Apple Picking

We went apple picking yesterday after school at Blackman Farms.  It was a beautiful sunny day, probably the warmest one we'll have until spring!  (Temps were in the 70's yesterday, back down to 50s today.)  James was a bit grumpy about having to go because he wanted to play chess instead (the group he plays with has sessions on M/W/F), but I told him he'd have plenty of time to play during the long cold winter!

There was definitely an end-of-season feel to the farm -- as you can see from the pictures, "Pumpkin Alley" was already empty of pumpkins! It was a bit disappointing, as they usually have a good selection. (They also didn't have the hay bales out for kids to run around on, which is usually James's favorite part -- I'm guessing that decision was due to social distancing.) The apple trees were pretty well-picked as well -- there were only a few that still had apples on the lower branches. But, the kids didn't mind using the ladders. This time we picked Johnagolds, Red Delicious, and Yellow Delicious (the Yellow Delicious were the last trees we found --  it was too bad we didn't start there, because they are the best-tasting!)

 

Campfire

Our friends have a fire pit, so we've had fun roasting marshmallows with them and sitting around the fire while the weather still permits! Tonight we added hot chocolate to the mix. :)

Fall Falls

The fall colors were nice at Akron Falls this weekend, although the photos don't do them justice.  Mike was hoping the waterfall would be bigger after some rain last week, but nope!  We also met a very cute Berner-doodle -- Bernese Mountain Dog and poodle mix.  (They said he was the "titan" of the litter -- the biggest one, the opposite of the runt!)

 

Pumpkins Part 2

We made our second trip of the season to Greg's U-Pick -- we got small pumpkins the first time around, and this time we got a couple of big ones.  

 

Outdoor Sport

James has been enjoying being back in soccer (although the end of the outdoor season is quickly approaching). We've been lucky to have pretty good weather for the games so far!