The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze...

Normally at Van Cortlandt Manor, in the historic Hudson Valley of New York, you can experience the domestic life of a patriot family living in the years just after the American Revolution. In October, thoughts around here shift from blacksmithing, open-hearth cooking, spinning and weaving, to Jack O'Lanterns. Over 3000 hand carved Jack O'Lanterns transform the historic grounds at Van Cortlandt Manor into a lantern-lit, awe-inspiring night walk, rain or shine. Fear not the weather, as they offer lots of warm and delicious Autumn inspired goodies to warm your insides, like hot cocoa and cider, carmel apples and of course, pumpkin bread. Lots of pumpkin bread. Last week, I went to the Blaze with dear friends. Yesterday, we took my daughter and her fellow Girl Scouts early in the day as volunteer lighters. The photo above is the manor house before the magic of nightfall transforms the place into a Jack O'Lantern wonderland. Some of the pumpkins are simply cut into traditional faces, but the majority are intricate designs ranging from tropical fish to Celtic knots to flowers that seem to be growing right out of the historic garden beds. Go here for more information about this or their many other wonderful programs, including the upcoming "Legend Weekend" in Sleepy Hollow, where the Headless Horseman still rides. I have seen him with my own eyes :) -CS ^..^