My FAVORITE time of the Year....

Growing up in Vermont means that

my favorite time of year is Autumn.

For people who have never experienced autumn in New

England... you are really missing out.

Mom and Dad would pick a Saturday and we would

hop in the car and drive all over the mountains looking

at the leaves. We'd stop at little shops and farms

scattered around and have apple cider (FRESH) and

pumpkin pie.

We would look in antique shops and

pick up things for Thanksgiving or Halloween.

It was always a really fun day.

I can remember walking outside in the brisk air,

and listening to the leaves CRUNCH under my feet.

Usually there was a fire burning in either a pit or in somebody's fireplace/woodstove so the smell of burning wood was in the air.

My cheeks would get red and cold from the chill in the air.

I remember how good it just SMELLED in the air. The smell of leaves, and smoke, and the fading of summer....... gosh it just takes me back to think of it. I almost smell it as I sit here and write.

We'd find slices of apple pie for sale, or grab a fritter with the cider.

Sometimes we'd be up in the mountain (or hills) and there would be a stream coming out of a rock and we'd stop and drink from it. (Boy am I surprised we never got giardia or anything). It would be ICE cold water, the purest tasting imaginable. Untainted by chemicals or filtration.

We'd often see deer in the meadows, and see flocks of ducks and geese heading south.

I remember we'd be gone the whole day, driving all around Vermont, looking at the beauty of the leaves. Pictures just do not do it justice. You really have to see it in person. I hope someday I can take all of my kids to VT during the fall so they can see it first hand.