Fall Is In The Air!

If you are wanting a day trip or an overnight get away, this helpful poster was shared by Fidelity National Title, giving monthly fall activity ideas, including those for kids, in the Apple Hill area between Sacramento and Placerville. They even marked them on a handy Highway 50 driving route for you to enjoy.

This area is close enough to the Bay Area that I think it’s well worth a day trip up to one of these orchards or vineyards to see the fall colors and take part in some fun activities, fruit picking or wine tasting! I know the photo is a little bit hard to read, so I have included all of the still-relevant info below.

For general information about this region’s activities, visit applehill.com, email info@applehill.com, or call (530) 644-7692.

October

Oct. 20: Wreath Making & Wine Tasting at Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery (530-903-6470)
Oct. 28: Vampires & Vines at Fenton Herriot Vineyards (530-642-22021)

November

Nov. 2: Wreath Making & Wine Tasting at Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery (530-903-6470)
Nov. 9: Wreath Making & Wine Tasting at Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery (530-903-6470)
Nov. 11: Veterans’ Day Specials for service members and veterans at participating farms
Nov. 18: Holiday Sip & Saver at Boeger Winery (530-622-8094)
Nov. 18-19: Bonfire, Chili & Cornbread and S’mores at Harris Family Farm (530-644-2194)
Nov. 18-19: Bottle Your Own at Fenton Herriot Vineyards (530-642-2201)
Nov. 24: Opening day for most Apple Hill Grower Christmas tree farms!
Nov. 25: Bonfire and S’mores at Grandpa’s Cellar (530-644-2153)
Nov. 24-26: Santa Visits (weather permitting) at Apple Ridge Farms (530-647-0613)
Nov. 25-26: Dust Off the Bottle Library Wine Event at Lava Cap Winery (530-621-0175)

Kids Activities

Abel’s Apple Acres: Gem Mining, Sand Art, Amazing Maze
Apple Ridge Farms: Maze, Nature Trail, Gemstone Mining, Face Painting (weekends only)
Delfino Farms: Farm animals (Babydoll SHeep), nature trail, large grassy hill, pumpkins/gourds. Mini pumpkin decorating on weekends.
Fudge Factory Farm: Farm Animals (Alpacas), Face Painter, Playground, Balloon Artist, Gem Mining
Harris Famly Farm: Nature Trail, Scavenger Hung, You-Pick, Berries, Apples & Pumpkins (in-season until picked out)
Hidden Star Camino: Kids Town Play Area
High Hill Ranch: Face Painting, Fishing Pond, Pony Rides
Indian Rock Tree Farm: Gold Mine, Indian Hut, Trout Stream
Larsen Apple Barn: Museum (self-guided), Park (lawn play, picnic)
O’Halloran’s Apple Trail Ranch: You-Pick Pumpkins off the vine, Flowers & Christmas Trees, Indian Corn, Johnny Appleseed Tree, Nature Trail
Pine-O-Mine: You pick apples (until all picked out – call for info), Pumpkin Patch
Rainbow Orchards: Hay Bale Hop-a-Crooked-Mile, Pumpkins, Winter Squash & Ornamental corn, Popcorn, Fresh Cider Mill, Grassy Orchard Play Area
Smokey Ridge Farmstand: Pictures on the tractor, you pick apples & chestnuts (in season until all picked out)
Carrot Farm: You-pick Flowers (in season)

Ringing in the fall season

Yesterday brought us the official start of Fall with the Fall Equinox! That means it’s time for the cooler air to come through, as we settle into the time of changing leaves, Turkey Trots, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I wanted to share a few items that come with this season – ranging from silly, to important!

First, I just have to point this out: Krispy Kreme has released a new pumpkin donut for the season. I know pumpkin is all the rage during Fall, but even for non-donut lovers this has to be kind of exciting. I personally am on the fence about all things pumpkin, but look forward to squash soups and a chill in the air.

Next, check out this article on paint colors from Real Simple. If you are in a house where you think your painting duties are overdue, this is a great resource. Try to enjoy the time indoors (COVID-19 + smoky air = more time inside, right?) by repainting parts of your house that need a little touch-up. Instead of spring cleaning, it is fall touch-up!

Also, it’s almost playoff baseball season! As a sports fan, when I think “Fall,” I think playoffs. I also think football. The NFL is underway and college football has started in certain parts of the country, but the A’s just won the division and the Giants are battling it out for the final spot in their league. I know we can’t go to games, but are you watching? How do you think our local teams will fare?

My last random point of the day is to get out – when and if you can – to enjoy the changing of the seasons. Even though we don’t get snow here in Walnut Creek, we do get at least parts of all four seasons. The change from summer to fall is always spectacular, and I hope you get out and hike or just walk around and take it all in! And, last but not least Apple Season is here, so if you want to take a day trip up to Apple Hill off of 50, pick some apples, drink some wine, and get donuts and cider here is a link to the Apple Hill and a map. Oh wait, one more random thought about fall. I just picked a bunch of figs and was planning to make a fig, blueberry, pepper jelly, do you think I could find canning jars? NO, I went to every store I could think of and they were all out … at Ace, he said it is that time of year, they haven’t had a shipment since last week, next year I will plan better.

Road Trips: Capay Organic Farm

This is a repost from the previous week due to some technical difficulties with loading pictures into WordPress, just in case you missed it, I think it is worth a repost.

I subscribe to an organic vegetable and fruit home delivery from Capay Organic Farms. I can choose every week or every other week for a month. They have a standard selection of items, but I can delete items and add others. I can even choose from other vendors who have pesto, cheese or milk. Do you remember when the milkman delivered glass jars to your door?

