a maize ing

For some unknown perhaps media-influenced reason, I've been fearful of corn mazes.
Who knew? See, I have this memory of friends
jumping out of corn stalks
somehow related to children of the corn. I confess, I didn't watch the movie. So I'm only assuming it's scary. Corn stalks are associated with fear. Whatever. Let's blame it on attending college in Iowa.

This weekend, I enjoyed a fabulous fall experience. Sunny, warm days, brisk, nearly frosty nights,
with leaves changing color almost in the time you turn around.
In some trees the leaves seem to reach consensus or something, as the color starts spreading slowly and then, undeniably, it has bled through the tree, capturing every leaf. Brilliant!

Anyway, when the idea to traipse through a corn maze surfaced,
given my silly fear of such things, I admit I was hesitant.
But it was completely fun.

If the opening photo does any justice, it shows the detail of this particular field.
And they had a satellite photo of it, too, that accurately resembles the barn, et al. I was quite impressed. One of the most impressive things was that they actually create the maze as the corn is growing, as in, they don't just hack through the mature plant. They stake flags and mow it down almost immediately as it grows. (You probably knew that, but for me, new info.)

We wandered through the maze,
answering questions about corn, agriculture, etc.

Most of the answers, I could guess. But some proved a wee bit challenging.
I know you weren't with me, so here's one for you. See how you do.

Is corn a:
a. fruit
b. root
c. stalk
d. stem

Along with all the corn things, it was simply a lovely fall weekend.
The mums,
the pumpkins,
the gourds,
the corn,
it all worked.

Glory explodes in these days. And I'm loving the privilege of breathing it all in.

Thanks for the views, Papa!