Forms of nature: October 2015

Yup. It's that crisp, wonderful, nutmeg-flavored time of year. I, like most midwesterners, try to make the most of the season, though it's not my personal favorite because it is only a harbinger of agonizingly chilly things to come...but let's not dwell on that.

Remember that corn we grew in our garden this summer? Well it found a home this fall next to Timmy the scarecrow in front of our house.

We have had quite a few excursions this fall, all in the spirit of making the most of the season. And actually, this autumn in Chicago has been a glorious one, with strings of perfect, 65 degree days...these days have been begging to be filled with seasonal activities like pumpkin-patch-exploring, cider-sipping, apple-picking, and the like.

We had a lovely time at the apple orchard with our friends and their children. This was special for me, because it was the first family group outing with other friends and their kids!

We had a perfect, crisp fall morning that quickly turned warm and had me wishing I had chosen shorts rather than jeans (the men in our group were smarter, apparently).

The boys had a blast (Will picking apples from trees, Link picking apples from the ground)

But they had more fun pulling each other in the wagon, and chasing those nasty yellow jackets.

Those apples were so tasty, most of them ended up in our stomach and none in pies. Ah well.

Last weekend we took advantage of another great fall weekend and rode 16 miles (with kids people, with kids!) on the Illinois Prairie Path. It was gorgeous, with the amber tree-lined paths highlighted gorgeously against the brisk blue autumn sky (made only a little less enjoyable by sounds of two unhappy boys squished on top of each other in a bike trailer for 3 hours during what should have been nap time).

After we conquered (well, we made it about half as far as SOME of us originally wanted to go) that trail, we headed to a lovely pumpkin farm nearby.

This trip was complete with corn maze, hay bales, LOTS of pumpkins, apple cider, donuts and rides!

A 3-yr old demonstrating his hulk-like strength

TWe sat, soaking in the golden light, the tangerine pumpkins, sipping the spiced apple cider, devouring unbelievably fresh and delicious donuts, just appreciating the moment.