What's a pumpkin patch without ... pumpkin-smashing dinosaurs?

It had been seven years since I'd had a chance to visit a pumpkin farm with my kids and grandkids, so I made a point to bring along the camera on the visit last month to Waterman's Farm on the Eastside of Indianapolis.

I'd been there years ago with my own kids, and I've now been there three times with the grandkids as well.

There were a lot of attractions at Waterman's that I remember from my last visit -- the ride in the hay wagon to the pumpkin patch, the bungee trampoline (which is what I call it for lack of knowing an official name for it), the haystacks for kids to climb and mazes for kids to navigate, chief among them. And oh ... I shouldn't forget the pumpkin-crushing "dinosaur," always a big hit for young and old alike. The prehistoric pumpkin-crusher is depicted in the photo leading off the post.

There was also a gas-powered "train" ride that traversed a very short course for small children and a couple of bounce houses (I'm assuming that's what they're called) for the slightly older ones. These might have been available when I was last there; I just don't remember.

We had a beautiful day for the trip, which I hope these photos will attest. This trip was special because my daughter, Kelly, and her girls, Lizzie and Addison, and I were joined by Lee Ann and her daughter Mindy, Mindy's stepdaughter, Emma, and Mindy's 21-month-old son, Jaxson.

As always, click on any image to view a larger and sharper version. A gallery of pictures from my visit to Waterman's on Oct. 20 can be found at the link in this sentence.

Photo geek stuff: All photos were taken with my Canon 6D equipped with a Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di PZD VC lens. I used a B+W polarizing filter on the lens. Although I bracketed my non-action compositions for three exposures per image, most picture files were processed as single-frame images, including all of the action or high-degree movement ones. All three exposures of some non-action shots were processed through Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software.

Above and below: The farm had one other dinosaur on the grounds, and this one was for the curious to actually explore the inside. There weren't too many people going in there, that I can recall.

The kids mostly enjoyed the bungee-trampoline experience (above). Granddaughter Addison (below) had some difficulty adapting to the timing needed to use the trampoline as a propulsion to go higher, but she stuck with it and seemed to have fun.

People of all ages and sized roamed the pumpkin patch (above). At first, granddaughter Lizzie did her usual camera-shy thing and ran in the other direction (first below, left) when she saw me trying to compose a picture with her in it. But she warmed up to the notion (second below) of being photographed as she and new acquaintance Emma hit it off after getting to know each other. They both enjoyed watching Emma's stepbrother Jaxson discover just how big (and heavy) those pumpkins are.

Above: Returning from the pumpkin patch, heading to the checkout area.

Above and next several below: Waterman's makes a point to "dress up" the grounds and the pumpkin patch for the fall and Halloween seasons, although the cameraman's shadow in the above photo has to be described as an unplanned prop "extra." I don't know whether the open pumpkin (seventh photo below) was deliberate or the result of an accidental drop, but it was picture-worthy.

Above: One of the members of a modest animal farm area. We were not there on a a weekend day,  but we heard that on weekends the farm brings in a camel that gives rides to kids.

Above: You don't see a pumpkin-based smiley face very often ... 

Above: A wagon heading out to the pumpkin patch.

Above: What would a pumpkin patch be without ... kettle popcorn?

Above: Emma and Lizzie frolicking on the haystacks. I had to include this photo because of the totally accidental hair-in-air grab.

Above: A cute girl peering out the side of a turf-based train ride.

Above: At the end of the day, visitors check out and pay for their pumpkins ... and perhaps get a little pumpkin advice for a Peanuts-comic-strip bargain price of 10 cents.

A nice place in North Carolina to take kids to learn about, enjoy science and nature

Having spent a good part of the previous day on foot with a relatively heavy DSLR and fast (f/2.8) lens, I chose to do my entire shoot at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. on Oct. 6 with my iPhone 6s Plus.

While the North Carolina Museum of Art (see previous post) that I visited the day before is a place any family could visit, the Museum of Life and Science is even more family-friendly. It features interactive exhibits designed to appeal to small children.

At the Life and Science Museum, I was with several family members, including a 23-month-old girl, so it seemed right to not be as intense about picture-taking as I had when I was on my own at the NCMA.

Unlike NCMA, the Life and Science Museum is not someplace I'd return to a lot ... unless I were with small children who would enjoy the interactive exhibits. The indoor area featuring NASA exhibits of space capsules (see photo leading off the post) and the like was interesting, and perhaps I'd appreciate returning when I had more time to study those more closely.

But the outdoor portion of the grounds were largely designed for children -- a very modest animal farm, exhibits of dinosaur likenesses, a train car to walk through, a circular pool with miniature sail vessels that children can navigate, and an enclosed, tropical-environment exhibit that houses butterflies.

In addition, unlike the NCMA, there is an admission fee to the Life and Science Museum. The fee schedule starts at $16 per person for adults, with various discounts available for seniors and military veterans and children. Yet another reason I'd be disinclined to return on my own.

Photo geek stuff: Short and sweet: Everything was shot with an iPhone 6s Plus. For a few of the shots, I used the phone camera's HDR feature, but to be honest, it made marginal difference.

To see a full gallery of my shots from the Museum of Life and Science, visit my site at SmugMug. As always, to view a larger and sharper version of a photo in a post, click on the picture. This is especially important if you access the post from a mobile device.

Above and below: Two of the beasts in the dinosaur exhibit area.  

The barn in the mini-farm area (above) and one of the alpacas (below) that roam the area.

Above and below: Water falls in a nicely landscaped natural area in the park. 

Above and below: Scenes from the circular pond where children can navigate the sailes on these small boats using steering mechanisms alongside the pond. 

Above and below: Two more scenes in the outdoors natural area. 

Above and next two below: I tried to capture at least one butterfly inside the tropical enclosure at the butterflies exhibit, but having only an iPhone to work with, I had no luck. I did grab the shots above and first below of the foliage and one of the blooms there, though. The spherical exhibit in the photo second below was in the housed area before you entered the tropical garden.  

Above: I may have failed at photographing a real butterfly, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph this butterfly shaped bench outside of the butterfly exhibit. 

Above and next three below: Some more shots from the indoor science and NASA/ space exhibits.