Weekend and Day-trips

This is one of my favorite images from our day at Apple Hill…

A lawn watering jockey! I have to get one of these! The hose goes back and forth to distribute the water evenly.

An autumn visit to Apple Hill always gets us in the spirit of the season and looking forward to Thanksgiving.

The Apple Hill folks go all out to create an inviting, down home, country atmosphere.

This happy fellow welcomes guests to one of the fifty or so orchards, farms and ranches in the Apple Hill area.

Another “Welcoming Committee”!

Everything seems to be in bloom at this time of year in Apple Hill, even the roses!

Part of the Boy Scout scarecrow competition and one of our personal favorites. (Maybe it’s the “island” theme…)

Part of the Boy Scout scarecrow competition and another of our favorites…

More great scarecrows from the Boy Scout competition. This appears to be a “scarecrow coffee-clatch.”

What would farm country be without an old John Deere parked in a field…

And don’t old barns exist just to be photographed?

I once found a Studebaker buggy (yes, they made buggies before cars) in an old barn just like this one back in the early 70s. It belonged to Jim Meeks of Wilton, California.

I’m dating myself, but I remember sitting in front of an old black wood stove when I was much younger. This one brought back memories of family and friends who sat around it with me.

Things like this always remind me of my days living on my uncle’s farm…

Some of the best apples of the region come from these very farms. These crates are used to move the apples from the fields.

Signs of the fall season arrive a little earlier in the Apple Hill area due to their higher elevation…

…Leaves turn a little sooner, and pumpkins are picked for Halloween jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin pie and toasted pumpkin seeds.

I always enjoy a delicious BBQ pork sandwich at one of the farms. They roast the pig right there! You sure don’t see that every day!

There’s a little farm pond where kids can feed the fish as these two young visitors are doing. Dawn and I took several photos here…

The pond’s centerpiece is its waterwheel…

Here’s the intrepid nature and wildlife photographer stalking… the waterwheel?

I don’t think the water wheel works - it’s covered with ivy…

…but it’s so picturesque, I suspect every visitor with a camera photographs it.

Dawn captured its reflection from the opposite bank.

One of our favorite things to do in Apple Hill is to picnic under the apple trees. Most farms offer wooden tables in addition to indoor seating, but at this time of year, it’s hard to beat eating out in nature.

It’s not just about jams and jellies, pies and tarts; some of the farm shops sell all manner of unusual fare!

Need a scarecrow? They have them!

These youngsters came to find the perfect pumpkin…

…and after checking every pumpkin in the field…

…they agreed that this was, in fact, the “most perfect” pumpkin!

More great scarecrows…

Wow, here’s a colorful one!

Part of the Boy Scout scarecrow competition.

The Boy Scouts filled an entire field with scarecrows!

The scarecrow contest was a real treat! I don’t remember who won; they were all great!

The big cask marks the entrance to Primus Vineyards.

Another view.

Part of our “club” wine this month.

Part of a hay bail maze.

Enjoy a wonderful autumn!