Not much to carving a pumpkin. Right? The hard work is getting all the seeds and other junk out. Then, poke a couple of eye holes and snaggly teeth, rig a light inside, and wait until dark.
Not in Kansas.
Part of my tour of nighttime Leavenworth took me by the tableau featured below.
The night pictures are courtesy of Chip Levine.
The preview of the pumpkin carvings was noticed by Wally, my bridge partner of days gone by. He let me know of Ed Moody, of Frankfort, MI., carver of extraordinary pumpkins. Pumpkin Ed does fifteen 1000-pounders every year.
His website, http://pumpkined.com/ , contains dozens of pix of his orange giants.
I am officially adding Ed’s house at 722 Leelanau Ave., Frankfort, Mich., to my bucket list for any October.
A Year on the Road 
Apparently Halloween doesn’t last long enough, and think what could be done if all of creative energy was applied to carving out pumpkins. String theory, bah; quantum physics, phooey. Pumpkin bumpking is the next theoretical thinking to propel us forward, to make our search for the infinite much more revealing. Ah ha, you’ve got somthing here, my boy – on to Michigan.
My itinerary will take me south for the winter and up the east coast during all the warm months squeezing as many days in the Canadian Maritimes as the weather gods will permit. Then to get out the map of the USA for the first time in a long time. Who knows what sirens will call? It seems likely that I will angle back toward the Southwest. Since it will be October, I might jiggle the highlighter through Frankfort, Mi and say hello to Wally and Ed.
Michigan has a LOT to offer, besides great Pumpkin Art. Wonderful pumpkins in Leavenworth. Seems like you’re having fun being a ‘kid’ again. Thanks for sharing, Al. BTW, the art museum in Bentonville, AR is called Crystal Bridges.
Oh the art! We all need it so desperately. Loved the Marilyn Monroe one! You are seeing it all, Al, and i envy you. Do turkeys come next? Or unusual Santas?