Cider Drinking and Apple Picking

Fall is my absolute favorite season. To live in the rustic New England region of Northern New Hampshire is to live in Autumnal paradise. There is nothing like gazing over the rolling hills of the White Mountains in color- reds, yellows and oranges interspersed with lush greens.

There's also nothing like the homey atmosphere that goes along with it. Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, leaf piles, warm baked Fall treats, and apple orchards.

Today Sam and I ventured to Windy Ridge Orchard in nearby Haverhill. Our first stop was for snack time: apple cider donuts. Wow. I'm amazed at how soft they were, although I have had the pleasure of eating one (okay, a few) before. They were not crumbly whatsoever, and quite warm. Fresh and yummy! Certainly sweet, but not overly so with a little touch of spice. Of course, we drank apple cider on the side! Next we were on the pursuit of apples. We decided on a peck, as that would be plenty of apples to hold us over for a while. ("I love you, a bushel and a peck"- yeah we totally get that song now.)

And so the hunt began. Windy Ridge is a popular place, therefore difficult to find plump apples in the lower branches. So thankfully Sam is tall:

While he attended to our bag I attended to my pictures. Or at least tried to. The lighting was all over the place due to the the shadows cast by branches thick with leaves, and plus the surrounding trees tended to block out even more. It left the apples shaded with hideous splotches of darkness, (is this what a reflector is for?) and to top it all off- literally- the apples were still on the tops of the trees. Needless to say, I was frustrated.

Again, this why I'm thankful that Sam is tall. He lifted me precariously onto his shoulders and I snapped away. The angle was perfect, but focusing was difficult because I was a little tipsy. (I promise you, the cider was non-alcoholic!) Regardless, I appreciate the gesture.

Sam is quite the photographer himself. When we started dating he immediately asked to take a few pictures right off during our first photo outing. (It was mid December in Sugar Hill with the snow and the views and a log cabin.) There's so much to learn in regards to manual photography, and he has been incredibly eager to know it all. I mean, look at this, the kid is fantastic:

I actually look stunning!

(He took photos of the apples too, I just want him to post them himself. After all, I can't take credit for his masterpieces!)

Both of us may be into taking photos, but unfortunately, we barely have any of ourselves. Luckily we were able to snap this one with a little iPhoneography:

How sweet! Print time.

I'm so happy we went. Fall is such a cozy season filled with sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, apple cider, scarecrows, Halloween, etc. Our next adventure will be attempting to make it through the Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville (Vermont...obviously). Before that, however, I really need to start shooting some leaves! Not to mention those stunning views mentioned earlier.

Until then, I have plenty to snack on:

Thanks, Sam for a wonderful day!