Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Little People, Big Pumpkins

I admit, I like my fair share of bad TV. It’s a great chance to give my over-active mind a break. But unfortunately, I have only seen bits and pieces of “Little People, Big World.” You know, that show on TLC about the family of midgets (although I believe “midget” is no longer the PC term, I will be using it in this blog post). Not knowing the show, however, did not stop me from getting excited when I learned that they live right here in a suburb of Portland. And what makes it even better is that on their farm they have a pumpkin patch.

Now, I honestly can’t remember the last time I was at a pumpkin patch, but a midget pumpkin patch? This was a must-see. So my friend Ben and I headed out there on a perfectly clear, beautiful fall day. Ben wasn’t too stoked on the idea, but he’s a good sport and decided to come along. And he especially wasn’t stoked on the idea when we came to a complete stop, miles from the pumpkin patch. Obviously, the rest of the world thought this was a must-see too.

While waiting, we saw license plates from as far away as Montana and Texas. Seriously?! The little people really have some big fans out there, I guess. I don’t think I would have traveled more than the 20 minutes it took us (well, 20 minutes, plus the half-an-hour of waiting). But while waiting, we got to see the father, Matt, drive around in his official-looking cart. I got so excited I wasn’t able to get my camera out in time to take a picture.


After we finally found a parking spot, we walked up to where the mass of people was. I couldn’t believe that there was actually a line to get in to pick out your pumpkin. Turns out, there wasn’t. People were waiting in this monstrous line to meet the mom, Amy. I didn’t care to meet her… I wouldn’t have anything to say. Turns out though, I was able to get my picture with her anyway.

As far as pumpkin patches go, it was pretty sub-par (according to Ben… remember, I hadn’t been in ages). The patch itself wasn’t very big, and the pumpkins were pretty picked over. There was “Zoo-otic” though, that housed a ginormous turtle, a snake, and other non-pumpkin patch animals. But the best part had to be while we were waiting in line to purchase my pumpkin. They had a couch set up that you could sit on and get your picture taken “with” the cast of “Little People, Big World.”

We made the trip worthwhile by stopping at a little bar down the road that had great burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. I had a blast, but not enough of a blast to add “Little People, Big World” to my list of crappy television shows I currently watch. My goal now is to carve my pumpkin before Friday!

Click here to see all the pumpkin patch pictures.

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