Welcome to the 2016 SNARKOLOGY BLOG HOP! At the end of this post you’ll see a list of links you can click on to visit other authors participating in the great hop-event.
Fall in New England is a magical time. The leaves turn lawns into a hodgepodge, chaos patchwork of colors. Jack-0-lanterns sit on doorsteps, cut into funny or scary or even artistic faces. There’s a brisk, crisp, and clear bite to the morning air. One of my favorite things about autumn, and especially autumn in New England, is apple picking. There are hundreds of family owned farms dotted in every town and there’s nothing more fun that a hayride up a mountainside to an orchard chock filled with delicious, sweet and tart apples.
We took my daughter every year of her life until she left for college. We’d pick our favorite apples, then bring them home and makes pies, can applesauce and jelly, and even used our juicer to make fresh apple juice. I have a picture of my daughter every year from ages 2-18 taken in our favorite town apple orchard.
I love apple picking so much, I just had to include a scene in my book FIRST IMPRESSIONS, where Padric Cleary takes Clarissa Rogers apple picking for the very first time in her life. If you look closely at the cover here, you can see they are in an orchard!
Clarissa has had a sheltered life and never had an opportunity to do any fun-family type things growing up since she was raised by an elderly grandmother, whereas Pat’s life has been filled with his loving family and all sorts of adventures.
Here’s a little snippet of that scene:
“Come on. Let’s pick.”
They strolled along row after row of apple-laden trees, looking for the perfect additions to put in their pail. The fresh, pungent smell of the fruit ripening on the trees, the cool, subtle fall breeze billowing about them, even the riot of changing colors in the panorama of hills surrounding them, all had Clarissa thinking this was a perfect day. She wanted to memorize every part of it.
At one point, Pat pulled out his phone and said, “Let’s get a picture of your first time.” He pulled her in close and with the orchard framed behind them, held up the phone.
“A selfie? Really?” She laughed out loud. “How old are you?”
“Sixteen. Smile like you’re having fun and enjoying this.”
“I am,” she said, facing the camera and doing as he asked.
She heard the shutter click several times before he lowered the phone. “How many did you take?”
“A couple.” He played with the phone for a few seconds, then stuck it into his back pocket. “You need a few to get the perfect shot.”
This sweet encounter sets the tone for their relationship – Pat wants to introduce Clarissa to everything she missed out on growing up and he wants her to experience it all – with him.
So, I have a question for you: what’s your favorite, fun, Fall thing to do? It can be anything from taking rides up the coastline and being a “leaf Peeper,” to apple picking, or even canning fruits and veggies. Place your favorite thing in the comment section below and on November 1, 2016 I’ll pick 2 winners to receive an e-copy (KINDLE) each of FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
And please, stop by the other authors participating in this blog. There’s a great story in each and every one of them, plus a chance on a rafflecopter prize! Here’s the link. Click on it and it will bring you to a landing page with all the other HOp Paricipants PLUS the links to the rafflecopter prizes. And those are plenty!!!
Hop Authors and rafflecopter prizes
Peggy Jaeger, Author 
Peggy, no need to include me in the draw (since I’m a participating author) but I couldn’t resist answering your question. My absolute favorite activity is anything I can do Halloween-related with my grandchildren. I love helping make their costumes and have been known to make a few homemade treats like the ones I received as a child. And, just for laughs, I usually coerce them into bobbing for apples just as I did as a child.
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Nancy – I have to admit, since my daughter is now 27, i miss doing those kinds of activities. I can only hope ( pray!!!!) I have grandkids I can share them with one day, as you do!! Those are such sweet, sweet memories!
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Hayrides and making apple butter!
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You know, I’ve never had apple butter. I bet it tastes sweet, no?
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Hi Peggy. Thanks for participating in The Snarkology Halloween Hop. My favorite things to do is anything Halloweeny. I Love Halloween. We decorate our home, including creation of a graveyard out front, I don an vampire costume, complete with fangs and bats flying over head, fog machine to pass out candy each year. LOVE IT!
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Tena – pleasepleaseplease put up on your FB page a pix of you in the Vampire costume!!!
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Believe it or not, I don’t have a picture. Always to busy with the Trick or Treaters, decorations or candy. But I will have my husband take one this year and post it, hopefully on Halloween. Fair enough?
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Fair enuf!!
