Labor Day: apple picking

Years ago when Zany was just a baby, we went up the mountain.  Around here everyone knows that when you say "the mountain" it means Mt. Graham a sky island with an elevation of 10,000+ feet.  Our town sits at the foot of this large mountain.  Although there are mountains in every direction you look, around here Mt. Graham is the most famous and it's where everyone goes for camping or to cabins.  There also is an orchard on Mt. Graham that was planted by some pioneers and it continues to produce lots of fruit.  Labor Day morning we decided to go up the mountain and pick apples.  Last time we went it was terrible.  The kids (all of them!) had a constant whine going about the following: the bees, the grass, the weeds, the heat, not enough water, the hike.  We went on the last day the orchard was open last year and it was hard to find apples to pick.  Lesson learned.  

This year we went early in the apple season and we went first thing in the morning.  It was a total delight! We even found my much longed for Arkansas Black apple! Arkansas Black apples are firm, crunchy and tart--my favorite combination in an apple.  Everyone had a great time and I think a new Labor Day tradition has been started. 

  

McCoy considers what apple to pick while Zany and Archer display there chosen apple

Before we knew it we had nearly filled two buckets of yummy apples, luckily we brought a strong guy to carry them because the hike back to the cars is all uphill.

Quinton

 It is nearly impossible to get Quinton to smile for the camera he prefers the serious, model look.  Eddy thought he could get him to smile though.

Quinton tries to ignore Eddy but . . .

Eddy got him to smile

Just one more apple for the bucket! says Archer

Not to be outdone, Declan shows off his muscles

From left to right: Declan, McCoy, Archer, Quinton and Zany

Teamwork: Archer and Quinton

But to get the really high ones Archer stands on Eddy

Cutest apple picker ever: Zaynzley!

 Quinton decides he is inspired by the mountain views and wants to recite a poem by Robert Frost.

After Apple Picking by Robert Frost

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree 

Toward heaven still, 

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill 

Beside it, and there may be two or three 

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough. 

But I am done with apple-picking now. 

We too are done with apple picking and now proudly own about 50lbs of apples. Yikes we really had fun picking apples! No one wanted to put any back so we bought them all.  Making applesauce may be in our future.