McAfee's Knob Hike

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny fall day so we decided to pack a picnic lunch and take a hike.  Based on a suggestion from a friend we hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail to McAfee's Knob.  It was about an 8 mile hike round trip, and we underestimated just what we were embarking on!  We followed the AT on the way up and then followed the fire road on the way back.  In retrospect, I wish we had taken the fire road both directions.  It was a bit shorter, posed fewer elevation changes, was far more scenic, and was easier walking.  It took us about 3 hours to get there since Will needed quite a few rest stops (ok, maybe Jerry and I enjoyed the rest stops too!).  The trip back down was faster taking just over 2 hours.  We felt a bit rushed when we realized it was going to be a longer hike than we thought so we didn't linger long for many good pictures, but the view was amazing!  The panoramic mode on my camera couldn't even capture the whole view. 

Will did a good job spotting the white blazes on the trail.

On the way up...

These huge boulders near the top were almost as impressive as the view from McAfee's Knob.
But by this point I was too tired to stop for many great pictures!

WE MADE IT!!!  And that cliff is as dramatic as it looks - it's not a camera trick!  : )

Jerry said we needed proof!  : )

Will got a really good picture of Jerry and I.

Taking this group picture using the tripod was Will's idea.
Plus it provided an excuse to sit for a bit!
This was near the end and we were tired!  : )

Can you see the face or were we hallucinating by then?

I told Will he had to smile for a picture - if I carried him for a bit on
the way back down it got me some bragging rights!

 

Will's First Field Trip

The kindergarten classes took a field trip to Ikenberry Orchard this week.  Will was particularly excited about it because he got to ride the bus!

 

They talked to the kids about apples...

Then went on a hay ride.  Will drew a picture of it the next day as his favorite part of the trip.

Before leaving they got to choose a pumpkin from the patch.

Will searched a long time until he found the biggest one.

He talked about the bus ride more than anything that afternoon!

What We've Been Up To

Going for a ride/walk.  I don't think the posted map was drawn to scale
because it turned out to be a longer trip than we planned - but it was
beautiful and fun.  : )

Making applesauce.  Despite the fact that there are numerous apple orchards
surrounding me now I could not find ANY Macintosh apples which I really
liked in my applesauce last year.  : (

It was nice this year to have these large enamel pans.
Thanks, Tom!!

17 quarts so far...
Which sounds like a lot until you consider that I made over 52 quarts last year
and I'm down to 3 pints left!!

Jerry was craving honey wheat soft pretzels from Aunt Annie's but they
don't make them any more.  So he researched and found a recipe he liked and
we made our own!

It was a fun Sunday afternoon activity and a delicious treat - they turned out great!!

Will took pictures these pictures of his pretzel disappearing  : )

We had Will's soccer banquet later that evening at Pizza Hut. 
After those pretzels we didn't have room for pizza - Will didn't
even eat much of his cake!

But he had a good time with his friends and was really excited
about getting his trophy!

I found this guy in the yard while I was mowing.  He's a red eft newt.  We had fun learning
about his life cycle and Will liked feeding him earthworms.

Apparently the newt enjoyed them too because he was a bit more rotund when we
let him go!!

Though he ate well in Will's care I think he was glad to go back home -
he did a back flip out of Will's hand!

Will helping Daddy install our garbage disposal.
Can you look at the pictures and guess Will's new favorite
outfit since soccer is over?

Will's bug habitat has gotten good use.  This blue tailed skink was
our next pet.  I was proud of Will for resisting the urge to pop his tail
off after I told him about the skink's defensive tactic. 
Will was delighted when several days later I ran across another one in the flower bed
whose tail I had inadvertently detached.  He wanted to keep the
wiggling tail!  He is such a boy!!

The Project is Finished!

Jerry and I never think to take "before" pictures when we do a project around the house.  I'm glad I remembered this time so I have so nice "before and after" pictures to show off all my, I mean our, hard work this week.  : )

You can see it was a weedy, overgrown mess!

I didn't remember to take the pictures until we had started a little bit of digging.

And after...

It cost more and took longer than I hoped, but I think it was worth it!

I realized I have never posted any pictures of Skippy!  Poor kitty!

And no one wants to read a blog post without a cow picture!!