10.25.2009

pumpkins by way of false advertising

A couple of weekends ago we were lured (along with the Nelsons) by the prospect of "U-pick" apple orchards. Apple picking! I think I've been enchanted with this idea ever since I saw how apple juice was made on Mr. Rogers.

What's more - the thought of frolicking in the orchards, playfully picking apples at our leisure, throwing them at each other in a teasing manner - sounded like the quintessential fall activity. Get thee hence to Riley's Apple Farm!

So we headed out to Oak Glen, where visions of apple sauce, cider, jam, jelly, butter, bottom jeans, and every other type of apple related product awaited!

First we stopped to do a little outdoorsy exploring. George dipped his toes in the stream - an invigorating feeling only patrons of Russian banya could appreciate.

George & Ashley - George thoroughly enjoyed that leaf.


George (note leaf) and his nerves of steel


The crisp, mountain air was so refreshing compared to the air in LA


George and Ashley enjoying the outdoors

So, we all know that when life hands you lemons you're supposed to make lemonade. So... when life hands you hailstorms that kills your apple trees (or you poorly manage the influx of seasonal tourists who ravage your trees) and you neglect to update your website of seemingly VERY relevant information (e.g. no apples to pick), you resort to pumpkin picking!

With Halloween just around the corner we decided that we shouldn't let the 1.5 hour drive go to waste. We meandered through the pumpkin patch and found the best the patch had to offer:

Ashley insisted on carrying everyone's biggest pumpkins


Kimber showing her find with Abe keeping it on the DL


They had various breeds (species, types?) of pumpkins, including these super heavy, martha stewart-esque ones.


George liked playing with the pumpkins


Pumpkins and 7 month olds were both .40/lb.


The afternoon kind of became a comedy of errors after the pumpkin picking. Baby boys crying, long lines for marginal quality BBQ, and really abrasive old-timey music hastened our exit. Even though we didn't get to pick all the apples we could handle, the trip made for a nice Saturday out of the city. Happy fall and Halloween everyone.

4 comments:

clyde said...

Hey thanks man. He's ours so we think he's cute but you know how parents are:) Mik'L thinks he and George kind of resemble each other so we think George is cute too! This is a pretty fun phase 6 months to a year... really cute stuff. It's fun doing all the new things:)
I still check in on your blog and you guys are as active as the Jones's. Always doing something fun.
You had me rolling with the apple blog.
"Where visions of apple sauce, cider, jam, jelly, butter, bottom jeans, and every other type of apple related product awaited"!
Too funny man- bottom jeans...
The best stuff since shooting fish in a barrel!

Chris Cherry said...

i am questioning the authenticity of that pumpkin patch. tons of brown dirt and a few shoots of grass here and there. i think it was a dirt field and some farmer showed up and randomly placed pumpkins on the ground and told people to come 'pick them'. but, i have to admit that you guys got some nice looking pumpkins. are you a carver or do you go al-natural?

David said...

chris, i'll answer your question by posing one of my own?

who do you think you are?

j/k

yeah, we kind of wondered about that too, but upon further investigation we found a few pumpkins that were still connected at the vine, in the ground. so if it were a ruse, it would've been an elaborate one.

we got some great pumpkins. unfortunately, we carved them prematurely and now they are soggy, watery, moldy, jack o lanterns.

Blythe said...

Our pumpkins are covered in snow, and I don't feel like carving a single one of them. Is that sacrilege?

I just can't summon the energy.

But I LOVE the pic of George in the wheelbarrow.