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A large pile of bright orange pumpkins is my visual celebration of the beginning of fall. References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon," which is "pepon." "Pepon" was nasalized by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin." The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.

The bright orange color of pumpk...