Monday, September 22, 2008

Pumpkins with Pizazz!


Even though our temperatures are still saying summer, there are some signs of autumn popping up around town.  Sweet Peas Garden Shop in the suburb of Homewood is spreading the news.  If you want an everyday, run of the mill orange pumpkin just stop by the grocery store. But, if you are looking for pumpkins (gourds?) with a little pizazz,  you better beat it over to Sweet Peas. I snuck up on their porch while they were closed yesterday and snapped a few photos for you before they got picked over.  I think I might have just found my next banner photo !

Thanks for all the comments yesterday regarding the pros and cons of the lowly but ever so tasty OKRA.  Rumor has it that I might be the new commissioner of the Okra Council of Alabama!

A special note:  Congratulations to our friend Olivier from Evry, France Daily Photo.  The city of Evry has honored him with a lovely exhibition of his photographs during their Heritage Day celebration.  His photos are displayed along the road leading to the Seine.  Please visit his site today and see his video and photos of the installation.  Bravo Olivier!
The Tune du Jour is a good one, "Only You" by the Platters.  

26 comments:

Webradio said...

Ouah ! Pumpkins and gourds are very big...

My mother (86 years old...) makes marmelade with they...
See You later...

alice said...

Wow! Your shots might be published in "House and Garden" this month!

Olivier said...

tu te prépares pour Halloween :o)) j'adore ta façon de travailler la lumière sur tes photos.

you prepare for Halloween :o)) I love how you work the light on your photos.

Diederick Wijmans said...

These photos represent the first warm autumn month for me and the colours are stunning!!

Laurie Allee said...

Virginia, you're such an artist. You took a pile of pumpkins and made it into a spectacular collage of color and shadow. I LOVE this one. Wow.

Knoxville Girl said...

They are both great shots, very rich colors. Hard to believe it's officially fall.

tut-tut said...

yes, beautiful light and shadow on those pumpkins.

Hope said...

beautiful photos and pumpkins...the colors are wonderful!

angela said...

With that mellow golden light falling on them you've turned them into a beautiful still life...
Great picture..
The local farmers should employ you, Virginia.

Marie Reed said...

They have razzmatazz allright! The pumpkins in the last shot look a bit like a brain!

Halcyon said...

I saw some of those strange gourds/pumpkins at the fruit stand the other day. I thought they were just old, moldy pumpkins! Guess I was wrong.

PJ said...

Good morning, Virginia!
I'm home and it looks like you're doing your part to cover the fall harvest. In Cambridge the glorious fall weather they're having would be just perfect for this bounty. Unfortunately, the northeast had too much rain this year and lost about half of their pumpkin crop. Me thinks that makes these premium pumpkins. I wonder of the price is reflective of the demand?

Nathalie H.D. said...

Your two pumpkin photos are just fantastic. First the setting and the light, and then their incredible shapes! I've never seen anything like it.

I enjoyed your "buy fresh, buy local" post too!

Janet Kincaid said...

Whoa! Funky pumpkins! Great photos, VJ.

tr3nta said...

I like the first photo a lot... nice light and shadows...

Rob said...

Autumn harvest, lovely pumpkins. This is what I enjoy about autumn, fresh produce! And cooler weather.

Anonymous said...

great fall colors and shadows. these are the first pumpkins of the season that i've seen!

PeterParis said...

It seems tha Birmingham and Alabama has a lot to offer, also when it comes to restaurants and eating in general!

The colours on your pics are so fresh, maybe the advantage of clear September days (as we have had here also now for a couple of days)!

marley said...

These are really cool! Much better than the normal orange. The bumpy ones in the second photo might be a problem to carve!

Petrea Burchard said...

I just love these photos, Virginia. Beautiful.

M. CHRISTOPHE said...

Automn is coming with it's warm colors.

Ken Mac said...

Virginia: celery and loose elastic? ha ha haha Thanks!

Tash said...

Virginia, your 2 things challenge was so well done! It had beautiful pictures and it fit so well with the CDP too, let alone the challenge - that is so clever of you. Today's pumpkin display makes me excited about the fall season (which will come even to SoCal - just a bit later).

Kathleen McQueen Wright said...

You can really feel the fall in the air here in Bama country.Your photos just finish the story.

D said...

I love these pumpkin pics. My favorite time of year is upon us!

ByLightOfMoon said...

What an awesome FALL photo!

Smiles, cyndi