ON THE EVENING of the autumn equinox, I headed to Faribault’s east side, crossing the viaduct over the Straight River to Thomas Gardens along St. Paul Road. The business was closed upon my arrival, which mattered not to me. I was here to photograph an International 274 tractor and pumpkins during “the golden hour.” That’s an hour before sunset or an hour after sunrise when the warm, soft glow of the setting or rising sun proves particularly lovely for taking photos.
As I framed the tractor, staged as a photo prop in an autumn scene of straw bales, varied colorful pumpkins and corn shocks, I noticed the golden orb of the sun peeking through the treeline across the street. I remained ever cognizant of the light, diminishing with each snap of the shutter button.
I felt giddy as I photographed first that tractor and then masses of pumpkins outside the building. Colors popped in the perfect light. Multi-hued pumpkins. Deep orange ones. White ones. Yellow ones. Pumpkins with warty bumps, others smooth. Sooooo many pumpkins scattered across the street-side yard.
I remember when the previous owners of 50-plus years piled pumpkins onto flatbed trailers parked inside and outside Twiehoff Gardens & Nursery. Matt and Stefanie Thomas bought the business in 2019. Matt grew up on a dairy farm near Dundas, which pleases me given I was also raised on a dairy farm. Like me, he understands hard work. On his business website, Thomas writes about teaching his three kids the value of hard work, teamwork and family values. This seems a good place to do that.
Here the Thomas family grows and sells garden-fresh vegetables, flowers and plants, plus markets honey, maple syrup, Christmas trees and more from their pole shed style building, greenhouses and the yard where I roamed with my 35mm Canon EOS 60D camera.
When I finished photographing the tractor and all those pumpkins, I moved onto the flowers, mostly mums. The flower of fall. Single colors and multi colors in pots. Oranges, yellows, rose, even white.
I remained caught up in my photography until I glanced back at the tractor and the treeline. In that moment I realized I really wanted to watch the sun set at City View Park, just down the road a bit. It’s a beautiful site overlooking Faribault next to a city water tower and across the street from Trump’s Apple Orchard. We occasionally picnick here and watch the Fourth of July fireworks at this hilltop location.
But Randy and I arrived too late. I could see, as we pulled into the small parking lot, that the orange ball of the sun had already dropped leaving a skyline tinged with pink. Disappointment coursed through me.
Yet, others didn’t miss the sunset. Three teenage boys sat on a park bench facing the city overlook. As I walked toward them, I wondered why they were here, what they might be doing. Yes, I admit I thought they might be up to no good. I was wrong. They were here watching and photographing the sunset with their smartphones. I asked to see their pictures and they pulled out their phones and showed me the beauty I missed by my delayed arrival.
I took the opportunity then to praise them—to tell them how wonderful it was to see them outdoors, appreciating the sunset. Moments like this, generational interactions like this, conversations like this, matter. These youth understood the value of pausing to sit and watch the sun set across their city on the first evening of autumn. And I recognized the value of acknowledging that.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Wishing you a wonderful month of gratitude and contentment.
Thank you and the same to you.
Lovely! The warty pumpkins are my favorite.
Mine, too. Love those warty pumpkins. They have character.
What a fine post. It is indeed good to praise the young, even if it shocks them.
Yesterday as I was about to enter the library there were three teenage boys and a girl in front of me. The girl looked anxious. The boys left as soon as they saw me. I asked the girl whether she was OK and she said “yes, an obvious lie. Still, I asked and I hope that helped.
Thank you for asking that girl if she was OK. You are right to trust your observations and intuition. We must speak up when we see or hear something that doesn’t seem quite right.
Lovely Fall pictures!
Thank you, Valerie.
You are putting me in a pumpkin mood 🙂 The pink cotton candy sky this morning was AMAZEballs! Loving your photos and oh the COLORS – LOVEEEEEE. Hello October & Happy Day – ENJOY
I’m happy to put you in a pumpkin mood.
I’m not a photographer, but I’ve often heard references to the ‘golden hour’ of photography. I’ve not pursued the exact timing as you did here, but I find myself often trying to capture sunrises or sunsets – what I see with my eyes never translates well to a photograph. It’s delightful to hear that the teens were taking photos of the sunset. I really like your ‘just after sunset’ shot at City View Park.
I was so excited to see those teens, hear that they were there to watch the sunset and that they photographed it. They could just have easily been at home playing video games.
There is nothing like a sunset and even though you missed the actual one, you certainly captured the post sunset beauty!
I know how much you appreciate sunsets and sunrises, especially along the water. I really miss the prairie sunrises and sunsets of my youth.
wow, Audrey. this is fantastic. as I’ve told you before, you are not only a talented writer, but also a talented photographer. I agree about the golden hour, both in the morning and the evening, I love the in-between times, also with seasons, as things are just turning. you are lucky to live near so many beautiful places and to understand the deeper meaning behind what you are seeing. that’s so great that you gave those boys the affirmation for what they were doing and how important that was, especially in the times we live in, when so many people are rushed and busy and occupied with technology and money. it’s so refreshing.
I knew you would really appreciate that aspect of my post, of interacting with those teens and affirming their behavior and presence.
ooh I love all the pumpkins in this post. I especially like them photographed with the old tractor.
I have been making some autumnal decor this week. Hopefully, I can share my pumpkins soon.
I look forward to seeing your latest creations.