orchard | Adventures in Michigan's Up North

I was worried about the fall this year, because our summer seemed so brief. And even though we’ve already had a few bouts of lake effect snow, I’ve had nothing to worry about. Our fall has been terrific, and we’ve savored several prototypical autumn days.

Back in mid-October, just after Meg winged her way back to Maui, we joined up with Jim, Jess, and Jackson to sample the local treats at Rennie Orchard. It’s a laid back kind of place where you can pick your own apples (and other fruits when in season) if you choose, and where kids are free to go wild in the small straw maze and other kid-sized structures. A smoky fire smouldered in a pit, giving me a place to warm up after meandering around the grounds. In all honesty, though, I was there for the cider. They do a blend of five apples plus pear (I think I’ve got that right), and it’s my favorite. We followed up our orchard time with a hike through Hickory Meadows – pretty little natural area just at the edge of Traverse City.

More recently, before the first snows arrived, several days of drama dominated our skies. The weather that came with them was gentle, but it pulled me outside multiple times just to oooh and aaah and search for rainbows. Last Tuesday it was so distracting that we piled into the car after lunch and went for a “Sunday drive” around Torch Lake. Alternating rain, hail, snow, and sunshine finally delivered the rainbow I knew was out there. And when we returned home, I was clear-headed enough I could actually focus and get some work done.

And as October winds down, yesterday might just be the most “fall” day of them all. Frost etched the lawn in the morning, but melted off in the early sun. Erith joined us for a trip to Short’s, where she enjoyed a pumpkin ale and I partook of some chestnut bisque. She and I carved pumpkins to the soundtrack from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and then we munched on roasted pumpkin seeds and homemade kettle corn. Lest we get too full, we popped over to the Skegemog swamp pathway for a brief hike where we disrobed cattails like all mature adults do. We rounded out the evening together with a scary movie (The Purge, which was good but would have been more impactful as a book). Before bed, I snuggled by the fire with my book and Tony laughed his way through Ghostbusters.