The Apple Orchard

Doing the maze all by herself

I think I mentioned that we went to the apple orchard, but I never actually blogged about the whole trip.     October is always so busy, that I like to get the fall season started with an apple orchard trip in September.  This is, of course, not the best time for apples, as a lot of them aren't ready until October or November, but it's warm enough and there are enough varieties to still make it a fun day.  We went to Arrowhead Orchard again this year.  We went last year and it was during their 50th Anniversary celebration.  Miss Olivia was wearing her apple hat and got her picture in the paper.  This year we weren't celebrities, but we had more fun (no rain this year!)  I like Arrowhead for a few reasons, first, it's much closer than Beckwith's Orchard, which we went to for a few years.  Second, it's become much more "touristy" and has a corn maze, train ride, hay bale mountain and play area as well as a hay ride thorough the apple orchard to see the orchard, bee hives and stops at the pumpkin patch where the kids can pick a pumpkin.  I also like them because they supply Plain Local Schools (our school district) with apples for their lunch and breakfast programs.  It's cool to see exactly where you food comes from before it ends up on your tray--beside other items that are more processed.  I like supporting a farm that supports local produce in my kids' school.

Ellie and Vince on the train ride (it went through the corn maze)

Caden won't admit it, but he had fun.  Ellie and Vince WILL admit it, they had fun.  And even Olivia had a good time.  She did the kiddie hay bale maze all by herself!  I think the only one that didn't have fun was poor Nana--we made her pay for everything!  (Despite that, Nana had fun.  She ended up with cider--how can THAT not be fun?!?!)

Olivia, Caden and I on the hayride--beautiful blue September sky

I love going to the apple orchard.  It's such a great FALL activity.  I like being outside with the kids, unplugged from all devices, and watching them play.  

The boys.

Caden was LEAPING from hay bale to hay bale.  It was good to see him acting like a little kid.  He's at the point now where sometime's he's "too big" for stuff and I know it's only going to get worse.  Ellie was mad we didn't get to pick that apples, but I don't really feel like that's a huge part of why we go to the apple orchard.  When we pick the apples we generally don't end up with edible specimens.  We end up with a lot of quantity and not quality, which equals a lot of waste.  I much prefer to just enjoy the orchard from the hay ride and buy the apples in the store.  I know I'm getting something that we  can use to bake and eat and not something that's going to sit in bags, drawing fruit flies until it rots and I guiltily throw it in the trash.

Caden in motion

Ellie and Vince on the hay ride.  You can see how secure it was--and Ellie was made I kept telling her to stay seated.

Nana and Olivia watching Leaping Caden.

My favorite thing about being at the apple orchard though, stems from a memory.  When Ellie was in kindergarten I drove to the orchard to get her class a bag of apples for an apple tasting activity they were doing.  It was a beautiful fall afternoon with a bright blue sky.  As I drove out to the orchard, I could see all the trees turning the brilliant colors of fall and the road was showered in falling leaves.  It made me thankful that I live in Ohio.  It made me thankful that I'm able to be out in the middle of a beautiful fall day driving to get apples for my daughter's kindergarten class.  It made me thankful in general.  This memory comes back to me every time I go to the orchard, or really even THINK about the orchard.  That perfect fall day and all that went with it.

Miss Olivia picking a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch