Halloween is gone, and so is the Blaze, but neither are forgotten. We have two more entries in our Meet the Carvers series for this year. Next up is Faith Butterfield.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.
FB: I've been an interpreter at Van Cortlandt Manor for 10 "fun"tastic years. I like making costumes, gardening, and Mr. Prince.

BB: I don't think I know him...What kind of carvings did you work on for Blaze 2008?
FB: Carved funkins for the our retail shop and simple jack o'lanterns.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
FB: Blazing...Is...Amazing

BB: Nice. Can you offer any advice for the casual carver?
FB: For intricate designs, use "art" pumpkins...they don't rot!

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
FB: I like the sounds of nature.

BB: Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
FB: Dazzling autumn leaves
inspire carvers fantasies
Blazing pumpkin eyes

BB: Excellent! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
FB: Harvest is in...time to dress up and have fun.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
FB: My mode is real whipped cream with rum and cinnamon.

BB: Tasty. If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
FB: I'm bright, I'm dirty, I'm rotten.

BB: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
FB: Canoeing in the Adirondacks, attending harvest festivals, baking zucchini bread and pumpkin pies.

BB: Thank you, Faith!

As promised, Meet the Carver entry #2 for today: Cristal Rose Stevens.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

CRS: I am a diverse artist - Renaissance face painting, music, stiltwalking, and custom sewing, to name a few other trades.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
CRS: My favorite are the fairies, gnomes, and mushrooms. I worked on everything - the monster/character sculptures were my brain child.

BB: Excellent! Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
CRS: So...Much...Work!

BB: I hear that. Can you offer a little more advice for the casual carver?
CRS: Scoop from the bottom, it will hold the structure better.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
CRS: I put my iPod on shuffle and gather inspiration from the diverse music collection. that I have - celtic, world, techno, hip hop, tribal, rock, Ani DiFranco...I love music!

BB: Me too. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
CRS: Look further inside
Tricky artists will surprise
wise carvings layered

BB: Brilliant! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
CRS: Costume chaos, kids commotion, magic potions...I've been nicknamed the Queen of Halloween. It's my favorite holiday, I like it all.

BB: Awesome. How about pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
CRS: I prefer pumpkin soup, spicy and warm.

BB: Yum. If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
CRS: Plant my seeds? Ouch? Eat me? This is going downhill quickly...

BB: Ha ha. If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
CRS: Hiking up mountains, playing with clay, making sweet music, candle-lit romance, actually having time to make a sweet costume, lots of freelance art, who knows...

BB: Thank you, Cristal!

It's Halloween Eve. What better occasion then, to offer up not one but two Meet the Carver entries. First up, Peggy Diaco.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

PD: I love Blaze so much I drive here from the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania every year to help.

BB: Now that is dedication. What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
PD: I helped carve dinosaur bones and a variety of faces.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
PD: Line...Up...Here!

BB: Good advice. Can you offer a little more advice for the casual carver?
PD: Study the pumpkin carefully before carving a face to see its personality emerge.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
PD: Tom Hunt singing.

BB: Excellent. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
PD: Pumpkin nation rise
Light your beauty to the skies
smiling 'til you die

BB: Awesome! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
PD: That everything in nature is color coordinated.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
PD: Always a la mode.

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
PD: Please don't hurt me!

BB: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
PD: Seat renewals at Pocono International Raceway.

BB: Thank you, Peggy!

It's rainy, windy, unpleasant, to the point where Historic Hudson Valley has canceled Blaze for this evening. What better time then to cheer everyone up by posting a Meet the Carvers entry featuring the man, the myth, the pumpkin carving legend: Vernon "Vern" Ford.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

VF: As a graphic designer I've designed many corporate logos and symbols including the Fidelity Investments Brand Identification.

BB: Transferable skills for carving, no doubt. What kind of designs are you working on for Blaze 2008?
VF: Flying witches, cats, bats, and spiders for retail. Creamware, pirates, larger fish for the aquarium, and bits and pieces of the new dinosaurs. Also, several of the Hollywood monsters and some restoration work on much of the permanent collection from last year.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
VF: Pure...Pumpkin...Pleasure.

BB: Excellent alliteration. Can you offer some advice for the casual carver?
VF: Just keep it casual and have some fun. Most of us are not Michelangelos.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
VF: Who listens to music when carving?! But if I did, lately it would be Amy Winehouse.

BB: Edgy. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
VF: Cut carve scrape with blade
then let them burn and glow bright
for your pure delight

BB: Awesome! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
VF: The orange and black color scheme, which matches my high school colors.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
VF: A la mode, with pumpkin-flavor ice cream.

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
VF: Carve my eyes larger so I can see all the Blaze around me.

BB: Excellent! If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
VF: Writing about carving in April, May, June, July, August, and September.

BB: Thank you, Vern!

There are many more carvers to meet...next up on the carving block, Inge Schroeder.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

IS: I am a retired nurse enjoying my second career.

BB: Excellent. What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?

IS: Mostly simple faces and other fun stuff.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
IS: Absolutely...Cest...Magnifique!

BB: My first partially French response! Love it! OK, can you offer some advice for the casual carver?
IS: Use your imagination.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
IS: The rustling of the leaves and the wind.

BB: Ahh, the sweet sounds of nature. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
IS: Illusions are great
Children's faces glow with joy
Halloween awaits

BB: Very nice. So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
IS: Decorating my house and the look on children's faces when they are trick-or-treating.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
IS: Pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

BB: Yum. If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
IS: Cheer up folks, life is positive and great!

BB: Excellent! If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
IS: Traveling.

BB: Thank you, Inge!