An Apple a Day

Cooler weather is finally upon us here in St. Louis and with the cool down comes a host of fall activities to do in the area.  First up for us is the St. Louis tradition of apple picking.  We headed out on Sunday to the Eckerd's orchard in Grafton, IL.  Normally, we head to Millstadt to get our apples, but this year we thought it might be kind of fun to take Amelia on the ferry (actually, two!) across the river.  We were lucky enough to have both GG (my mom) and Grandma (Jason's mom) join us.

We enjoyed a pretty quick and uneventful trip across the first ferry and then stopped en route to the second to pick up some pumpkins at a tiny roadside store.  Of course, the real reason I wanted to stop was because the iced coffee I downed for breakfast was quickly demanding an exit.  Jason's mom assured me this particular store had a restroom and she was right--an outhouse, double seater no less!  (I still cannot figure out who would be comfortable enough to "sit" right next to someone else in an outhouse and use the restroom in such close proximity).  Along with our steal of a pumpkin ($2!), Jason picked up some pumpkin butter too.

After another uneventful trip on the second ferry, we finally made it to the orchard.  Immediately, Amelia began "posing" with various characters around the grounds.  Posing to her, means going right up to the character, standing in front of it, looking at us and smiling until we realize she would like her picture taken.  

Amelia enjoyed the tractor ride out to the field and was insistent on having her own apple picking bag.  She immediately scored prime seating on Jason's shoulders and picked up quickly which apples are good choices to pick.  She also told us that we should not pick them up from the ground!

Amelia snagged an apple while in the field, stuck with it, and had eaten practically the entire thing by the time we re-boarded the wagon.  However, she was so tired from all of that apple picking that she "fell asleep" on GG's shoulder while we were waiting for the wagon.  (Note to self: enroll Amelia in acting classes).  

When we'd had enough picking for the day, we headed into Grafton to find a spot for lunch. Its a cute little town with some restaurants, ice cream shops, and shopping.  We decided that the "Rotten Apple" restaurant went well with our theme of the day.  The food was delicious and we had a nice view of the river too. 

 

Stay tuned for some more fall festivities ahead!