weekending :: getting out in it

this weekend was one of those crisp, clear, cold-in-the-morning-hot-in-the-afternoon, brilliantly blue fall weekends that remind you you've gotta get out in it now because soon it'll be cold, cold, cold.  and get out in it we did, filling it up with goodness way beyond our typical mostly-stay-at-home kind of weekends.  (which I quite love)

while she was in ballet class Saturday morning, papa and I walked over to the library book sale and picked up a few things.  afterwards, the market.  our last of the year as we'll be gone to the beach camping next weekend when the market season closes.  we had our pastries from the wood-fired bread guy, bought a big bag of onions since we've got approximately one or two left of our own, a box of the season's last tomatoes (we need to make more of Heather's amazing salsa because we're going through it fast), and a pork belly that papa plans to turn into bacon with his homemade cold-smoker.  we also came away with a bag full of 4T/5T sized dress-up clothes that the kind Molly thought Claire might enjoy. (yes, the answer is YES)

Claire and I took a quick ride on the bike to visit some friends for a little while so we mamas could chat and the girls could play and watch the Curious George halloween special about a headless scarecrow.  they love it.  while we were gone papa went into the back bee hive to close it up for the year.  we didn't have a second honey extraction like we thought we might this year, but they are looking good and we've got fingers and toes crossed the winter will be good to them.  and then we were back home to help bottle the pumpkin ale.  one of us in our new dress-up, of course.  we've worked out a nice assembly line for bottling, we three.

a late afternoon birthday party for a little buddy turning six.  Claire joined in and made a light saber out of a thick wooden dowel and colorful duct tape.  most of her tape faces out so it's quite sticky but it's pretty cute and probably still just as good at harnessing the force and all.  there was popcorn and roasted veggies to munch on, beer to drink, and good people to catch up with.  and cake.

and then, later afternoon, we headed up and over the mountain to farm school to glean apples for cider and for eating however we see fit.  we came away with lots of apples.  LOTS.  papa is working on rigging up a homemade press right now (it involves a car jack, a frame, a big box...) and we're going to see about refilling that 5 gallon carboy with some cider.  dried apples, a pie or six...... yumyumyum.

as we gathered apples in the cold wind that night (as it does this time of year, it turned from late afternoon to evening rather quickly) I thought how very well-suited we are for one another.  much as we drive each other nuts sometimes, I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there for whom gleaning dirty apples for a couple hours in the cold raw wind would not be their first choice for how to spend a saturday night.  but it made us giddy.

and then Sunday we spent the day at LEAF (the Lake Eden Arts Festival).  our kids at art class were performing again so we found ourselves with free day passes, just like this Spring.  if some of the photos look familiar, that's probably because the herb conference takes place at the same location.  there was again kettle corn and delicious food, bouncing on the big bungee bouncer thing (she flipped this time! fearless!), a run through the hamster ball thing, a gorgeous lake reflecting fall leaves, dancing.  general fun and merriment.  we got to see Robert Randolph and Bela Fleck play.  so, so good.  we listened to them both a lot in college (and still) and went to see them each a couple times in college.  we did leave about a half hour into Bela Fleck's set so we could get over to the farmer-owned meat shop (where papa worked briefly) for their anniversary block party- I enjoyed Bela's music a lot but the addition of his (I'm sure very lovely) wife and musical partner tweaked the sound a bit into something I felt I could leave after a half hour, whereas were he with the Flecktones I'd have to have been dragged away.

and so on to the meat shop, for lots of good food (mostly variations of meat on crackers, also amazing french fries and local cheeses), a local brewery's Butcher Babe Smoked Porter to taste, a local distillery's whisky to sample (they let me take their empties for maple syrup bottles!), and more good folks to chat with.

and then, finally, home.  where I collapsed on the couch while they read stories and then promptly fell asleep with the little one because holy cow, what a weekend!

*weekending with Karen