The Beauty of Autumn

After three years of being away at college during this season, I finally got to attend the local Apple Harvest Festival again! Apple tasting, hay rides through the orchard, munching on an apple dumpling, listening to old-timey music, drinking tart (and utterly delicious) apple cider, and catching up with good friends - it was a great time!

My sister, me, and my mom on the hayride. =) 
(Yes, we like to match with our Snoopy shirts!)

A view of the orchard while on our hayride. 

Just look at those gorgeous apples!

Is there anything like enjoying good food and good conversation with good music playing in the background? 

There is so much to enjoy during the autumn - the harvest, the colors of the leaves, the weather that wavers between warm and cold. It's a season of beginnings and endings. 

Now is the time to gather in all the fruits of the field and the garden. 

Now is the time for the trees to let go of their old leaves and wait for the new to come. 

Now is the time for celebrating what has grown - and making room for change to occur.

Isn't it interesting how many people love fall? The leaves are dying, and nature is on its way to a season of bareness and cold. And yet there is so much beauty in the colors and even in the melancholy, thoughtful aura that surrounds everything. 

It's a wonderful reminder that in a season when things should seem bleak and depressing (and perhaps are at times), God provides beauty and bounty in many unexpected and enchanting ways. 

I hope you are enjoying the beauty of autumn!

(You can learn more about Clendenen's - the orchard we visited for the apple harvest festival - HERE. And when they say they have "the best cider you'll ever taste," they aren't kidding!)

Fall Friday

Fall is officially here, now that it is near the end of September. But when do you personally recognize that fall is here (or almost here)?

Perhaps it is something you feel in the air--the hint of cold, and the longing for warm fires and warm colors. Perhaps it is the smell of woodsmoke or pumpkin candles. Perhaps it is the the return of Halloween decorations. (Oh wait--that happens in summer!)

I'm sure it's a combination of various senses for me. But there is one specific thing that really stands out in my mind. My first "taste" of fall is a sip of Clendenen's apple cider. Clendenen's Cider Works is in Fortuna, California, about 40 minutes or so from where I live. I'm so, so happy that they start selling the apple cider in August, so that I was able to have some before I left for school!

There is nothing quite like this apple cider. Truly, it is so sweet and flavorful that nothing really compares to it!

One of the hard things about being away from home during the fall is missing out on all the fun fall traditions I usually share with my family. I miss Fortuna's Apple Harvest Festival, specifically at Clendenen's, where they have hay rides through the orchard, apple tasting, a barbecue, music, and (of course!) apple cider.

But we also have some new traditions now. My parents and my sister will be coming up to visit me in October, and I'm sure we'll go to another Harvest Festival here in Oregon like the one we went to last year. So fun! I'll have to share more about that later!

If you would like to learn more about Clendenen's Cider works, click HERE. If you ever get to Humboldt County in Northern California in the fall, be sure and stop by there! Your mouth will thank you.

What is that first "taste" of fall for you? Is it a special event, a family tradition, or a nice cold glass of freshly made apple cider?