Last year's trip to the apple festival was a disaster for the most part (read about it here), but since I am a glutton for punishment and just a little crazy, we just had to try it again! Thankfully this year was quite a bit more successful. I attribute that success to both the fact that Daddy and our wonderful neighbors were all with us... which took Iraq just enough out of her comfort zone to deter a royal melt down (like the one we had last year).
We loaded up the 'burban bright and early this morning (11:00 a.m.) and headed up into the hills for a picnic. Apparently a few hundred-thousand other people did too, for we found that all the picnic areas were teaming with foliage worshipers, their significant others, their cameras, their children and their dogs. If you've read my blog long enough, you know that I'm not all about perfection or sticking with some sort of set-in-stone plan, and therefore it will come as no surprise to you that we continued driving and upon seeing a beautiful view, we stopped the truck just at the side of the road and had our picnic right there!
I think food just tastes better when you're eating whilst looking at something like this:
(And it's a good thing that beauty makes food taste better because I'm not sure I could have choked down the luke-warm diet fare I had packed for the hubby and myself if we'd been looking at anything else.)
After we were done eating, we headed to the festival. Aside from the fact that it's just a really cool festival, one of the main reasons we return each year is because the festival is totally free! We can totally afford free.
To get there you go just past Suck Mountain Trail, and then it's on the right. I kid you not!
For a moment they sat together upon that high peak - next to some poor faceless girl whose image I didn't get permission to use and therefore had to have her face unceremoniously removed before she could be published into this blog... reveling in their sweet climbing success.
And then, woooosssshhhhh, down the slide in gales of girlish giggles!
Once we were all appled out, we collectively decided to make a stop at a car show that we had passed on our way up to the festival.
This baby caught my eye just as the loudspeakers started playing a great Beach Boys tune! Wipeout!!
And then I saw this...
Yeah - I wiped the drool off the Camaro when I was done admiring it :) All the cars at the show were amazing, but Camaros have a special place in my heart... nothing against my 'burban... heck - can you see me trying to stuff my family of 5 in a fire engine red Camaro? That would sure make for an interesting road trip! (But dang that car would look good on me!!) Perhaps after all my children grow up and leave home...
...Aaaaaaaahaaahaahaahahahaaaaa! Like that will ever happen!
We loaded up the 'burban bright and early this morning (11:00 a.m.) and headed up into the hills for a picnic. Apparently a few hundred-thousand other people did too, for we found that all the picnic areas were teaming with foliage worshipers, their significant others, their cameras, their children and their dogs. If you've read my blog long enough, you know that I'm not all about perfection or sticking with some sort of set-in-stone plan, and therefore it will come as no surprise to you that we continued driving and upon seeing a beautiful view, we stopped the truck just at the side of the road and had our picnic right there!
I think food just tastes better when you're eating whilst looking at something like this:
After we were done eating, we headed to the festival. Aside from the fact that it's just a really cool festival, one of the main reasons we return each year is because the festival is totally free! We can totally afford free.
To get there you go just past Suck Mountain Trail, and then it's on the right. I kid you not!
(Place token Fall pumpkin & straw photos here.)
(Iraq stirring Apple Butter. She was behaving so well I never even thought about tossing her in to the cauldron... um... not that I would ever think something like that... )
I always enjoy walking through the arts & crafts displays. Iraq and The Skink do too... so they can find things to beg for. I think they must really enjoy the sound of my voice repeating "No!" over and over and over...
The one thing The Skink really, really, really wanted to do was try out the bounce house, so after a nice mosey through the neat displays and exhibits, we made our way to the giant inflatable (and very colorful) bounce house. Of course this was the one thing every other kid between the ages of 2 and too-big wanted to play in, also. Not only did this particular bounce house provide a place to... well... bounce, but it also had a slide. The only problem was that the rungs to climb up to the slide were spaced fairly far apart. To make matters more difficult for one as small in stature as The Skink, the whole shebang was undulating like a drunk belly dancer with every bounce.
After numerous failed attempts, The Skink sat down right in the middle of the bounce house and had a good, old fashioned melt down. That's when Iraq stepped in to save the day. She took the flailing, screeching Skink and pushed her right up that writhing ladder of horrors...
...right to the very top of the slide.
For a moment they sat together upon that high peak - next to some poor faceless girl whose image I didn't get permission to use and therefore had to have her face unceremoniously removed before she could be published into this blog... reveling in their sweet climbing success.
And then, woooosssshhhhh, down the slide in gales of girlish giggles!
Once we were all appled out, we collectively decided to make a stop at a car show that we had passed on our way up to the festival.
This baby caught my eye just as the loudspeakers started playing a great Beach Boys tune! Wipeout!!
And then I saw this...
Yeah - I wiped the drool off the Camaro when I was done admiring it :) All the cars at the show were amazing, but Camaros have a special place in my heart... nothing against my 'burban... heck - can you see me trying to stuff my family of 5 in a fire engine red Camaro? That would sure make for an interesting road trip! (But dang that car would look good on me!!) Perhaps after all my children grow up and leave home...
...Aaaaaaaahaaahaahaahahahaaaaa! Like that will ever happen!
Thanks for visiting my blog! Hope you'll share your thoughts before you go :o)
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