Erin's In Town & White Pumpkins

We drove down to Frederick, MD to meet Gerry's niece Erin and bring her back to the cabin.  She is in the area due to her work schedule.  We had a nice lunch at Panera Bread and then the girls went shopping.

Of course they said it would be just a quick in and out at Macy's so Erin could pick up some girly stuff.  Not sure what she was looking for and didn't ask.  Some things are best left unanswered. Well the quick in and out turned into a marathon and I was able to program our cellphone into the car's bluetooth capability.  Then it was time to people watch for a while.  That is always interesting to do for me.  

I wanted to show Erin the old downtown part of Frederick, MD on our way back to the cabin and decided to take her on a scenic tour.  What a surprise was in store for us as we approached the downtown area.  This is what we ran into.  It was a mass of people all walking around and no parking to be had within walking distance.

Saturday, September 13, 2014 | 11 AM – 5 PM

For over 25 years the In The Street festival has been held in downtown Frederick. The all day festival, spanning Market Street from Carroll Creek to 7th Street, brings food, fun and entertainment for the whole family.
The festival began in 1983 after major renovations closed Market Street for several months. When the dust settled Mayor Ron Young decided to hold a festival for the entire community to celebrate the re-opening of this prominent downtown area. The Festival was held in the street, so the naming of the event was simple. That first In The Street festival boasted 10,000 in attendance.  Today, In The Street attracts crowds of over 70,000 and still celebrates the Historic District and highlights the best of what Frederick has to offer.

We stopped on the way back a couple times to show her some sights.  The first stop was at the soft ice cream trailer on US 40 near Greenbriar State Park.  They have the best soft ice cream around and we always stop there if at all possible.  As usual we enjoyed the cones and are sad to see they will be closing for the winter in a couple weeks.  

Then it was on to the Mountain Valley produce stand in Smithsburg, MD to pick up some fruit.  They always have a great selection and decorate the area very nicely.  I spent my time taking pictures and here are a few of them.  Luckily the rain earlier in the day let up and we had a nice sunny afternoon which was great for taking photos.

Erin & Gerry buying out the fruit stand

$12.00 pumpkin about the size of a basketball

Time to pay the bill for all the goodies.

In some countries of Europe (e.g., France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Croatia), incurve chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism; similarly, in China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and/or grief. In some other countries, they represent honesty. In the United States, the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful, with New Orleans as a notable exception.  ( November 1  All Saints Day, a day traditionally set aside in New Orleans to honor the deceased family members. Tombs are cleaned weeks before and flowers, particularly huge chrysanthemums fill the vases on the tombs )

Chrysanthemums are one of my favorite flowers and I always had them planted in our backyard at our home in Colesville, MD.  They bloomed in early September and lasted long after the last frost.  We planted them up here and the deer thought they were Autumn salads.  So much for that.

 Decorative squashes by the bushel are available at the fruit stand.

But what is a white pumpkin? These albinos with natural white skin have been bred by pumpkin growers, and seeds for specific varieties, such as Lumina, Cotton Candy or miniature Baby Boo, can be purchased and planted.

A neighbor has a couple huge pumpkins growing in his backyard.  They are both around 2-3 ft high and rounded.  You can see the size difference by the gourds in the background.

Once we arrrived back at the cabin and got Erin settled in we started on a couple adult drinks.  I am writing this early since I don't know how long this will be going on.  As long as I don't have to get up early on Sunday I am fine. 

Unlike us, our son-in-law Henry must have been in bed by 8:30pm since he didn't answer his phone.  What a party pooper!

That was our day, how was yours?