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Hi, Peggy!! Such a sweet scene! Halloween is my favorite Autumn thing–I make it last from August until at least December. Best of luck with First Impressions!
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Sorchia – how do you do that??
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Hahah! I put up decorations early and start watching spooky movies and planning the big bonfire or whatever. I have some spooky mood music that I like to have playing in the background but this year my disk player has been on the fritz. Then I make a special Halloween meal–boeuf bourguignon with a green salad this year. And I edge holiday decorations into the mix without taking down the Halloween stuff. I live at the end of a long drive with no close neighbors so I can do what I want 🙂 On or about New Years Day I clear out all the decorations and start fresh with winter stuff. My kids think I’m nuts, but that’s how it is.
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Peggy, Great post! I loved it. Thanks bunches for participating in this year’s hop! 🙂
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My favorite Fall thing is seeing the kid’s costumes for the Halloween events!
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Bonnie – that’s fun! My daughter was a crayon when she was 2 and then every kid in our family – all the nieces and nephews wore the costume after that! love it.
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Oh Fall, how I love it. My favorite thing is watching the leaves change. As a hobbyist photographer, those colors just bring me such joy.
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Denise – do you live somewhere – like in New England (!) – where you can watch them go from green to red to orange to yellow to gold? Our leaf peeping season is the best!!
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we have a halloween costume party at the MC Club we belong too… we start planning clothes months in advance… lol
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I recently had to go to a costumed dinner and let the shopping/sewing go until the last minute so I had to scramble to get my costume ready. I wish I had done in months in advance!
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I love watching the leaves change colors. Thanks for the chance.
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Jana – that’s one of my favorite things, too!!
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Haunted houses and mazes.
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Sorchia – how do you do that??
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I love that!!!! You truly do make it a festive time.
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Love pumpkin patches, corn mazes changing colors
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Love those all, too!
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Hayrides and bonfires.
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I love a good hayride!!
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I love going to the cider mill to get fresh cider.
Nancy Burgess
jean60212@gmail.com
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Apple picking, hayride, and bonfires! Thank you!
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YOu know I love apple picking!!!
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The colorful bright colors of the maples during autumn and the smell of apples cooking on the stove are my favorite things about fall.
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Halloween costumes and trick or treating!
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I love drinking chai teas and wearing comfy sweaters by the fire, and seeing the leaves change and blowing in the winds.
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We love to carve pumpkins, go on hay rides, and make caramel apples =D
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Just popping by to say hi to my fellow bloggers for the hop.
I do love Halloween with all the decorations and chances to go on ghost tours.
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My favorite fall activity is getting ready for and hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for my family as well as friends that don’t have anywhere to go for Dinner.
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We don’t have fall in the Philippines. I love the colors of fall and it would be fun to do fruit picking.
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I ♡ the pumpkin patch! I go every year. They have a petting zoo, corn mazes, hay rides, pony and camel rides, a pumpkin launcher, blow up obstacles for the kids, face painting and so much more! It’s a blast for all ages and they have the best apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts! Happy Halloween! Bw2323bro@yahoo.com
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I love carving pumpkins, making apple sauce from fresh picked apples, and making pies.
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I have a new favorite Halloween activity…taking my three-year-old grandson trick-or-treating!!! I love your site, Peg, and this hop!!!
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I can’t wait to have grandkids!!!
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Watching my son dress up in his costume and taking some of the candy he gets from trick or treating.
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picking pumpkins
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I started a tradition with my granddaughter that we go to the pumpkin patch and I take her picture siting in a pile of pumpkins. Its our thing and she loves it.
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I love that you turned that tradition into a scene. This is my favorite time of year. I need to work it into a book somehow!
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
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Aww, Stephanie – thanks!!!!
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So great to see you in the hop. Hope you are having sun.
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I love making candy apples.
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I love being able to put on a sweater and walking through our woods behind our property and seeing all the changes in the trees and landscape with the leaves on the ground, to me its a beautiful prelude to winter which I love
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I live in Utah with lots of mountains and trees so I love going and looking at the changing leaves.
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Love looking at the changing leaves since I live in Utah with lots of mountains and trees.
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I like making apples pies, and eating them. And, I love the smell of chili roasting, and I freeze bags for the winter, and make chili rellanos.
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Has a winner been chosen?
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Yes and they were notified.
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