Fall Fun

Last weekend we crunched all of our fall fun into one weekend - we went apple picking at our favorite orchard, R&A Orchards in Ellijay, and picked up 2 GIANT pumpkins at Burt's Farm.

We started out leaving nice and early (ok, 9:30AM) for the 2-hour drive up into the mountains.  (But, I made us a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and banana nut muffins, which was the cause for the delay!) 

By the time we arrived, it was lunchtime!  A lunch buffet at Amicalola Falls Lodge was PERFECT...a huge salad bar and some other yummies...and an equally huge dessert bar (hello, first piece of pumpkin pie for the season!!!).

It was even better because there was a big wedding being set-up for the afternoon, and most everyone at the Lodge was part of the wedding.  So we got to see lots of decorations and people all dressed up (no bride though, she must have been getting ready!).  What a beautiful venue - fall colors changing, cool breeze, bright sunny day - reminded me of our wedding almost 8 years ago...What a romantic way to start our date.  :)

Anywho, first stop, WORLD'S LARGEST PUMPKINS.  They had lots of things to look at in the gift shop, and other fun things like hay rides and barn tours...but I am kind of fundamentally opposed to hay rides (they make me itch) and have seen tons of barns.  So we just proceeded to pick out the biggest pumpkins we could find that were less than $30 each.

DONE!  Jeff may or may not have quasi-tore a bicep loading these bad boys into the Acadia. 

Next stop, orchard.  We bypassed all of the uber-commercial operations (petting zoo, pig races, milk-your-own-cow, corn maze, etc) and went to the orchard we found last year. 

R&A Orchards is a family operation, with everyone working on the weekend.  Grandma directs parking, Daughter runs a register by the door, Granddaughter (maybe 12 years old) makes the delicious caramel covered apples and keeps the samples tended.  They also have a fabUlous kitchen, with deep fried pies and sandwiches and BBQ...oh my...(I only had a BITE of Jeff's fried pie but it was seriously delicious).

We also picked our own apples - Stayman Winesaps and Granny Smiths were ready, so we filled a "Peck" of the yummiest ones we could find, and then came back inside to pick up a "Bushel".

I immediately started singing to Jeff, "I love you...a bushel and a peck...a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck..."  Do you guys know that song?  I love catchy nursery songs.

Anywho, FINALLY time to head back home...2 hour drive ahead of us...of COURSE I had to nap...and of COURSE Jeff took a picture (while driving)...Happy Fall Y'all!