Sunday, October 10, 2010

Fall Fun!



My daughter and her boyfriend invited my husband and I to a picnic in upstate New York this weekend.  We went to Masker "Pick It Yourself" Orchards located in the town of Warwick in the Hudson Valley region of New York.  It is only around 73 miles north of where we live in Brooklyn, which is about an hour and a half drive on a day without heavy traffic. Visiting Masker in the fall to go apple picking was our family tradition when our children were young, and we have so many fond memories of our visits to this orchard. My daughter was very excited to visit it again!


Located on 200 acres of farmland, the Masker Orchard has been in existence since 1913. It contains more than 20,000 apple trees with 14 varieties of apples! 


Masker Orchard has barnyard baby animals, pony rides and wagon rides, a country store and pumpkins for sale and many fun events through the apple picking season that runs from September to early November. Apples are a healthy fruit to have as a snack.  Did you know that one apple contains more dietary fiber than a bowl of bran cereal?


After picking apples we took a drive over to Wright Family Farm, also in Warwick, New York. During the fall, they offer pick-your-own pumpkins, free hay rides, and a corn maze. They also have a  farm stand which features seasonal produce, fresh baked breads, and cookies. The Christmas tree season begins Thanksgiving weekend on Wright Family Farm and they sell fresh-cut Frasier, Douglas, and Balsam trees. Wreaths, roping and other seasonal decor.


We had a lot of fun getting lost in the corn maze! This year’s five acre corn maze design is the “Three Little Pigs,”and we were told that each piggy represents one of the grandchildren on the farm. You can see the maze path map on this link.  Do you think you would get lost? There are section markers in the maze and you get a passport that contains clues.  When you answer the question for each section correctly it will give you the direction to turn in that section, and eventually lead you towards the exit.  If you can not answer the questions correctly you might wander in the maze for a long time!


Then we hoped onto the hay ride and visited the farm's pumpkin patch to pick out a few pumpkins and gourds to bring home.


There was a wonderful selection of all sizes, shapes and colors of pumpkins!

All in all it was wonderful day full of fall fun at both Masker Orchard and Wright Family Farm in beautiful upstate New York!


I'm linking to Mary at The Little Red House for "Mosaic Monday"! Please visit Mary today to see her beautiful mosaic and to find the list of all the blogs participating today.

Thank you all for your wonderful congratulations and best wishes on our happy news announcement that our second grandchild due in March will be a girl!  We are so delighted!



Bookmark and Share

56 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

Nice job with those pick-your-own mosaics! All three are great!

Sarah said...

Pat, another reason living in the east is such a wonderful life. This looks like a perfect family outing.
Your mosaics are fabulous. The ear of corn, all those beautiful apples, and the thought of wandering through the corn field maze makes me wish for a trip to the east coast. ;-)
~ Sarah

Mary said...

What a fun day, from the apples to the pumpkins~ Beautiful mosaics! I'm afraid I'd be lost forever in the maze, clues or no clues...I'm directionally impaired! Congratulations on your happy news :-)

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Gorgeous photos in your mosaics...they are outstanding photo mosaics!!! APPLAUSE!!!

Nancy said...

It looks like you had as much fun on your orchard visit as I did on mine. Nice mosaics. Love the one of the apples!

Karen Sabrsula said...

What a beautiful day! I can feel the crispness of those apples! Thanks for sharing!

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a cool day!! A five acre maze!!! Oy, I'm getting claustraphobic just thinking about it! The design of the three little pigs faces is hilarious, so cute!!

pam said...

I LOVE the apple mosaic...they are so gorgeous. I haven't ever picked apples.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

It's been years since I've been on an apple/pumpkin picking outing with our family. Those are wonderful photos of a special time spent together.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

What a neat way to spend a beautiful Autumn day... Reminds me of the times I would go with my kids/grands to the Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes... SO much fun!!!!!

George's daughter lives near Buffalo --and they went apple picking recently also. When we visited them a couple of years ago, they took us apple-picking. That's where we first had Honey Crsip---and am I hooked!!!! Wow--what a fabulous apple... Hope you got some when you were there.

