San Francisco Halloween

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October is here, and San Francisco sure knows how to bring on the Halloween cheer. Costume parties are thrown throughout the month, pumpkin patches are found all around the Bay Area, there are haunted houses galore, and just south of the city is the annual Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. One would think it all culminates on the 31st, All Hallow's Eve, but not even. The trick-or-treating may be done, but San Francisco celebrates Day of the Dead as well--- especially in my neighborhood, the Mission District. Check out this handy website for events if you're in the San Francisco or the Bay Area: Haunted Bay

One great little San Francisco pumpkin patch is the Great Pumpkin Patch, located at Sloat Blvd and 19th Avenue. My friend and I offered the proprietors a little extra monetary incentive to let us into the moon bounce ride when all the toddlers had gone their way (wouldn't have been safe otherwise), jumping our way to bliss and near heart failure for just about 5 minutes before a family with some young kids wandered into view. We were excited to let the real kids have a go, but it was fun while it lasted.  After posing with some scarecrows we bought two pumpkins our way out for carving later.  (Tip: I'd skip the overpriced carving kits and get them at Walgreens or Target instead. And the $12 cube of straw....well, if you really need it to spruce up your festive doorstep, go for it.)

photography in the digital age

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This Sunday my boyfriend and I visited the Webb Branch Farm in  Palo Alto. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to buy a pumpkin, especially to cook, as they are pesticide-free and organically grown.  Their fields yield an ample harvest and you can wander around the grounds to pick out giant pumpkins, traditional orange pumpkins, unique white and blue pumpkins, and many varieties of colorful gourds. Kids can visit the haunted house, jump in the inflatable trampoline house (there's even a smaller one for the younger kids),  and pick berries from the orchard.  Farmer Webb offers a 30 minute, $5 hayride on a large straw-filled wagon pulled by his tractor which is basically a tour of his working farm.  We found this fascinating (and beautiful), though the younger kids may have been expecting more entertainment than just a bumpy ride through some pretty fields with occasional horses. Still, though, it was a lovely, warm Autumn day and a perfect way to spend half an hour. And got to learn about the multi-generational farm, learn about Stanford University's farmers leasing contracts, and hear about how the many employees live on the land-- one being 87 years old! He's raised many kids on the farm and is still working.  Oh, and did you know that these farmers get full health and dental insurance as part of their union payment package?  That's better than many jobs these days!