With school beginning next week for many children and all this talk about Fall fashion, it's challenging to remember that we do in fact have over a month until it's officially Autumn. And despite the fact I am trying to prepare for Christmas already (when your kids are singing Christmas songs in July it's hard not to!), I generally don't like feeling rushed through life and hurried along to the next stage. Appreciating and enjoying each season for what it is, and living in the present is far more fulfilling. Enjoying every last drop of warmth of summer, even after school begins, sounds so good to me...
One of my favorite memories this Summer is berry picking with my children and then coming home and making jam. I'll never forget Baby Gray's berry stained face and clothes, how Gray ate blueberries out of a vintage wagon (see pic after the jump), or the excitement on my older kids' faces when seeing with their own eyes where berries come (when you only see berries in small, plastic containers, it's pretty enlightening!). Also, typically the u-pick berry farms are out in the country so it's a pleasant change to enjoy the small-town atmosphere. I can't get enough of the little diners, produce stands, and the slower pace.
Perhaps it's wishful thinking but I'd love to keep summer alive, even after the school year starts, and continue our day trips and sun-chasing up until the very end (officially the solstice begins on 9.23). If we don't have berries to pick, we will pick peaches, or apples or whatever! Around here it's all about soaking in as much Vitamin D as possible to sustain us through the Winter. Ha! You can find out what is available to pick in your neck of the woods at the Pick Your Own website. Crops are operating on a later-than-usual schedule it seems so you'll be surprised at how much is ready and waiting!
{click on "read more" below to view more fun pictures from our berry-picking excursions--I have so many to share!}
Thank you so much for posting these pictures :) Every time you mention berry picking in the PNW I get homesick...Originally from Seattle but living in Idaho now. There's nothing in the world like fresh berries and cherries from the Northwest! We'd often drive up to the San Juans and never failed to stop for a basket of raspberries...which always came home empty!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I'm sick just thinking about winter. It's miserable here. I live in a tiny town in NM and it's 50 mph winds every day, combined with over 7000 feet in elevation, makes for a miserable, cold winter. I am enjoying every second of the summer, even though my boys are already back in school. I hope I can find somewhere nearby where I can pick berries, this looks amazing (and delicious!).
ReplyDeleteBaby Gray is as delicious as those berries! What a doll.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was an old pic of dad...
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