Bates Nut Farm

Towards the end of September, I posted a status update on Facebook. 

“Oh Fall, you save me every year from buying scrapbook stuff. I don't dig fall colors and can't scrap anything fall. KTHXBAI.”

And then on October 7th, I posted another status update:

“Other signs I'm not a fall person: I don't get excited for Halloween and I don't decorate for it, and pumpkin flavored stuff doesn't excite me either.”

But then I started eating my words.   Even though there aren’t a lot of deciduous trees in San Diego, my work courtyard is FULL of them.  And I think they’re pretty.

And I’ve been drinking pumpkin spice flavored coffee.

I guess I’m making an effort at having a fall season, even though the weather around here doesn’t necessarily reflect it.  Even though my cold cold heart wanted to deny that autumnal things interest me at all.

And then on Saturday, we went to Bates Nut Farm, which has the largest pumpkin patch in San Diego County.  I don’t even know who I am anymore.  Next thing you know, I’ll be scrapping this photo.

My status update accompanying this photo on Facebook:  “Well, this is hard to believe. The "Fall-Hater" has turned soft. I've been drinking pumpkin spice coffee in my Keurig. I've bought some yellow, orange, and brown clothing. And now I've really gone over the deep end and went to a pumpkin patch. (However, it was 85 degrees at the pumpkin patch and I almost melted.) What has become of me?” 

We drove to Bates Nut Farm around 11am.  It was about a 45 minute drive into Valley Center.  It was 70 degrees at our house, but by the time we got out of the car in the GINORMOUS parking lot at Bates Nut Farm, it was 85 degrees there.  Yikes, I knew then that wearing long-sleeves and jeans was a huge mistake.  The drive there was pretty though.

The farm was a lot larger than we thought.  And there was a rather large crowd there.  It was like a seasonal amusement park or something.

There was hand-feeding of baby goats.  The baby goats were so cute!  I had never seen them before.

There was hayrides.  You know, in 85 degree weather in the heat of the sun.

We got a photo with Jack Skellington.

And we visited the Bates Nut Farm store.

There was a TON of people in there!  And a ton of nuts & dried fruits!

And homemade fudge.  Todd was definitely there for the fudge!

Todd got some chocolate sea salt caramel fudge, and some vanilla caramel swirl fudge.  We also got some apple butter.

They had some really nice seasonal displays in the store.  Like this fall harvest one.

And Christmas displays.  Already!

We decided to eat lunch on the way home, but we were hungry already and we had yet to pick out our pumpkins.  So homemade Mariposa Ice Cream to the rescue!

There was a hay maze there too.

And pumpkins.  LOTS of pumpkins.

And more backgrounds where you could take photos.

We picked out two medium pumpkins and then hauled them back to the car.  Did I already mention their parking lot is HUGE?  I’m glad we were able to find out car! 

We used the Yelp app on our phones to find a place to eat lunch on the way home.  We went to the Cenote Grill in Escondido.  It was absolutely and fabulously delicious!  I had the Agave Lime Shrimp and I had never tasted a sauce so good.

And remember this photo, the one from above?  What’s that in my hair you ask?

It’s a Halloween halo that I bought at Bates Nut Farm.  You know, because I hate fall & Halloween.  I love this thing and I’m totally going to reverse-engineer this and make my own seasonal halos for photos and stuff!  Seems so festive and fun!

Yea, I’ve totally “fallen” off the deep end.  ;-)