"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!" When October hits, I inevitably start quoting Anne Shirley. She sums up the joy of October so well, and I've read her words so many times that they have become my own. October is the month of rich changing colors, where every shade of yellow, red, and brown is revealed on trees, bushes, and eventually, the ground. The green of summer is lush and fresh, but when the leaves start to change in the fall, it seems as though the trees have been keeping a beautiful secret all year, and they're finally letting us in on it--one red leaf at a time. Even the sagebrush in the Yakima Valley puts out autumnal colors in its way, blooming yellow flowers rather than shedding yellow leaves. October days start out fresh, with the crisp morning air mellowing out in the long rays of afternoon sunshine. It's as if Mother Nature is displaying all of her finery one last time before closing up shop for the winter. "Remember this beauty," she says, "it will return when the dark cold days are done." October carries with it a flavor of excitement with all of these changes--excitement for the fresh air, excitement for the beautiful colors, and excitement for the coming holidays. THAT is what I mean when I echo Anne's gladness to live in a world where there are Octobers.
We welcomed October in style over the weekend with three outdoor outings: Friday afternoon at Bill's Berry Farm in Grandview, Saturday morning at a cross country meet in Pasco, and Saturday afternoon at Goethals Park in Richland. If you're willing to drive for it, Washington sure has lots to offer! We cranked on Harry Potter #7 and hit the road, soaking in the glorious October weather, colors, and ambiance with our eyes while walking in the wizarding world in our minds.
1. Bill's Berry Farm--ever since this fun family farm became mega-popular a couple of years ago, we have avoided it on weekends. Instead, we discovered that Friday afternoons are the ideal time to beat the crowds, get some hot fresh donuts, and play, play, play all in one day.
Jay and Rose are old enough to run off and play without me following closely behind them, so it warms my heart when they stop and wave with a "look at me, Mommy!"
Just give Amber some dirt to claw, roll in, and taste test, and she's happy.
My legs are a tad too long to share the tire swing.
This picture. I brought the good camera, but ended up leaving it in the car because it was too bulky to lug around. Luckily cell phones do an ok job too.
Amber loved looking at the kitty--she crouched down, leaned forward, and said "hi, diddy!" but never tried to touch it.
Jay tickled the kitty with a feather he found. It was a big moment, and the kids were entranced. Then the poor cat ran away, haha. Sometimes I think it would be fun to have a cat, but then I remember that 1. we live in a neighborhood so any cat of ours would invade our neighbors too, 2. I'm allergic to cats, 3. Jay is allergic to cats, and 4. cat pee REEKS.
Farmer Bill's truck
Saturday morning, October 2, 2016: Cross country meet in Pasco, WA. It was a wrench missing the Saturday sessions of General Conference, but that's what the internet is for--unlimited access to General Conference text and videos on lds.org! A Saturday family adventure seemed like the best use of our time. So we followed Jeff's cross country team to Pasco's outer sagebrush. It was a gorgeous site--the bright morning light seemed to soften the usually prickly stickery scrub that grows on undeveloped land in this area. The colors in that tangle of growth seemed richer, more textured, and more three-dimensional than usual. It was a wild windy sunny day in the sagebrush, with long lines of racing runners twisting through the undergrowth every few minutes.
A long stretch of sand was conveniently located next to the homestretch.
I can't get over those colors in that scrub!
And that blooming sagebrush!
It looks so soft, but believe me, you do not want to walk through that field in shorts.
Coach White, doing his thing, which involves more or less running laps around the course to encourage his cute middle school cross country team.
Big sand, little girl.
another lap...
When Jay and Rose knelt down in the sand, they were immediately transported into an imaginary world. Every stick, sandy hollow, and blade of grass came to life and had a role in their game.
3. Saturday afternoon, October 2, 2016: Goethals Park. I have heard about this park from a few different friends, so it was on the list for our post-cross country meet adventure. Jeff has to stay with the team forEVER, so I've been taking the kids on a local adventure in the environs of each race on Saturday afternoons. It's fun! Goethals Park was perfect.
Normally I shun man-made "nature", but this little creek was gorgeous! It was shallow enough for me to give the kids free reign without concern, wide enough for interest, and just wild enough to feel real. There was evidence of various makeshift dams along one stream and Jay and Rose added to their number. Childhood should include lots of creeks. Mine did, so naturally I think that everyone else's should too. Our dry Yakima Valley is rather lacking in the creek department--irrigation canals just aren't the same thing. Ever since our visit to Goethals Park, I have been dreaming of turning our backyard into a minature homemade wilderness with a creek, bridges, rocks, bushes, and trees. It would be so awesome, and we wouldn't have to mow the lawn!
True to form, all Amber wanted to do was throw rocks into the water.
Jay and Rose could hardly believe it when I told them they could take off their shoes to play in the creek! Clearly they have not had nearly enough creek exposure.
At one point, Rose lost sight of the rest of us and experienced a brief moment of panic. Jay climbed all the big rocks.
Amber's reaction every time one of her rocks splashed into the water--part squint, part pleasure.
That little hobbit hole in the background is another feature of this park--there are a few mounds with tunnels running underneath them, for no other reason than PLAY. That's my kind of playground!
Dream big.
{she actually managed to move that rock about six inches to the left}
Eventually, Amber realized that the big kids had their shoes off, so she joined them (with a little help from her big sister).
The kids played in the creek for a whole hour before Amber fell in.
Time to head home!