It also comes with a sheet that has recipes and a note from Farmer Thaddeus. What makes Capay different is they also host a handful of events at their farm throughout the year. Capay Organic Farm in Capay, CA (just Northwest of Sacramento) is only an hour away and is a peaceful place to reconnect with nature, avoid crowds and have a relaxing day.

I recently took a day trip for their Capay Crush. Picnics were encouraged, but they had some food trucks and about five wineries doing tastings. We were also encouraged to pick tomatoes, take a tractor ride around the farm, and try various artisan products from pesto to olive oil. All the while, live music by three different bands were playing throughout the day!

The best band was saved for the last from 8-10 pm. Dirty Cello played, adults and kids danced and just celebrated an overall great day. If you wanted to, you could camp for $35 for the evening amongst the fig trees. I spoke with one guy who has been doing this for more than 15 years and talked fondly of seeing the bright, clear stars at night. Here are some additional pictures:

The last event of the year at Capay Organic Farm is its Pumpkin Palooza on Sat., Oct. 21st, from 11 am – 2 pm. You can buy tickets at the farm ($5 for adults, FREE for kids 12 and under!) if you want to go!

Check out some of the fun things they offer for Pumpkin Palooza:

Farm Talk with Farmer Thaddeus
Organic farmer’s market stand
Tractor rides
Face painting
Petting zoo
Pumpkin patch
Local olive oil tasting
Homemade pesto tasting
Authentic Mexican food from Tacos 911
Hand-baked goods from The Upper Crust
Artisan gelato
Cold brew and hot coffee

If you’re looking for a fun family road trip that is still a reasonable drive away and will make for a memorable Saturday, go take a look at Capay Organic’s Pumpkin Palooza in a couple weeks! Or one of their other events coming in 2018.

SaveSave

Capay Organic Farm: box delivery, fun events…who knew??

Check out some of the fun things they offer for Pumpkin Palooza:

Farm Talk with Farmer Thaddeus
Organic farmer’s market stand
Tractor rides
Face painting
Petting zoo
Pumpkin patch
Local olive oil tasting
Homemade pesto tasting
Authentic Mexican food from Tacos 911
Hand-baked goods from The Upper Crust
Artisan gelato
Cold brew and hot coffee

Enjoy some gorgeous hikes before summer ends!

With the warm summer weather starting to tail off a bit, all you hikers will want to get out there and hit these last few trails before the season changes completely. Here are four great hike ideas close to San Francisco, from Time Out San Francisco.

Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve: a more remote, forested getaway in the Oakland hills with stunning views of the Bay in every direction!
Angel Island: 360-degree views of the Bay Area from the highest point, and just a cool getaway for some nature and history.
Alamere Falls: If you’re brave enough, you can sneak close to the edge of the 40-foot falls that drop into the ocean.
Lands End: An oldie, but a goodie – you can’t beat this classic hike, which can take you through the Sutro Baths, along the coastline, and towards breathtaking Golden Gate views.

Obviously, there are plenty of local hikes in the East Bay to explore, too. Mt. Diablo and The Open Space are always fun, as are the views from the Berkeley Hills and Grizzly Peak. If you want something easy to take a stroller or a couple dogs on, try the Lafayette Reservoir!

We are very blessed to live in an area that has temperate weather even in the winter, but the beauty of the trails (and the lack of mud!) disappears as fall converges on the summer.

It’s supposed to stick in the low 90’s for the rest of this work week, and then start the decline into the 80’s and 70’s in the weeks to come. Take advantage now before you hole up next to the fireplace for the winter!

Don’t Forget: Daylight Savings Time!

Expecting to wake up early for some Sunday football this weekend? Just looking forward to sleeping in after a long week at work? All fine and dandy, but don’t f0rget to set your clocks back an hour when you wake up on Sunday!

If you have a smartphone, the time will reset for you, but don’t let it get you confused. Enjoy the extra hour of daylight (and sleep!) as we fall back an hour!

What Labor Day Weekend means to me

Ah, the long-anticipated three-day weekend that everyone looks forward to at the end of summer: Labor Day is upon us! Whether you’re spending the last weekend of summer at a BBQ, up in Tahoe or just having a staycation at home, it’s a great chance to relax with family and friends and soak up some rays before the long trek into winter begins.

To me, Labor Day means time spent at the lake, good food and a short break from the crazy working world. If you’re looking for something to do over the long weekend locally, check out what’s in store for Labor Day in Walnut Creek:

Broadway Plaza parties: L’Occitane and Tommy Bahama’s are among the stores that are celebrating their grand re-openings in the newly refurbished downtown shopping district. Great excuse to get out, check out the remodel and shop ’til you drop!
“Nuts About Rio: Faster, Higher Stronger” is this year’s theme for the annual Labor Day Aquanuts synchronized swimming show at Heather Farm Park. Beer and wine will be sold at the 47th annual event, which celebrates the recently-completed Olympic Games.
The Walnut Creek Concert Band will be putting on a Labor Day Park Concert show at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, September 5th.

I hope everybody has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. I leave you with an interesting Labor Day thought …

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day was observed on September 5, 1882. An estimated 10,000 workers gathered for a New York City parade organized by the Central Labor Union.

Unions were very important back then, but think now about our labor force of freelancers and entrepreneurs and how it’s changing! Millennials are much more apt to live the “Google life” now, where all their food, health and leisure amenities are literally in the offices with them. Or, they freelance! My freelance writer left a cushy job in P.R. to work on his own schedule with his own clients and he joked earlier that “every day is Labor Day for him if he wants it to be!” Funny how things have changed.