fall again, fall again

Fall is a beautiful season.  I loved our vacation schedule of leaving for the last 2 weeks of September to return to . . . October! Crisp days! Open windows! Falling leaves! Pumpkin Spice Lattes! And all of those other exciting aspects of fall.  As my friend who has transplanted in the South put it today, we really do have a lovely fall, while she phrased Charlotte's as a "poor excuse for one."  The leaves are still in their yellow-green stage but every day I see a little more color and file away the places I imagine will look especially stunning when the leaves have turned - the bay at high tide, a side street lined with maples.  

October also brings everyone's favorite holiday - Columbus Day.  I don't remember having this day off as a kid (maybe because I lived in a country that Columbus didn't land on), but they celebrate it all up here and the kids had a free Monday.  I took that opportunity to head out East for some fall fun.  

Since the kindergartner had been learning about apples in school, he was dying to pick them at an orchard.  Before we headed out, we went to the library and read a couple books about Johnny Appleseed to get everyone in the right frame of mind.  

I was shocked when we got to the orchard to see fifty cars - all minivans - lining the country road near the entrance.  Strollers and wagons at every turn.  Everyone seemed to have the same idea on their three day weekend!  The second disappointment was that there were no apples left on the trees, they had all fallen to the ground already.  Instead of apple picking, it was apple pick-up.  

But do you think they cared? 

No, they did not.  It was a treasure hunt of juicy proportions.  

 I know I always take this same picture, but it's cute, if overused. 

Of course the littlest was here, too, but he had fallen asleep in the car and was still waking up in his stroller.  Which, by the way, is hard to push through an apple orchard.  We kept getting apples stuck in the wheels and the boys had to kick them out.  We gave him an apple and he munched on that thing for the next two hours. 

We ended up picking 15 pounds of apples, which I thought was a lot until the neighbor announced at the bus stop that her two boys had picked 51 pounds.  I hear they're making applesauce.  Might have to stop by.  

I also felt the need to get this big basket, since I could picture it full of mums on the porch.  

The smell of a basket of apples in the sun- so sweet and fallish!