The Great Pumpkin Hunt

One of my favorite childhood memories (and it is probably true for my siblings as well) is the annual Halloween trek to the French Quarter to pick out our pumpkins. The event always involved mass at St. Louis cathedral, a trip to Cafe Du Monde and an hour or two hanging around in the french market looking at touristy junk and picking out our pumpkins. Our annual trip usually occurred on the weekend that daylight savings took place (this has changed over the years as daylight savings has been pushed back a few weeks) and usually coincided with the first burst of cool weather. It was the moment that defined fall and the start of the holiday season for me as a child.

When I read that the french market finally had pumpkins for sale again (they haven't had them for years while the renovations to the market have been underway) I decided it was the perfect opportunity to continue a tradition that I always loved. So, on Sunday morning we headed down to the French Quarter, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of beignets and a stroll through the french market. After much consideration, La Luz selected two lovely pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns and two 'babies' because they were 'cute' and the mom and dad pumpkins needed children.

Here she is, at Cafe Du Monde:



And checking out the pumpkins:



By the river on our trek back to the car:


At home with the family, including the baby pumpkin she got from Aunt Margot the night before.


The remainder of the day was spent playing with the pumpkin family...hours of entertainment..