Carter Mountain Apple Orchard

Last year we went with the Settle's to the Carter Mountain Apple Orchard Festival in Charlottesville Virginia. (Click on Settle Family to see that post). We had such a great time that we planned to go with them again this year. Due to Becky's foot surgery they were unable to go. We asked my friend, Rabia and her family if they would like to come with us and they agreed to go. In addition, my brother Paul and his family came to meet up with us for a while.

What an amazing day! The weather could not have been more beautiful and everyone had such a great time! We picked 33 lbs. of apples and are hoping to make my Grandma Leftwich's famous applesauce recipe!

This is a picture of the kids overlooking the city of Charlottesville. L to R--Ryan, Frances, Emily, Henry and Lydia. Adella had already gone, but she is in the picture below with Paul. I think the kids ate about 5 apples a piece today :)
Ryan climbing trees to pick some apples--he was loving that!!

Lydia taking a break


Henry and Mike

At the festival there is bluegrass music playing. The kids got up on this "stage" and danced and danced.

A Great Fall Weekend

--This post did not work out the way I wanted it to:)--make sure to read all the way to the bottom . . . .
This weekend we had the priviledge of camping with our friends, Becky and Stuart Settle and their boys, Lucas and Mason. We camped at the Charlottesville KOA which is halfway in between our house and theirs (they live in Richmond). The weekend could not have been more beautiful! The nights were a little chilly, but during the day it was very warm and pretty. We hiked and biked and the kids played on the playground. We are hoping this is the first in a long line of camping with the Settles!After our fun weekend of roasting marshmellows and hotdogs, and great fellowship around the campfire; we went with Becky and Stuart to a fall festival at Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville. It was just that, an orchard on a mountain. Being in our camper, we were not going to be able to drive our camper up the very narrow dirt road that goes up to the orchard. We parked our camper at a visitors center right across the street from the entrance to the orchard and unloaded all the camping stuff from the back of Becky and Stuart's van. We piled the children in the back to drive across the street and up the mountain (about 1 1/2 miles--they were very safe). All of the kids had a ball picking apples from the trees and eating apples while walking around the orchard. We all had a great time!!