We made our yearly trip up to Apple Hill today. The way things worked out, this was really the only weekend we've had so far where we had the entire day (or at least most of it) free.

I'd figured it would be a good time to come as well since we'd miss the Halloween crowds, but it would be too early yet for the Christmas rush, and that did turn out to be true. Unfortunately, we found out that most of the craft vendors stop coming after Halloween (I suspect the weather may be a factor), so many of the places we stopped were a bit more bare than usual.

We stopped at High Hill Ranch first, since that's where they make the best caramel apples. We'd only picked up coffee on the drive up because we knew we'd be eating pie and things once there, so we had apple donuts for breakfast and left the caramel apples for later. It was a gorgeous day up there - not too hot and not too cold - which made it perfect for the next place on the list, Kids Inc (since they have the best pie). They've got a nature walk down a rather steep hill, that winds around just past an orchard of apples and a field of pumpkins, along a tiny creek and under a canopy of trees. We met a few people along the path, but they were all heading in the opposite direction so for the most part we had it all to ourselves. And by the time we had climbed back up that rather steep hill, we were definitely ready for heaping servings of ice cream and apple pie with steaming cider sauce.

We made a few more stop along the route. I found cinnamon apple jelly in one little craft store and bought my yearly jar. We passed by a brewery and Richard tried a few of their beers. We checked out an open house (because I like looking at open houses) that stood on three acres of trees up a hill and featured a lovely glassed in sun porch upstairs that seemed as if it had been built with cats specifically in mind. And then we headed back home, to work on novels (Richard) or knitting (me) and eat our caramel apples for lunch.

This evening I went with my parents to see Into the Woods, which is the latest offering by Davis Musical Theater company, and the first play they've done in their new theater. The theater is quite obviously not finished - the walls were just bare sheet rock and the theater area itself was notably lacking in all the finishes which would allow theater-appropriate acoustics. So it was often difficult to hear the singers. But we all know the play practically by heart and everyone made allowances for the building's still unfinished status and because it is one of my favorite plays, I was extremely relieved that despite the issue with the acoustics, they did a truly wonderful job.