Because I (we) heart fall so very much, we decided that this weekend's adventure would be to find a place where we could pick apples and pumpkins in one fell swoop. It almost worked out.
We journeyed to a magical place called "Apple Holler," just north of Kenosha, WI. What we found when we arrived were apple orchards, a pumpkin patch, hay rides, corn maze, doughnuts, cider...and the entire population of Wisconsin and most of Illinois.
Our day began when we entered the grounds and our senses were immediately overwhelmed by the sights, the people, and the reggae music. Yup, you heard me. After standing in line for 15 minutes, we were told by The Apple Folk that the trees were almost completely bare, but if we liked we could still pay $37.99 (no joke) for a plastic bag that we may or may not be able to fill up with apples. We passed.
We then went to have lunch at the restaurant, only to discover that the only dining option was a buffet of turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, etc. Now, I was okay with this but anyone who has met my darling husband (DH for you blog-savvy readers) knows that he's a tad choosy about his food. The idea that dozens of people were breathing on what he's about to consume kinda grosses him out. Come to think of it, I guess I'm not a huge fan of the buffet either.
After that, we walked to the "pick your own pumpkin" patch. Now, I've not picked my own pumpkin in a few years, but I guess I was actually expecting to cut a pumpkin off the vine with my own two hands. Really, we just selected it from a picked over patch and transported it back to the main area via tractor pull. It just goes to show you how ignorant I was about pumpkin picking. We did, however, find a lovely pumpkin.
After that, we stood in another very long line to purchase our apple cider doughnuts and a 1/2 gallon of apple cider...not manufactured at Apple Holler, I realized later. (The doughnuts were tasty.)
We deemed the afternoon to be a lovely, sunny day spent together as a family, even if the events in and of themselves were a bit of a failure. We learned a lesson: go apple picking on a Monday in September. :o)
1 comment:
just what the cider mill here is like in October...except you didn't mention the entire North American population of bees that come to partake! Isn't reality sometimes a downer? Find the joy.
Love,
Madre, as the college boy calls me...when he bothers.
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