Today was practically perfect.  The rain stopped, the sun returned and I spent the afternoon in two of my favorite gardens.

One of them is a West Pointer  (Gloria Angle Reed at left) and she is putting finishing touches on her pumpkin display which greets guests each year. Her garden is beyond description. You have to see it for yourself.  Even my photos don’t do it justice.

Gloria’s fall and Thanksgiving centerpiece features pumpkins piled high in an old dough board.

From Gloria’s I doubled back by Lucy Hearnsburger’s Sherwood Forest home.  Oh my Lord.  I died and went to heaven.  Overnight it has been

transformed from a tropical paradise to a fall pumpkin patch.  Lucy has converted a huge hunk of her driveway into a terrace – to heck with the car.  This garden is quirky, perky and fun.  Makes you smile just driving by.

The thing about both these women’s style that impresses me is their eye for detail and scale.  They also have learned how to use small pops of color for contrast and interest. I tend to go overboard and end up with gaudy.

Can’t wait until my current magazine project is laid to rest.  I’m heading to Caledonia to the famous Pumpkin Patch.

Oh one parting shot.  Gloria’s farm guy/scarecrow in the lead photo is wearing Polo coveralls.