Well apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo that it is the middle of October and time for us to go pick apples. I say that because today it was HOT. Not warm. HOT. It should NOT be sunny and hot like the middle of summer when we go pick apples. LOL Yet it was.
Now normally when we go, its cool and rainy. Something about that weather that is just "perfect" to us to go pick apples. So why did we go? Well, Scott had a long week and we really only have one more weekend until they close for the season. So what the heck we went.
Well it was crowded! Normally when we go its empty and most trees are picked over but we have fun. For some reason this year, it was a lot different. The weather wasn't the only thing different.
When we go there the parking lot was full and they were using an overfill lot. Gee, didn't even know they had that! LOL Usually we go in, buy our 1/2 bushell bag and drive to the orchard in the back. Well they had a hayride to the orchard -- no cars allowed. Plus they had a bunch of "attractions" -- you know the kind, cheap to them to run, yet they cost mom and dad an arm and a leg to buy the tickets for them to go on and you are roped into buying the tickets because the toddlers/preschoolers and all excited. Yep, those types.
Anyway, back to our day. So we were kinda thrown off guard by the new procedures. Maybe its always been this way but because we go at the end of the season and a crummy day they don't have these extras going on. Who knows.
So we got our bag -- of course it was $5 more than last year and only allowed us one type of apple, not the mixed bag we normally can get (we could have gotten a bag to get the right to get mixed types, but it wasn't worth the extra $10 on top of the normal cost to do so). BUT being the savy consumer I have become, I did have $1 off coupon for being on their mailing list. HA HA HA. Anyway, now we have our bag, it was off to find our hayride out to the orchard. I have to admit, it was kind of fun. Hot, but fun.
So we get to the orchard. Madelyn is all excited to go. Joshy wants back on the tractor for the hayride so he can ring the bell. Silly boy! This litte tidbit is important shortly in the story.
Anyway, we get Josh to finally agree to go down some of the aisles looking for apples. Originally we had intended to get one type, but all the trees were "picked" over (pun intended! ha ha ha). Well we decided to go for a different type (ya know, that whole thing where we chose the one type bag, not the mixed bag). We hit pay dirt. The trees were overflowing. It was about this point that we realized yet another difference between this year and our previous trips. BUGS. Normally, we never noticed any. Guess they were driven off by the rain and cool weather. But today it was HOT and relatively humid. BUGS were EVERYWHERE. Madelyn hates bugs. To her, bugs are not SWELL (taken from a Jack's Big Music Show song). So we got a glimpse into how the teenage years may be with Madelyn. She was crabby and overall a sour puss. Joshy on the other hand, he had a BLAST picking apples. He loved it! He pretty much filled up the bag himself. He would pick an apple and announce if it was big or small, and if he had one or two. :) Certainly he had a lot of fun.
So miss Sour Puss kept saying "is the bag full yet?" She obviously did NOT want to be there. We were hot and overheated. We finished filling our bag and headed back to the hayride so we could head back. The plan was to get some apple donuts (Scott's favorites)and then go our to lunch.
Ahhhhhh, but remember those "attractions" I mentioned. Yep, both of the kiddos spotted them. We decided to indulge them a little bit and bought them tickets. First attraction, the moon bounce. 2 tickets per kid. Wonderful. So we give the 4 tickets for the kiddos to go in. Madelyn liked it, Joshy hated it. After a few mintues, Madelyn had enough.
So we went over to the fake train and took a ride on that. The kids really liked it.
By this time, the kids were get hungry and just overall on overload. Time to go!
Overall it was a nice time. Different than our normal Apple Orchard outing and what we were looking forward to. Still doesn't feel like fall though. :/ Stupid Mother nature! Hopefully it will cool off this week!
So now, the pictures you have been waiting for!
On the hayride to the Apple Orchard
Joshy
At the beginning of the apple picking journey, before she realized there were bugs.
Handsome daddy
2 apples
Picking apples
There is a picture of Joshy in this same pose from last year -- I am going to have to find it and post it...
I am SO not looking forward to the teenage years....
Mom!
Just some other misc. pics from the day...
1 comment:
Sounds like quite the adventure! We lucked out on the apples this year--my folks have trees in their backyard :) No bags, no big bucks, no rotting apples from our overzealous picking. I hear you on the weather--just doesn't seem like fall when it's 80!
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