Went picking apples with my daughter and grandbabbies (see cute granddaughter, left) late last week. Apples and pumpkins ... they're both available for picking at the orchard I visit every fall.I first went to the orchard over 15 years ago. Back then it was nothing but apple trees, pumpkins and a hay-wagon to transport city folk in search of a rural experience.
Now it's friggin' Disneyland. Go-cart rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin carriages, a gift shop to rival The Mall of The Americas, inflatable "jump houses," a corn maze, a fence maze ... the list goes on. What was once a pleasant two hours of quiet, agrarian pleasure has morphed into an over-crowded, stressful, tire-your-ass-out extravaganza of hectic activity.
Fortunately, we went during the week, when the crowds are at a minimum and (mercifully) half the "attractions" are not up and running.
The Lovely Mrs. Taylor and I went back again Sunday, this time with the intention of doing a little "guord shopping" in the aforementioned gift store. Our plans changed abruptly, however, when we discovered the nearest parking space was in another time zone. Mrs. T picked up the guords she needed for her annual Halloween display at a nice, little gardening shop down the road instead.
It may sound as though I begrudge the apple people their chance to turn their quiet little orchard into a mega-buck cash cow, but I don't. It's the American way. More power to 'em, I say.
But next year I think I'll go to this other apple orchard a friend recently told me about. It's a small-time operation; one horse-drawn hay-wagon, a bonfire and a gift shop smaller than my living room.
I figure I'd better give it a visit before they get around to installling the monorail and Magic Kingdom.
2 comments:
I always kinda liked the quiet hayride through the orchard in the crisp fall, too, but seriously. A petting zoo? The kids love it! Thanks for braving the craziness, old man. I guess to us city folk it still seems like a pretty mellow time.
You city folk have a wierd persepective on life, toots. "Mellow" is a cold beer in the back yard on a warm summer afternoon, with the charcoal just beginning to ash over, knowing there are two big-ass steaks marinating in the fridge and another 23 beers in the cooler. Now, THAT'S mellow.
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