Apples Past and Present

I spent the morning scanning old photos from my mother's photo albums in to my computer and came across some fun ones, including this set of apple picking photos from 1979.

From Right: Me with little Melanie, Laurel and Shane

I'm not very good at remembering the past (Katrina picks on me all the time because I don't remember their first words) my brain seems to hang onto impressions and moods more than specific details.  I do actually vaguely remember going apple picking with my cousins, maybe it was the only time we ever did that so it stuck a little.  Or maybe it was just exciting to have someone along since they had recently moved from Missouri and I was no longer just an only child rambling on my own.

Yesterday this only child went rambling on my own since it's still what I do, stopping at Bong State Recreation Area after running a few errands.  I don't often go to Bong, it's used heavily by hunters and horse riders, but yesterday afternoon I didn't encounter anyone as I headed off down a horse trail from the beach area.

Fall color hasn't even started here yet, though there were a few trees getting an early jump.  There were more birds out than I would have thought, taking advantage of a crisp sunny afternoon while there are some still left.

Side trails to duck blinds are marked by numbers and I took one down to a pond to have a look.

Maybe more birds on their way south stopped in after I left, but just a few loners were hanging out.

Along the trail I spotted a flash of red and discovered an old apple tree being overtaken by brush.  A few apples were on the ground providing a feast for wasps, but I snagged a couple off the branches and pocketed them for later.  There were plenty more out of reach that will fall on the ground for the wildlife later.

It reminded me of all the berry picking I did in Newfoundland, and yes, I still have a few more posts coming from our time there last month.  They will be filled with photos old and new, and stories of how my family was affected by the arrival of the Americans at Argentia.  Before it's ready I'll be trotting out some more of the photos from the past that I uploaded today to go along with my current adventures, and perhaps I'll even tickle the memory of other family members for a story or two.