October 2017 Part A

We're only partly through October, but pictures tend to pile up and I'm trying to make these briefer and easier to skim, so here goes the first half:

Another hot pepper harvest

Went to a local high school football game

My enthusiastic date

Pumpkin sighting!

We went to a cranberry harvest festival on the Cape. The kids were thrilled to ride a school bus shuttle

Headed to the bogs!

Cranberries everywhere!!! This was an exceptionally well-run event and I finally got to see the cranberries up close and in the wild

So so many berries

There has to be a layer of sand on top of the soil for cranberries to spread out on, so they maintain a massive sandhill as reserve and the kids were encouraged to climb it. Obviously the highlight of the trip for them.

They got to plant their own cranberry bush and bring it home.

I'm moderately hopeful of success. It'd be really fun to have our own patch in three years!

There were pony rides, both kids first time on a horse I think

Did you know that cranberries straight from the bog are actually delicious??? One of the workers was scooping up cups of them and handing out a few. Most people just grimaced, but I thought they were amazing. Obviously a bit tart, but pleasantly so. Anyway, he gave me the cupful to munch, haha. 

Don't you just want to swim in that? I did.....until I saw all the giant spiders scooting around. Ugh.  

Oh. Oh, oh, oh. Ok, guys: I have wanted a VW camper van since I was a teen (who hasn't???). And I've checked the surrounding 5 states' craigslists almost daily for years. These things are ridiculously expensive and anything reasonable is gone within minutes it seems. But this. *small squeal* Ok, so obviously it's not one of the classics, it's a '93 Eurovan weekender (which means just the fridge and table, no stove or sink) and she's not the prettiest (at the moment) BUT BUT BUT she's ours!!! Thursday night was a long one, the negotiations did not proceed in a linear fashion, I'm still dubious of how exactly this woman had the van, ended up belonging to her son (named.....Atom) so much back and forth (literally; we put in at least 120 miles) but at 12:27am we roared in to our driveway and by noon the great state of MA declared, after we bribed paid registration and taxes, that she was ours. Esmeralda has a visit with our trusted mechanics tomorrow, so we'll see how truly foolish we were....

Then Saturday morning we were out bright and way too early to NH for family photos with Bethany. So early that breakfast wasn't happening and we stopped at McD's so everyone could get a breakfast sandwich. First time for everything and had to document it. 

We attempted a hike but it was hot and the blackflies vicious. 

Gorgeous day

Made Steve take a picture of us in our finery in front of the classic family-photo backdrop, haha. 

Mostly we hunted acorns on this walk

Esmee is much adored already. I've been spending every spare minute cleaning up her innards and there's still a ton to do. 3 hours today on the upholstery alone, still haven't touched the carpet and ran out of Folex before I did the passenger front, plus the loft bed needs cleaning. But she's going to be spectacular (at least, in our eyes) once she's been completely scrubbed and disinfected. The kids have been in her nonstop, and I'm making an Ikea trip soon to scope out some storage ideas and get bedding. If anyone wanders down the Boston way, we now have 5 extra sleeping spots!