Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because I get to carve a pumpkin. I absolutely love carving pumpkins. Looking at it from abroad it must seem like a strange and bizarre American pop culture thing to do. Pumpkins here are used primarily for making soup this time of year. The pumpkins used for cooking are much different than the traditional large orange pumpkins Americans are familiar with. European pumpkins are generally shorter, greener, or even slightly brown, squash like really. But the soup from these ugly little things in always goods.

I usually spend way to much time selecting a design for my pumpkin. I get out a pad of paper, and sketch a few ideas, pick one I like, refine it a few times and then start carving. Usually by the time I am done with my sketch my wife is already done carving her pumpkin. This year was of course no exception.

I tried something a little different this year and actually carved my pumpkin on it side. Usually the orange pumpkins we know of for carving lay in the garden on their sides. So I decided to exploit the flat side as a base and carved a skull this time around. I think it turned about pretty good.