Growing up I lived less than a mile from an apple orchard. In the autumn the air was thick with the smell of cider. I have a vivid memory of getting off the bus after school one late September afternoon where the wind whipped up the distinct smells of fresh apples and cinnamon, and also rotting leaves because it was always soggy in Rhode Island during the fall. But, I remember feeling so completely satisfied in that one moment.

Every year in elementary school we would tour a local apple farm. We picked apples and watched the cider being made. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise when I say I have some sweet memories of apple orchards and apple picking. So, when we vacationed in Rhode Island this past month I made sure to take Emerson apple picking. It was a cloudy, overcast day and misting just enough to see the tiny droplets of water. Yet, even with our finicky weather and the fact that the apple trees were pretty small this year, it didn’t stop Emmie from having a ball. But perhaps her favorite thing about apple picking wasn’t picking the apples at all, it was running up and down the rows of growing pumpkins at the farm with her Grand-dad.  Vera even got in on the action by sampling some dirt. With our apple picking adventure we’re once step closer to completing our fall bucket list.