Fabulous Fall

As soon as August comes to an end and the vacationers return from summering on the Cape or Martha's Vineyard, the air suddenly turns crisp, the first leaves begin to change color, and the festivities of a New England fall begin. Neighbors decorate their homes with bright gourds and an abundance of red purple and yellow mums. Pumpkin carving festivals draw crowds in the tens of thousands, and Bostonians flock to the countryside to view the fall foliage that this region is famous for.

One of our favorite autumn activities is apple picking. This year we apple picked with our friends the Rotars, my dad and my brother Mike, as well as enjoying several visits to the orchards on our own.

In the midst of the apple picking season, we take a short break and head back to the orchards to pick our pumpkins. This year we found a new pumpkin patch at Shelburne Farms in Stow, not far from our home. As soon as we arrived we spotted the patch dotted with huge orange globes twisted together with thick pumpkin vines. The kids immediately sought out to find the largest pumpkin in the field. The deal was that they could choose any squash as long as they could carry it, by themselves, back to the farm store to be weighed. Emilie, Jonathan and Jonathan's friend Owen lugged half their weight back to the cashier. Annelise, Sophia and Ezra opted for miniature pumpkins, which I was grateful for when I was handed this season's pumpkin bill! We brought the pumpkins home and brightened our porch with our pickings.

Each fall we set aside at least one afternoon to join the leaf peepers in an effort to truly experienced the season. This year we stayed close to home, exploring the grounds of the Wayside Inn in our own town.

Our favorite part of living in New England in the fall is the visitors who come to stay for a few days. This season both my brother Mike stayed with us over Columbus Day my my dad added a few days onto a friend's wedding in October so that he could be with us. While my dad was here we took Ezra and Sophia to the Children's museum, went on a picnic at the Grist Mill, rode our bikes along one of the hundreds of miles of rail trails that criss cross Massachusetts, made our traditional crepe breakfast on Sunday morning to enjoy together during General Conference and, after much begging from the children coupled with a willing to please grandfather, enjoyed "Grandpa's Famous Hamburgers" for Sunday dinner. As always we felt that the visit was too short and looked forward to the next time we could be together.

Each fall I join our church's play group for a morning at Wellesley Hill's Pumpkin Patch. Sophia and Ezra pick out a few small pumpkins to add to the pile on our front porch while one of the mothers, who happens to be a great photographer, chases them down with her fancy Canon for a few fall photos. Each year I am envious of not only Lindsey's camera but also of her beautiful photographer's vision.

Last year we ventured to Plymouth for an authentic Pilgrim Thanksgiving dinner at the Plymouth Plantation. As we entered the town, huge signs advertised this famous location's annual Thanksgiving festival. Sadly the signs indicated that the festival had taken place earlier in the morning. I waited an entire year, determined not to forget about Thanksgiving at Plymouth. According to one travel web site, the festival's parade was ranked second in the nation on the top ten Thanksgiving parade lists, with the New York Macy's Day parade ranked first. Having been to the Macey's Day parade the year before, we set our expectations high and headed south for the day. We found the festival to be a random collection of happenings. The highly touted parade included the usual fare of turkey floats and marching bands, ending with a Christmas float carrying Santa waving to the crowds, but it also included a few unusual invitees such as a Hawaiian float commemorating the fifty year anniversary of Hawaii's statehood which seemed quite out of place in a New England Thanksgiving Day parade. Tours of the replica of the Mayflower were offered, we watched a demonstration of the Coast Guard plucking a drowning victim from the icy waters of the Atlantic, we were greeted by a band of pirates, the girls and Steve browsed through the craft tent and we then ended up at the Quahog Republic Food Festival which was the highlight of the day. For a $10 cover charge, we spent the rest of the afternoon sampling and voting on the best of the best that local restaurants had to offer. We tried various clam chowders, Indian pudding, hand dipped candies, hot chocolate and bits of marinated steak. We all agreed that our vote would go to Lindsey's for their lobster bisque which had huge chunks of lobster, scallops and crab simmering in a cream broth. We returned home with our minds curious as to what the theme of the event really was, our bellies full of local delicacies and just enough Thanksgiving spirit to look forward to the upcoming holiday which would bring the end of our fabulous fall.