Make your month about you

Welcome back to another episode of A'lil Hoohaa's monthly photo blogging challenge.

September's theme was "Make your month about you".

Tricky. 

By nature, I don't like to be the center of attention. For example, I'm not one of those people who announces on social media at the beginning of the month that it's my birthday month, so people can start sending good wishes and gifts.

This September, my coworker was on vacation for a full three weeks, which meant that I had to work full-time and had no idea how to make the month about me.

On the 17th, it was Colin's birthday, which made a few days about him, and rightfully so.

With what little was left of the month, here goes:

A few days ago, hubby and I were invited to a hockey game in the Grisons Alps, a good two-and-a-half-hour drive from home. Rather than driving all that way for an evening game and coming straight back, we decided to turn it into a little mini-vacation.

It brought us to the relaxing and breathtakingly beautiful alpine lake of Lai da Palpuogna. We visited in late September, but there was one small problem with our timing: the larches hadn't turned golden yet. They were still mostly green, which means I now have a very good excuse to come back. I suspect Lai da Palpuogna surrounded by those brilliant yellow larches, with the mountains reflected in the water, might be even more spectacular.

As I was saying, we were celebrating Colin's 18th birthday, and these are some of the baked goods I made: plum muffins and chestnut-chocolate cake, the latter being more for me than him. ;-)

But let's talk about the coffee mug in the background for a minute. I had to have it. You see, Starbucks launched a bunch of Peanuts-themed merchandise to celebrate the autumn season and commemorate the 60th anniversary of the iconic animated Halloween special, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."

As every fall, I went on a pilgrimage to the pumpkin patches. Well, to one of them.

The history of the Jucker family in Seegräben, Canton of Zurich, dates back to 1907, when the great-great-grandfather of Martin and Beat Jucker purchased the first farm there. The true beginning of today's adventure era, spearheaded by the two brothers Beat and Martin Jucker, came in the mid-1990s, when they took over their parents' farm.

The Jucker Farm pumpkin exhibition evolved from a spontaneous emergency solution after a frost in 1997 into one of Switzerland's biggest fall attractions. What began as a simple pile of 400 pumpkins in the farmyard now captivates visitors with meter-high, artistically crafted sculptures based on a different theme every year. The fall spectacle attracts tens of thousands of visitors and even supplies major partners such as Europa-Park in Rust with thousands of pumpkins.

Ever heard of a Koffermarkt? It's a rather charming take on a craft fair where local artisans sell their handmade goods straight out of vintage suitcases (Koffer means suitcase in German). Think of a cozy, highly curated Etsy shop come to life, except everything is packed into retro luggage.

I stumbled across one of these annual markets while visiting Olten, Switzerland, originally on a mission to find their pumpkin market, (this post will go live October 15), and it was being held right inside the town's historic covered wooden bridge.

Talk about atmosphere!

My favorite booth featured upcycled old ceramic teapots and matching teacups turned into the most whimsical little birdhouses and feeders.

Lastly, Colin and his teammates had a practice weekend at a countryside arena, and I took him there. Luckily, I had taken the time to research things to see and do in the area, and that's how I ended up meeting these guys!

And yes, these fluffy creatures are alpacas, from a farm in Huttwil that also offers walks with llamas and alpacas. I didn't book one, though, and unfortunately, the alpacas were grazing quite a ways up the hill, so this was more of a “hello from a distance” encounter. Still, not a bad discovery

I hope you enjoyed my five!

As always, don’t forget to check out the posts from my fellow bloggers participating in this month’s challenge!