Hugs,
Betsy

Kate on Clinton said...

Beautiful - sounds and looks like you had a wonderful day! Autumnal colors are so photogenic, aren't they?

Cheryl D. said...

Your pictures are so beautiful! The colors are so vibrant! And it sounded like you had a great weekend!

Jenny said...

A granddaughter!!!!! How glorious. And your fall fun was amazing, too. Your mosaics are so lovely. This whole post made me smile.

Annette Smith said...

OMG!! I'm in love with your mosaics
the colors are beautiful
great pictures

Carol said...

What a fantastic day! We used to go apple and pumpkin picking when the kids were small, we always ended up out east on the North Fork. never made it upstate, your photo's make me want to go!

steviewren said...

The photo with the pumpkins in the foreground and the barn and silos in the background would make a great painting. You captured the perfect mix of objects which tell a story in that shot.

It sounds like you had a lovely day. I wish we had some apple orchards around here.

Joanne Kennedy said...

Looks like you had a great time with the apples. It must be apple week because I went to our orchards too and got lots of apples this weekend.

Congrats on the new baby grand daughter! I'm so happy for you and your family :)

Can I ask you a question? What kind of camera do you have? I am getting a new one finally and I love the photos you take.

Hugs,
Joanne

Pondside said...

Now, that's a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon. When we lived in the east, a trip to the corn maze was an annual event - and then a visit to the pumpkin patch.

diane b said...

What a fun weekend and interesting to learn about your culture. We don't have Pumpkin patch and corn mazes but we do have pick your own farms.

http://jackieinsurrey.blogspot.co.uk/ said...

Hi Pat from the UK

Your photographs are wonderful as usual. That orchard looks great and what a wonderful day out!!

Congratulations on the new grand daughter due in March.

Best wishes from Jackie in Surrey.

H said...

What a brilliant day out! I love your mosaics.

Maize mazes (as we call them UK) have become increasingly popular over here too. It's a great way to spent time out with the family :)

A Bit of the Blarney said...

Oh how lovely!!! Apples and you oh the gorgeous pumpkins!!!! Wow! Wishing well! Cathy

nanny said...

what an awesome place to visit...the apples are beautiful and must taste grand, just being picked!!!
Love your mosaics!!

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Good morning Pat....the pictures from this weekend are wonderful. Love the pumpkins and the apple orchard. We have been buying apples from the farmers market and I think this has been an especially good year for them as they have been delicious.
♥, Susan

Edie Marie's Attic said...

Hi Pat!

We have fond memories of apple picking too when our boys were young. We should do that with Russ and the "sweetie girls". Thanks for a fabulous idea!

Hugs, Sherry

Tell Vinny HI!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Beautiful photos Pat. It looks like you had perfect weather for your outing too!

eileeninmd said...

Sounds like a fun day. I love apples and would love the orchard. The Corn maze and pumpkin farm is a great time for the family. YOur mosaics and photos are just wonderful.

Allie and Pattie said...

Pat, how fun to know we've walked those same fields! So many memories of high school summers spent working at Maskers! Love this!
xoxo Pattie

Sheila said...

Congratulations Pat! It will be so exciting to wait for a little sweetheart and I'm wondering if you will get your knitting needles out to make some pink booties? I know you must be tickled pink. I almost missed your last post as I've been so busy with harvest. Your orchard day must have been so enjoyable.

Vee said...

Beautiful mosaics! Artful photography! You captured a wonderful day!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

We should have gone together! heehee! Sounds like we both had a fun day doing the things we love! Your mosaics are beautiful! ♥

Blooming Rose Musings said...

I was so excited to see this post because we went to these exact places when I was a little girl! I remember taking pony rides at Maskers. Your wonderful photos of apples and pumpkins remind me of a real fall day. Isn't it amazing how many varieties of pumpkins there are? I think when I was a kid they were all just orange.
As you can see, I am just catching up with blogging after a very busy week. Your pictures remind me to slow down a bit and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Claudia said...

