Fall is here!

Southern Maine was treated to the most spectacular September I can remember in my short but significant memory here. It felt like summer was extended a full three weeks past it's normal length, which was fine with us considering the first month and a half of summer was pretty much a wash. Our balmy, blue-skied days appeared as though they would never end....but gradually the nights are getting frosty and the leaves are turning classic shades of yellow, orange and fiery red. Yes, fall is here!

Photo courtesy of Thompson's Orchards

This past weekend we went apple picking at Thompson's Orchard in New Gloucester. Having gone in year's past when the weather was less than ideal and the apples past their prime, we weren't anticipating the HUGE crowd who also showed up to apple-pick. Despite the long lines, we enjoyed roaming the orchard with Abby, Cameron and Abby's sister Liz. When our bag was full of all the Cortland's and Mac's we could imagine stomaching over the next few weeks, we decided it was time to head home.

Steve and I made one final pit stop on our way home, however. Lured by a small sign advertising "Alpacas & Yarn" we spontaneously drove down a back road until we reached the Queen's Land Farm. Complete with two adorable little girls, 11 alpacas and various pets, the owners of the farm gave us a lengthy tour of their "herd" and we even got to go inside the pens and feel the rich fiberous coats of the alpacas. I fell in love with these bizarre yet lovable creatures back in 2003 when we spent a couple long weekends at an alpaca farm on Whitbey Island near Seattle. And the fact that they produce some of the most luxurious sought-after yarn in the world is just the icing on the cake! After procuring a couple skeins of insanely soft yarn, we drove home, day-dreaming about owning an alpaca farm of our own someday. (Okay, maybe that's just my dream, but Steve was pretty enchanted by them too!)

Photo courtesy of Queen's Land Farm

I mean really, who can resist this face??

Later on that night we had Abby, Cam and Liz over for homemade apple pie. Yum! What's next among our fall-themed adventures? Apple cider drinking? Pumpkin carving? Leaf-peeping?