apple picking

On the road back from Lake Tahoe, we stopped near Placerville to pick some apples.

We found a sweet little organic farm with beautiful sweeping views of the valley.

U-pick apple orchard at Willow Pond Farm

It was a very warm afternoon and the gang tired quickly.

Luckily we made a pretty good haul. I received numerous desert requests from apple pies to caramel dipped apples. What is your favorite apple recipe?

alpine retreat

Autumn afternoon at Lake Tahoe, California

Summer is officially over but my boys are determined to play in the lake.

The verdict: water is a wee bit cold for us!

Lots of time to play...

and relax outside.

Early dinner in the woods before it gets too chilly.

 One way I get the boys to eat vegetables is to serve my slow-cooked chickpea soup.

                                     Time for me to relax too. Happy Weekending!

getting our aloha on

Our family took a long vacation in on the island of Kaua'i, one of several islands in Hawai'i. We arrived harried and stressed but after a few days we unplugged and let the Aloha in...It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen, the weather is perfect, the rain was perfect, it is truly a garden paradise.

I found some beautiful hand dyed yarn at Hanalei Strings and Things, a music/yarn shop in Hanalei.

Our first vacation in four years, has it really been that long?  I loved watching my two young boys glow in the excitement of discovery. Mahalo Kaua'i, we'll be back soon.

weekending: Lake Tahoe and Apple Valley

One week ago we spent four days in a beautiful rustic cabin at Lake Tahoe. This was an important trip for us because don't get away for a vacation that often. No trip is without it's mishaps though and this one was no exception.  My digital camera decided not to work properly so I only have a few pictures to commemorate our trip. We had such a great time that the lack of good pictures turned out not to be such a big deal. Happy Autumn to all.