Apple Picking

One of the things that I have enjoyed about living here is the awesome orchard within a ten minute drive. In the summer we picked delicious peaches and now we're into apple and pear season. They have many different varieties but we chose to stay within the safety of the Golden Delicious variety.

Notice the beautiful fall foliage in the background. It is up on a hill so you can look down the hill and see all kinds of gorgeous colors.


Matthew making a goofy face. He was actually very helpful and picked most of the apples and carried the bag all by himself.

Corinne only picked a few apples but spent most of her time sampling the produce. (Don't worry--they allow taste tests.)

We have made a few apples pies, an apple cake and just snacked on fresh yummy apples the past week. We also picked a few pears and are waiting for them to ripen. Although I'm not eager for the cold to come, I do enjoy the feel of fall: the nip in the air, the seasonal desserts, and of course. . . Halloween!

Wet eyes

A couple of days ago we were watching "Monsters vs. Aliens." At one point one of the characters says some unkind things to Ginormica and makes her sad. I look at Matthew and tears are falling down his cheeks and he is obviously upset. He wouldn't tell me what was making him sad but he got over it quickly.

Well, yesterday he was watching the movie again and at the same exact part I look at him and the tears were falling again. I asked him if he was crying and he told me "no, the water is just coming out of my eyes." How does he know already that guys don't admit to crying in movies? I know we haven't taught him that. The things kids learn...

More improvements

Jeremy took another trip to AZ and did some more work on the house. Here is what he did. I want him to finish the tile design all the way around but he didn't have time to do that this last trip.

Palmyra, NY

Our last stop on the trip was Palmyra, NY. Here is the Angel Moroni statue at the top of the Hill Cumorah where Joseph Smith received the plates. There are some metal utility boxes at the top of the hill (probably used for the pageant) which Matthew believed housed the golden plates. At least he knows the story.

The hill is rather steep and Jeremy contemplated doing a log roll down it, but the asphalt trail at the bottom looked like it could cause some damage.

We also went to see the Palmyra temple and Matthew and Corinne posed in front for some pictures while Nora slept in the car.

A reconstruction of the original log house that Joseph Smith grew up in and received his vision of the angel Moroni. It was interesting to see what humble beginnings Joseph Smith had. On our tour we discussed how it couldn't have been coincidence that the Smith family had crop failure 3 years running and then heard about thriving crops in the Palmyra area which happens to be where the golden plates lay hidden.

Jeremy and Corinne heading into the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. What a beautiful area! We enjoyed learning more and experiencing some church history sites while living in the New England area.

Niagara Falls

After Kirtland we headed up to Niagara Falls. We opted to ride the boat 'Maid of the Mist' instead of taking the hike up to the falls since you can see both the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls up close without having to cross the border.

Jeremy and the kids looking out over the American Falls with Canada in the background.

The kids and me sporting our free ponchos.
Rainbow over the American Falls.

A look at the Horseshoe Falls. The Horseshoe Falls reminded me of the "Devil's Mouth" waterfall at Igacu Falls, Brazil. I think that overall, Iguacu Falls has bigger and better waterfalls, but Niagara Falls was still impressive. Jeremy says he likes Igacu better because it is more natural and less commercialized. There is a waterfall scene from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull that takes place at Igacu Falls.

Family photo op in front of the Falls.

Here is a photo of "Devil's Mouth" at Iguacu Falls. There are approx. 2 km of waterfalls. This view is only a fraction of all the waterfalls there, but the most impressive view.

Kirtland, OH

We drove another 5+ hours to Kirtland where we spent the night and then visited the church sites there.

They began the tour with a video depicting events that happened in Kirtland during the organization of the church and building of the Kirtland temple. Here is the restored Newel K. Whitney store.

Corinne inside the Newel K. Whitney store.

The room that held the School of the Prophets on the second floor of the Newel K. Whitney store. The store also housed Joseph Smith and his family for about a year.

The nearby saw mill and ashery that helped to fund the church in the early days.

The Kirtland temple that is currently owned by the Community of Christ church formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hershey Chocolate Factory

We went for quite a road trip this weekend. First, we made a 6 hour drive to Hershey, PA to visit the town where Jeremy was born. Okay, he didn't remember anything from there except for the Hershey Chocolate Factory and that they hand out free chocolate so we had to go on the tour.

How Hershey's kisses are made.

Nora loved looking at the ceiling during the tour for some reason. There wasn't anything up there.

Corinne is showing us her delicious truffle Hersheys kisses that they gave us at the end of the tour. She was so excited!

So was Matthew. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures from our trip!