Hi everyone!
Even more of the trees are turning color now, and we have lots of leaves falling out of the trees. The apples are getting ripe, too, and I had a very apple week! Last Sunday, the Young Families from Grandma and Grandpa’s church came out to Sodus to pick apples at Crackerbox Palace (Alasa Farms). I got to see my friends Lyla and Nina and Patrick and Lily and Hannah again!Joe-san and Nancy-san and Moose-san came, too! Before we started picking, we all had to listen carefully to the Crackerbox Palace rules. When we started picking, it didn’t take long for Moose-san and me to have a bag full of nice apples for making pies. Moose-san and I wanted to taste a Honeycrisp apple, but there were only a few left at the very tops of the trees. Joe-san helped us get one with a special long picking pole. It was yummy!
After we were done picking apples, we went across the road to see the farm animals. Everybody tried to feed apples to the goats and donkeys, but the apples were too big for them to eat whole. It was hard to hold the apples so the animals could take more than one bite! I made a new horse friend, anyway! Then we all came back to Grandma and Grandpa’s cottage for dinner. Lily and Nina let Moose-san and me swing with them. Lily’s mom gave us all a good push!
On Monday, Moose-san and I helped Grandpa haul the sailboat out of the water for the winter. Grandpa installed a new winch that made it easier to haul the boat onto its cradle and get the cradle onto the dock. It’s still a big job, but we got it done! Grandpa and Grandma took the mast off the boat and Grandma and Joe-san carried it upstairs. Then Joe-san and I helped Grandma use the power washer to get the boat clean. The deck and cockpit were nice and clean afterward! When the boat was dry, we put a plastic cover on it to keep it clean all winter. Then Grandma and Nancy-san went out for a paddle in the kayaks. They brought back a swan flight feather for Moose-san.
Yesterday, we had more company at Sodus! Grandma invited the doctoral students from her school to make apple pies. It was a little rainy in the morning, but the students were able to pick lots of nice apples! I helped Grandma the last time the doctoral students came, so after lunch I reminded everybody how to peel and slice apples and roll out the pie crust. This was the first time Orlando-san ever picked apples or made an apple pie and he did a good job! We made ten pies! Grandma said we had to bake and eat the first pie for “quality assurance”. I helped cut it up so everybody could try a piece. It was delicious!
When we got back from Sodus, there was a package waiting for me. Great-aunt Betsy sent me something! Grandma helped me open the box and I found Kitty-san! It’s nice to find another member of my pride, and I’m looking forward to sharing some adventures with Kitty-san!
Love,
Lion-san
Wow! All those apples! We had fun with the young families and getting the sailboat out. Nancy-san really enjoyed the kayak paddle. And a new friend to go on trips with. We are looking forward to meeting Kitty-san.