In Which the Dancing Girls Meet a Scarecrow!

It happens every October. The Arboretum is decorated with pumpkins and gourds of every size, color, shape, and variety. And the Dancing Girls and I go on an adventure. Each year, we do what we call a "pumpkin ride," traveling around the Arboretum enjoying the pumpkins. On this day, we wanted to get our ride in early because storms were expected for later in the day. (And when the rain arrived, it really was a DOOZY.)

Much to our surprise and delight, we discovered a really neat scarecrow in the children's garden, and the girls spent some time getting to know her. We had four Dancing Girls in all. Two smaller ones (my girls) were riding their trusty cat-steeds. Two larger cousins (from my parents' fuchsia plant) were visiting.

In this photo, you may see the two larger girls sitting on the scarecrow's hat. The two smaller girls and their steeds are standing on the scarecrow's shoulder. That wasn't all, though!

A few minutes later, in our travels around the gardens, we met a raccoon, and one of the larger Dancing Girls got to ride it. (You may see the Dancing Girl riding a raccoon in the extras; and no, we did NOT bring the raccoon along home, as it belongs to the Arboretum.) What a colorful and festive time was had by all!

The soundtrack for this tune has to be about a Scarecrow, and here is a favorite of mine: John Mellencamp, with Rain on the Scarecrow.

P.S. Here are links to scenes from the prior two years' rides:
Starring the Dancing Girls in: The Halloween Ride
Further Adventures of the Pumpkin Riders