Apple-Picking

Last week my dad and stepmom visited, and so it was time for our annual fall trek to County Line Orchard for apple-picking.

First stop: The Children's Farm. There was some minor disappointment when we learned that Nathan's favorite attraction, Peter the Pumpkin-Eating Dinosaur, was closed that day:

But the child rallied when it was time to climb on the tractor.  In typical kid fashion, the various children (Nathan included) had to climb all over the thing even when it wasn't their turn in the driver's seat:

No, we cannot wait patiently in line!  We must be in physical contact with the tractor at all times!

Then, over at the hay-ground:

Children love hay!

Nathan's turn on the mini-tractor.  Notice that other kid is hovering in the wings in eager anticipation of his turn.  

This next picture is kind of bad, but it's the only picture I have to show the hay maze from far away:

Takin' a break among the hay bales:

Next up: the petting zoo.  Nathan is interested in animals, but too afraid to feed them, leaving me with a $3 bag of animal feed and goat saliva on my hands.

Okay, so this next part is totally adorbs.  They built three houses for the pigs: one of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks:

And the three little pigs picked the brick house:

This is a photo inside the packing house:

Here we see Nathan displaying the cheesy kid picture grin among the pumpkin display:

And inside the giant cornucopia photo op:

Next we took the trractor ride to the apple orchards.  As you can see, Nathan was very seriously pondering a plan of action for his apple-picking:

But as this next photo demonstrates, he was excited:

This is my dad and stepmom on the tractor in front of the sunflower fields:

I'm pretty sure I take this same picture every year.

Here are a few orchard shots:

Three-generation photo:

My stepmom picking my favorite variety of apples:

Mother/son moment:

During which I apparently felt the need to perform a Shakespearean soliloquy:

Aaand what trip to County Line would be complete without a taste of their famous doughnuts?  Here's Nathan enjoying cider and a pumpkin doughnut:

This shot is blurry because it's an action shot.  He's devouring that doughnut:

Yay apples!

(Photo credits: Assume that if it's a crappy, blurry photo, I took it with my cell phone.  All good-quality photos copyright my dad.)