I might have been invited to this one anyway, given that Hannah and I were the first visitors to the newborn Claire seven years ago in Berkeley. Seven years! In my mind she's still that bundle of chubby joy, rather than the tall, willowy, self-possessed young lady she's actually become, whose only wish is to own "a real live phone." Her parents have already stated that she'll have to wait several more years before that wish is granted.
The party was on Cox Farms where they're holding their Fall Festival. We don't really have pumpkins in the UK - they occupy the same box in my mind as desert islands, dragons, and unicorns, so I still get quite excited when I see them. And on this farm there were 90 acres of the things! There were also goats, rabbits, tractor rides, all-you-can-drink cider (note: in the USA this very disappointingly means apple juice) and, of course, a massive birthday cake for Claire.
But then, alongside all the normal stuff, very strange things were going on. Aliens appeared from their crashed ship at one point on the tractor ride, as did Supergirl, and a troll wouldn't let us under her bridge unless we answered a maths question. There was a school bus with an ultraviolet spinning tunnel inside, and dinosaurs, and a giraffe. I started to wonder if I'd ingested a pumpkin of dubious origin.
None of this bothered the assembled kids, who ran around like loons and enjoyed a lunch consisting solely of pumpkin pretzels and the aforementioned cake. Were birthday parties this fun when I was young? I did have one at a McDonalds once. Anyway, Pete is already begging to go back, and in a few weeks it's Pumpkin Madness when they take all the pumpkins that are left and let you smash them! Maybe you're only as old as you choose to act.
All little pumpkins grow up into big pumpkins eventually.
Classic family-ish photo, with no one looking the same way.
Guess who Uncle Andrew will be hosting on his dairy farm in Wales next summer!
And what does every farmer need? A pair of these (thanks to JJ for this particularly spectacular hand-me-down).
Listening to the country music.
Time for our tractor ride - an exclusive trailer for the birthday party, please note.
Someone's hoping for a roll in the hay!
And...er...then an alien arrived and started running around.
Here's the maths-problem-spouting troll I mentioned.
A good warning...
...because these ones certainly did, although mostly on the cake.
The birthday girl!
Just a small slice.
Can you spot the cold and distant British child that refused to look at the camera?
Off to the big slide. Vince commanded a platoon in Iraq, which he says was easier than getting this lot in order.
From the top.
And from half-way down.
More essential farm equipment.
Cowgirl.
Straw man.
Off into the maize maze.
This was in the maze, inside that old school bus. I'm not kidding. I started to wonder if I'd spent too long in the sun.
A crooked house, with rubber scorpions on the walls. Also part of the maze.
And a giraffe.
We escaped the labyrinth and popped into Goat Village.
The Lincoln Memorial, with a bunny rabbit. Because at this point, why not?
Pumpkin head.
