Pretending it's Fall

The foothills of Oak Glen.
Pumpkins on a pumpkin
Josie in the praire cabin
Doesn't Emma looked excited?
Yesterday, we imagined it was Fall and went apple picking at Riley's Farms in the nearby foothills. Riley's Farms is owned by the Riley family, and hosts a mercantile, pumpkin fields, apple orchards, a cider press, horses, goats, log cabins, and other items that made us think of "Little House on the Praire." We picked apples in the orchard, picked out the perfect pumpkins growing right off the vine, sipped cider and tested pumpkin butter at the mercantile, and viewed a log cabin that would have made Ma and Pa proud. All the while we wished that it was just a bit cooler...we missed the crisp, Fall air and instead trudged around in 90 degree heat.

Here in Southern California, we pretend it is Fall. We decorate our houses with Fall leaves from Michael's craft store. We bake pumpkin bread and go apple picking...but deep in our hearts we know it's just a farce. We could easily pull out our swimsuits and heat the pool for a little leftover summertime. The seasons melt into each other as we go through the motions, hanging on to traditions so that time doesn't blend together and make one long season of summer.

Praire Emma Hanging the Wash

A Bit of Torture