A legend arose in Ireland years ago of a ne’er-do-well named Stingy Jack. He was a manipulative, corrupt human being, who, when confronted by Satan, managed to capture the Devil, ensnared as a silver coin in his pocket for ten years. After Jack eventually passed away, he was denied access to heaven, owing to all his misdeeds. Hell did not take him either, as he had tricked Satan. Instead, he was cursed to wander the Earth, caught in a plane of existence between the worlds of good and evil, his path illuminated by a hollowed out rutabaga that contained a single ember. His myth became known as Jack of the Lantern… from which we now have our tradition of the Jack-O’-Lantern, (via Wikipedia).
For eight years, Wagner Farm Arboretum in Warren, New Jersey, has hosted Brite Nites, a special event where the gardens of the farm are filled with elaborate carved pumpkins for visitors to admire. In addition, the barn holds a haunted house, there are food trucks on site, or you can just pick up a cup of hot coca or apple cider to warm yourself as you stroll through the farm on a cool autumn evening. My wife spotted ads for this event online, so on a cold Friday evening in mid-October, we set off to explore this spooky jack-o’-lantern spectacular, and get ourselves in the mood for Halloween!
Before we begin, however, some updates are in order:
Updates, Automotive and Otherwise
Oil, Oil Everywhere
When I brought the Accord in for an oil change a few weeks ago, I had a small sample of the car’s used oil poured into a small test tube and mailed to Blackstone Laboratories, an Indiana-based company that provides an analysis of your vehicle’s engine based on the properties of its used motor oil.A few weeks later, I received an email from Blackstone Labs that had the results. I especially loved some of the comments in the report: “This Accord is wearing a lot like a Honda, which is to say very nicely… Whatever you’re doing to make this engine so happy, just keep it up… Impressive first report at 139,286 miles.” Needless to say, the Accord has a lot of life left in it.Speaking of oil… less happy news was the discovery of oil on the floor of our garage. At first, I assumed it was the Accord, given its age and mileage, but a trip to the mechanic assured me that its engine was dry. Instead, it was the Jeep that was suffering a significant oil leak from the oil filter housing, which connects the oil filter to the engine block. Formerly made of metal, Jeep switched to a plastic housing in 2014, and other owners have reported similar issues. Fortunately, my wife has the extended warranty for the Jeep, so aside from the vehicle being left at the dealer for several days to be repaired, it wasn’t painful for our checkbook. Apparently the faulty design has been addressed with the replacement part, but I’ll keep an eye on it.
Boozy Cupcakes
Recently, the CBS Sunday Morning show featured a profile of Ray Boutwell, a 93-year old who, bored in retirement, decided to do something different… he opened a cupcake bakery! Upon discovering that the bakery is located in the town where I grew up (Voorhees, NJ), my wife and I made plans to detour there on a recent trip to South Jersey.Ray’s secret ingredient? As the name of his store says… alcohol! Among the cupcakes were the Tequila Sunrise, Fireball, Pina Colada, and Kahlua Cappuccino.To finance his venture, Ray mortgaged his house and liquidated his savings, much to the alarm of his family. In his words: “But what the hell is money? Money is nothing.” Is this cupcake bakery his crowning achievement? Nope! As he relayed to CBS, his next plan is for an ice cream shop. Stay tuned!
You can watch the original segment on Ray here:
Brite Nites
Located only an hour west of New York City, Wagner Farm Arboretum is nestled in the hilly countryside of northeastern New Jersey.Our first stop in Warren was dinner, at Turf N’ Surf Burger Grill. The online reviews were promising, and so we looked forward to chowing down!There is no menu – simply work your way from left to right on the chalkboard behind the counter. Select your meat, choose how you’d like it to be served (on a bun, a salad, or a bed of rice), and then choose your toppings. I had an angus beef burger served on a brioche bun, while my wife ordered grilled shrimp on brown rice with a side of veggies. While the staff were friendly, the experience was disappointing: the french fries we ordered to share came out first, followed by my burger five minutes later, and then my wife’s order didn’t arrive until almost ten minutes after that. In addition, the meal was quite pricy. The food was tasty, but I don’t think I’d return anytime soon.Wagner Farm Arboretum was only a short, fifteen minute drive from the restaurant. When I purchased tickets, I noticed that the parking is in a large, unpaved field. We had significant rains a few days prior, so we left the Accord at home in favor of the Jeep’s all-wheel drive capabilities.Founded in 2004 on what was formerly the Wagner Dairy Farm, the Arboretum is now preserved land that is used as an educational institution, teaching people of all ages about the importance of conservation and environmental awareness.After winding our way through a seemingly endless rope line, we were able to enter. Countless pumpkins, stretching for as far as the eye could see, were carved and on display.Even the sponsors had their logos carved into pumpkins!The level of detail of the pumpkins was fantastic.Are you in the mood for Halloween yet? Keep scrolling for some more inspiration!How about a pumpkin koi pond?We stopped by the butterfly garden……a Tyrannosaurus Rex made of pumpkins (Pumpkinsaurus Rex?)……and hung out with this monkey in a pumpkin jungle.“Dracarys.” Game of Thrones fans rejoice. They even had a jack-o’-lantern dragon (which occasionally blew smoke).“I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” The Harry Potter universe was well represented.Alice in Wonderland had a large display telling much of the story (“Off with her head!”). Can you spot the Cheshire cat in the treetop?We even had evidence of alien life. As The X-Files would have said: “The truth is out there.”“This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow…” The Pirates of the Caribbean sailed into the pumpkin patch.To quote Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, this display had me in an Empire State of Mind.Speaking of music, the skeleton band was playing some great tunes.This was appropriately stationed near the walk to the haunted barn as we exited the jack-o’-lantern display. Overall, it was a really fun night!We arrived home after a fun, if chilly, evening. While the Accord has recently crossed the 141,000 mile mark, the Jeep is accumulating its own mileage, as it now has its sights set on the 50,000 mark. Hopefully, the oil filter housing repair will be the only hiccup on the way to that milestone!
If you’re looking for a stroll through the most elaborate pumpkin patch you’ve ever seen, Brite Nites at Wagner Farm Arboretum runs every weekend evening from October 11 through October 27 of this year. Entries are timed every 45 minutes between 6:45 and 8:15 pm, and it is highly recommend to purchase your tickets in advance (we purchased ours online and saved them to my phone, which greatly simplified our experience entering the event). On the other hand, if you’re in the mood for some delicious, decadent desserts, Ray’s Boozy Cupcakes is open Tuesday through Friday from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm, Saturday from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm, and Sunday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Thanks for coming along for this spooky journey down the open road ahead!
I learned a few things here and enjoyed the background on Jack! Cool stuff – and the artistic skill exemplified in the design of those pumpkins is incredible. I haven’t done any decorating yet this year aside from putting a skeleton at the kitchen counter stool. I’ll take a Fireball cupcake, please!
The Fireball… the Kahlua Cappuccino… the Pina Colada… so many great cupcakes! The pumpkin patch definitely got me into the Halloween mood. Thanks for reading!
The Open Road Ahead 
I learned a few things here and enjoyed the background on Jack! Cool stuff – and the artistic skill exemplified in the design of those pumpkins is incredible. I haven’t done any decorating yet this year aside from putting a skeleton at the kitchen counter stool. I’ll take a Fireball cupcake, please!
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The Fireball… the Kahlua Cappuccino… the Pina Colada… so many great cupcakes! The pumpkin patch definitely got me into the Halloween mood. Thanks for reading!
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