weight charts yet.

Name that pumpkin

2008-09-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Yes my big guy/gal should have a name. I have seen names like Hope, big Max, ect.

Help me name mine...

Pumpkin Update

2008-09-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. It has not stopped growing yet.

114" 383 lbs

OTT 272" or 430 lbs.

The new guy, Jr, is still growing. I forgot to take a pic. I will update it another time.

Not much, but still growing

2008-09-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

I have decided to let some of little ones grow.
I have been pulling them all off, but I will let some grow. They may make Jack O Lanterns.

You can see here where one is.

The big guy is 112" or 366lbs

OTT is 257" or 403lbs

Slowing down......

2008-08-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

The great pumpkin of 2008 may be reaching it's peak. It has slowed its growth. You can see it here under its new shade. It has also taken a darker orange.

It was 110 inches around for about 349 lbs
The total for OTT was 257 inches or about 365 lbs.

Here is a link I found that show a lot about the effort some people go through to grow big ones.

http://www.pumpkinmania.blogspot.com/

Itzy bitzy Spider

2008-08-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

For the last few nights we have seen this guy buliding a web by the front porch. He is kind enough to take it down every morning. Who knows how long he has been doing it. So we let him be.

Passing 350

2008-08-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

The vine is still looking good. I have a couple of people I know that their vines are dead.

My shade is shrinking or my pumpkin is outgrowing it...

A soda to give some perspective,

Belive it or not, that is only half way from the ground on one side.

Me and my friend.... And my water bill, ouch. I guesss the grass is going to die....

Passing 100 inches and 300 pounds

2008-08-10T10:06:00.001-07:00

The current stats Over the top. C=103" S=71" E=70" total 244" with an est weight of 314lbs

Or the other way. C=103 with an est weight 295 lbs

Here is a little video I found on the web you might enjoy.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/912523/giant_pumpkins/

233 or 250 and counting

2008-08-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Another 4 days have passed and you guessed it, it has grown. My neighbor Paul's has failed to be a "good one". He said he will have to live through mine.

C= 94.5 inches or approx 233 lbs

The over the top is a total of 226 inches or approx 252 lbs.

It has out grown the leaf cover. I made a cover for it. Not to completely shade it, but to portect it some.

Extra Extra. Hear all about it.

2008-07-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Not hiding too well is it.

A special update. This morning it was 198 pounds. So after today it is over 200 pounds.

It was 88 inches around!!! Will it hit 100 inches next week???

Exploded past 100 Lbs

2008-07-27T11:23:00.001-07:00

There are two ways to get an est weight. The first is measure around the middle and compare it to a chart. The other is over the top. It adds the middle measurement to over the top side to side and end to end. From the ground to the ground.

7/27 C= 73 inches aprox 123 lbs.
Over = 179 inches or aprox 132 lbs.

An over all view.

7/27 Over all view.

7/27 C = 78" aprox 145 Lbs
Over = 188" aprox 151 lbs

Here you can see the growth from the 23rd through the 27th around the middle.

Big week in the patch

2008-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Problems ????

I noticed some of the new leaves growing have had yellow spots and stunted growth. I sprayed with a fungicide to try and head off a potential show stopper.

But enough of that... It has been a fast growing week.

7/15/2008 circumference 38 inches = 23.8 lbs

7/17 circumference = 47 inches = 42.7 lbs

7/19 circumference = 55 inches = 66.8 lbs

7/20 circumference = 58 inches = 72 lbs

A little more paver work was also done yesterday

Before

After

The Pumpkin Grows

2008-07-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

My neighbor Paul's Pumpkin patch.

This is the one for him.

My Pumpkin

32 inches around.

24 inches across the top.

This gives it an estimated of ??? It has not reached the charts yet. But a good guess would be 10 pounds.

You can see it hiding in there.

The paver update.

Here is an update on the paving stones.

I finished the area towards the gate.

Garden updates

2008-07-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

This plant is getting big. I have run out of room. It will have to find its own place on the hill now. The main part of the plant will have to provide the water.

The little pumpkin from last week did not grow. I think it was turning the vine and too much shade. I have to others starting at the opposite end of the plant. I am afraid this one will not have the room it needs.

This one I can make room for on the up hill side by digging out the hill.

A couple of busy bees at work.

The rest of the garden

Egg plant, cucumber, and grape tomatoes

Bell pepper, green bean, and more tomatoes

Zucchini, yellow squash, more cucumbers, and a cayenne pepper

Butternut squash, watermelon, banana peppers, carrots

The Pumpkin Begins

2008-06-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the pumpkins I think I will let start. The main vine has started to slow its growth. I don't know if it because I made it turn or because some of the other vines are shading it.

The little one is right on the edge of the sand.

But, overall the plant is still growing.

120 Inches and growing!

2008-06-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

In the bottom right of the picture you can see where I plan on letting the pumpkin grow. Now if mother nature will let one start in the right spot! The pot in the foreground I am using to turn the vine. I tried to pick it up and just adjust it an I heard a cracking sound. So now I am just gently telling it where I would like it to grow.

No those are not pumpkins! That is Brendan and Sean ( the one with one front tooth) see how much it has grown. The family comes over for Sunday dinner and a swim ever week and check on the growth. Maybe next week we can see the start of one.

It has reached the 120 inch mark. This is the second 60 inch mark. I also added another 50 foot soaker hose to water the added area. The side vines are also 6 - 10 feet.

I was telling the boys there were boy flowers and girl flowers on the vines. The boy seen here is on a tall stem.

The girl has the round ball that will be a pumpkin. I am not ready for them to start growing. I want the vine to be a little bigger. So I am plucking them off for now.

29" in one week!!!

2008-06-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

My sister gave me this book by Jerry Baker. He believes in making your own plant food from common everyday household items.

One of the Garder plant tonics he recommends is

1 can beer
1 cup ammonia
2 teaspoons instant tea
1 oz liquid dishsoap

This is mixed in a hose end sprayer and topped off with warm water. I applied it at the 2oz per gallon to my pumpkin plant and to the rest of my garden. He says do it ever 3 weeks.

This was taken June 9 th. the vine had reached 55 inches.

Today it was beyond my 60 inch tape. So here is the 60 inch mark.

So add 24 inches to the 60 inch mark and 84 inches!!!!

I must admit I have been feeding it Miracle Grow once a week and also Vigoro plant food once a week. This week I also added two bags of Admend garden soil to the pile.

Also Lots of water.. Does it Show?????

Flowers in bloom

2008-06-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

My mom gave me a bulb a couple of years ago and when this plant blooms it is beautiful!

Thanks mom.