We wandered pumpkin fields and corn mazes in 80 degree weather. Had to laugh - but the fall bounty is spectacular and you captured it perfectly. I wish I had a mosaic above my computer. Toying with that idea as I photograph every leaf! Sounds like you had the picture-perfect autumn day.

RoeH said...

When I grew up on the farm in Rigby, Idaho, we had an orchard with apples and pears. Those apples tree photos really take me back.

Kat said...

What a wonderful way to spend a beautiful fall weekend. The sky is just gorgeous! Love your photos, especially the apple mosaic. Thanks for the tour. Kat

Heather said...

Wonderful mosaics - superbly autumnal :)

Tracy said...

Oh, now that is a GRAND day out, Pat... These photos ooze autumn delight...YUM! Happy Days, my friend :o) ((HUGS))

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous images and mosaics, Pat!

A Garden of Threads said...

Wonderful mosaics, it looks you had a fabulous time. I hope you enjoy the rest of the week. Take care.

Karen said...

I am so jealous of everyone that lives close enough to go apple picking! It looks like such fun, and on top of that, you get all those delicious apples!

Donna said...

What a wonderful day you must have had. Love the photos, especially the pumpkin patch!

Hugs,
Donna

Old Kitty said...

Oh what a brilliant way to spend a weekend!! I love the pick your own concept - I always wanted to go to one here but such things are getter rarer and rarer - such a shame!!!

But these farms are just lovely!! All fresh and organic and delicious! 14 varieties of apples - yum! And look at those pumpkins and gourds!!

Oh but the piggy maze is BRILLIANT!! I'd get lost just looking at the drawing of it!! It's massive and really complicated! I hope the questions were ones I could answer - I'd hate to be lost in a maze!!LOL!! How did you all do?!?! Well I'm glad you got out Pat! LOL!!

Thank you so much for sharing such a fun time here!!! The pics as always are just beautiful! Take care
x

Savoring Italy said...

Congrats on the baby girl to arrive in your family. Such a blessing. Your photos are gorgeous. Looks like it was an incredible and colorfulmday. Happy I found your blog.
Lora

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

I think that is so wonderful that your daughter wanted to share happy childhood memories with her new boyfriend and her parents.

Yvette said...

We live about 45 minutes from Warwick in northern New Jersey. Your photos brought back memories of a wonderful autumn day we once spent there. Thanks for posting these lovely photos.

Arlene Delloro said...

Hi,Pat; I've just returned to the world of blogging and loved reading about your trip to Warwick. My quilt guild meets there and I lived in Sugar Loaf (a stone's throw from the places you visited) for 7 years.

Lovella ♥ said...

Your fall colors are amazing already. . .on the west coast westill waiting for the leaves to turn.
It looks like the perfect date.

Judy said...

Ah...what fun! That looks like the perfect fall outing. Apples, pumpkins, vibrant leaves...and sunshine...what could be better?

CatHerder said...

we usually go to mellicks but havent made it yet this year!

Beverly said...

What a wonderful place and great time you had together.

Your pictures are awesome.

GailO said...

You certainly had beautiful weather for your excursion! What incredible photos you have taken...the mosaics are stunning.

Now I will want to see what you cook up with all your apples and pumpkins:)

Kathleen said...

Looks like a fun visit, and perfect weather! Next year come out here and go with me! The only thing bothersome were the bees!
Fabulous pictures, Pat!
I have a fear of corn mazes, like the Ikea stores!

The Gathering Place said...

I love your fall mosaics! What a fun time to be in the country!

RNSANE said...

Your photo mosaic is just beautiful. I should remember to do one of those sometime. I posted one for my botanical garden contest and I thought it turned out very well. The apples look so beautiful - almost too good to eat.

What exciting news about a new grandbaby - perfect, a boy and a girl! Who could ask for anything more? Wish you and your family all the best, of course.

Lisa@GrandmasBriefs said...

Isn't it great when our adult children want to continue traditions we started when they were kids! This is a lovely place; I can see why your daughter would want to spend a fall day there!

Annesphamily said...

I love those pumpkins! I am an apple fan so I also enjoyed looking over this beautiful crop of apples you colorfully portrait! Anne