Autumn is Here...........

It's been a very short time since pumpkins have been growing on farms in Hawaii. I am standing next to a variety of squash and other vegetables and fruit on Aloun Farm on the west side of Oahu. The following nine photographs show me on a tour here.

That's a Mighty Sharp Blade

Jeni is holding me as we watch an employee in Aloun Farm's processing plant. Yikes, she was cutting those ears of corn so fast, it made my little doggie head spin!!

Still in the Processing Plant

Aloun Farms grows thousands and thousands of pumpkins. This is a boxful of of the best pumpkins for making pumpkin pies--baby ones.
The big ones are best for carving!

Ready for Market

What do you think of me in this pumpkin orange sea!!
Ready to be sold----dark, dark yellow and gold.

Out in the Field on the Ewa Plains

Alysha was showing me around the hundreds of acres of pumpkins and squash and corn and bananas and........
She volunteers at Aloun Farm when she's not in class at the University of Hawaii or Leeward Community College.

Gettin' Ready for the Hay Ride!!

Look how high up I am. Yikes!!
But what a view!
I'd better hold on tightly with my little paws!

Am I Really in Hawaii?

This is a sight more typical of the mainland. Wow!!!!!
How many pumpkins do you think are in this picture?
Make an estimate. Is it reasonable?

Can You Spot Me?

Look really, really hard. In the distance you will see Hawaii's most notable landmark.
If you put your cursor on the picture, click, and enlarge it, you'll see it better!

Blossoms in the Background

I love this picture! Aren't pumpkin flowers beautiful?
There will be 25,000 children on Oahu who will experience a trip to this pumpkin patch in the next month or so!! What a wonderful adventure for them, just like it was for me!

Time to Say Aloha

Terry, the marketing director for Aloun Farm, was my guide the whole day. She was full of love and repect for the farm and best of all, she couldn't put me down!! We had fun talking and interacting! I will definitely come back. I want to shop at their fruit stand on the weekend sometime!! Google: "aloun farm" to find out more.

On My Way to the Land of the Rising Sun

Here I am with Nami, on the right, and her Mom and sisters heading to Japan. I'm lucky because I know I'm going to see a lot of interesting sights and meet many new people. Bon Voyage to Me!

My Tummy was Growling

It's a long flight to our destination-----Osaka, so Nami was treating me to a little of her macaroni and cheese! I'm glad she likes sharing. I do too!

Wow!!!!! What a Harbor

Flying into Osaka was impressive-----it's the third largest city in Japan with a population of 2.5 million. Now that's a lot of people compared to Hawaii. We have only 1 million residents in our whole state!

Just Like I Thought

Nami and I were making lots of new friends right away. Here we are in the airport after our long flight from Honolulu chatting it up with an employee of Japan Airlines.

I'll Have Just One Tiny Bite

Nami took me to the bakery. It sure looked and smelled pretty good!
I had only a little bit (we didn't fill up the whole tray), I promise!

Uh, Oh. What's Wrong with this Picture?

Oh, boy, there were lots of new things I had to get used to in Osaka. One of the biggest was riding in a car on the opposite side of the street and, did you notice, the steering wheel is on the right!! Yikes!

Pretty High Up

Osaka Castle was built in 1583 on the site of an old temple. It is a fortress that was designed to keep out invaders that's why the square stone walls are soooo high. Google "osaka castle" to find out more.

A Grown-up Drink

Almost everybody in Japan drinks tea, and they have forever, but there are a few coffeeshops here and there like this one. Do you know the name of the instrument behind me that weighs the coffeebeans?

Very Narrow Streets in Osaka

Here I am looking down at a trash truck picking up garbage. The streets are very narrow here, and throughout Japan, because they were built before cars and trucks. Many people in Asia ride bicycles. Count how many you can see in the photograph.

That's a Pretty Big Bear--Lucky it's Friendly

Nami's sister, Aika, took me to the zoo with the whole family.
We had lots of fun! I stayed out of the photograph---that bear was just a little toooo big for me!