A Pickin' and A Grinnin'.

This past weekend my husband and I ventured off to Lorain County to go apple picking.  Time was when we could bring the kids, but  now that they are 15 and 20 and lives of their own, we are on our own.  This is bittersweet.  I realized as we were picking apples that I never did this with my kids.  We went to pumpkin farms when they were kids, but never did apple or strawberry picking.

The sweet part of the bittersweet is that Steve and I spent the afternoon together taking the drive to the country.  It was a very chilly day, but I loved it anyway.

We went to Rex Gee's Orchard.  There were half a dozen apple farms down this stretch of country road, but this one was the only one that proclaimed "Pick your own apples."

There were a number of varieties to choose from.  I think we ended up with Golden Delicious, Melrose, Empire, and Courtland. 

Check out the color on these Melrose:

This next pic looks like fallen branches, but it's actually a tree that must be growing up from a stump.

Nature has a way.

Here is our load of apples.  1/2 bushel for $15.

I have no idea if that's a good price or not, but it was worth the adventure!

Now that I have all of these apples I need to get crackin on those recipes that I have been saving.

Recipes for Apple Cake, Apple Bars, and canned Apple Butter.

Yummy!!

Red Wagon Farm

We finally have received a respite from the rain that has been drenching us for over a week now.  Saturday we dashed out for a quick trip to the pumpkin farm.  I needed pumpkins and they have a generous selection.  We arrived just before closing time, but were there long enough to pick our pumpkins, shop around the farmers' market, and get some yummy caramel apples with nuts.  Mmmm.

These kids were cute traipsing across the field with their choice pumpkins.  The littler ones had trouble hanging on to the heavy gourds, but they made it across the fields on their own.

I came away with pumpkins large and small, tomatos that are simply scrumptious, caramel apples, and some hot apple cider.

Quick trip, but still enough time to savor the goodness and warmth of Autumn in the Midwest.

I am linking up to Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House.

Yankee Peddler Festival

Last Saturday while others were visiting the Junk Bonanza & the Country Living Fair, hubby and I decided to stay close to home.

We enjoyed the beautiful September weather at the Yankee Peddler Festival. This festival is held each year for 3 weekends in September in historic Canal Fulton, Ohio.

The location is the scenic Clay's Park Resort & Campground. It is 75 acres of woods and meadows and food, entertainment, and fine arts & crafts.

There are almost 400 exhibitors that peddle their wares in rustic lean-to's and cottages nestled amongst the trees, streams, and meadows. We were given a map upon arrival and we quickly saw that this really covers a large area. Each section has pioneer type names such as Muskrat Cove, Militia Meadow, Possum Run, and Liberty Village.

There was so much food offered. Everything from pizza and french fries to ruebens, turkey legs, apple dumplings, and sausage & pancakes.

How about a Buffalo meat sandwich?

This sweetheart was peeling apples for the fritters:

Coffee anyone?

As we were walking amongst all of the crafting booths, we suddenly heard musket shots and headed over to Militia Meadow to take in the show. It was a mock battle between the Redcoats and the Pioneer Militia.

Here are the campsites for the Militia Men, complete with handmade quilts, cooking fires, and lots of taxidermy!

When we took a break for lunch we sat on the shores of this beautiful, serene lake:


So on to the crafters. As I metioned there were approx. 400 exhibitors, so it was impossible to remember all of them. Here is a small sampling:

Creative gourds.

Adorable Giraffes.

How cute are these Halloween gourds?

Birdhouse anyone?

As some of you may know, I absolutely swoon over anything from nature.

How simple & fun are these garlands?

I want my garden to look like this:

This crafter had the most vibrant, creative pressed flower artwork:

I always love a chair planter, but this artisan went one step further and drilled a hole in the seat back and inserted this cute figure:

This booth had amazing dried flowers. Everything you could think of including my favorite hydrangeas. I did not purchase the dried hydrangea for fear it would shed completely before I could get it home in one piece. I did however bring home some of these breathtaking coxcomb:

Some fun Halloween artwork:

This sign just cracked me up:

I was delighted to be swarmed by butterflies upon entering this little sanctuary:

The crafters were divided amongst those that were "pioneer artisans" and those that were crafters of "today". Such amazing artistry everywhere we turned.

How about these intricately carved beeswax figurines?

There were several blacksmiths that we encountered. It was mesmerizing to watch them work.

Can you guess what these pumpkins are made of? Horseshoes!

This artisan created handmade wooden benches. I would have loved to bring one home with me. Here are his tools:

The Yankee Peddler festival also had stages set up in each area. There were musicians, cloggers, theater troops, and marionette shows. Also, there were random muscians in amongst the paths of the forest:

This couple made beautiful music together on the Dulcimer and Harp:

Before we headed home for the day we stopped for a hot Apple Dumpling served with caramel and vanilla ice cream. Divine! (Sorry no photo, the ice cream began melting and we began eating).

We had such a wonderful day, hubby and I. The weather was perfect and I can't believe I have never been here before. This is located only 45 minutes from home and it has been held annually for 37 years!

If you are ever in Northeast Ohio in September you must add it to your list of things to do!

Have a great Wednesday!!

Mama Knows Best

Saturday was not a great day for me. Despite the summer heat & sun I fell into a bit of a funk. I (and my family) have stopped trying to figure out my occasional "funks". It is what it is, and we just deal with it. This past Saturday my way to deal was to head over alone to my parent's home. This always makes everything seem right to me. I don't know why, it just does the trick.

I was no sooner sitting at my parent's kitchen table then my mom uttered those magical words, "Do you want to go on a bike ride"? I don't know how moms do it, but somehow we always know the right thing to say or do - at least my mom does.

On the way out back to get the bikes we oooohed and aaaahed over the wildflower seed that her neighbor threw (and I mean literally threw) against the fence. Mom definitely benefited from those seeds! The results are so bright and cheery poking their heads through the neighbor's chain-link fence.


After Dad added some air to the tires, Mom & I were off on our little bike adventure. We actually only rode down the street a mile or so, but it might as well have been a different world.

Don't you just love an old barn? I do! Something about the old wood, and the faded red paint, and the slate tile roof - it just is so peaceful to me.

Then we headed off down Main St. to "Byers' Pond". I know you'd think with a name like Main St. this would be all hustle and bustle, but somehow this particular country road is called Main Street.

We found some blackberries; some sweet & some tart. This is also where I had a little snake slither past my foot. He was too little & too quick to capture a photo of.

HELLLOOO!?!?!?! Do you see what I see??? THE LEAVES ARE STARTING TO TURN. Nooooo!!! It's only August!!!!!!

And of course you can't ride a bike, or talk a walk, or drive a car down Main St. without seeing the deer. They are everywhere. Last week I saw about 20 of them behind that white garage - all at the same time!!

Here we are about an hour later pedaling back down Mom's driveway, with the neighbors wildflowers to greet us.

I find that sometimes it is OK to step away. To relax. To escape just a bit. It's not really an escape, but more of a recharging of my spirit, or my soul. It's good for me, and it 's good for my family. I went home a much calmer, happier mama & wife. Just what I (and we) needed.

Thank you Mom. I love you.