Apples 2013

It's been a great year for our apples! Last year we barely reaped anything from the two trees. To make up for it, we can hardly keep up this year. Local folks tell us this is a common progression. We've made applesauce, apple butter, and apple turnovers, and I've carried two cat litter boxes full up to church, and let three folks from church and the neighborhood pick their own. And there are still more waiting. I picked some apples tonight for another round of apple butter. The recipe I found takes 22 hours (!!) but is pretty much worth it. Here with a photo-essay of part one. I'll get a picture of the trees and the final steps in a second post.

Rinsing apples in the sink. Ours are 100% organic, which means we don't do anything to them, which means we take them as they come off the tree. Yellow jackets like them, and so do birds and squirrels, and so we have to clean up everything that comes along with that.

Peeling. A few years ago we invested in a peeler. It never has seen much action until this year. In fact this is probably the best year in 7 in terms of yield. We didn't loose many to insects, animals, blight, freezing, drought or anything. The first time I made apple butter and applesauce, I let Eli and Briggs work the peeler. They were at a football game tonight. It wasn't too bad on my own.

More of the peeler. Being organic, our apples come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. I had to do just a little bit of trimming up after the peeler this evening.

I think I used about 40 small and medium apples this evening; I forgot to count ahead of time. This is their condition after peeling.

Using the corer and slicer. This works great. I chop off the tops and bottoms and then use this tool to core and slice them. Some slices need trimming of leftover peel, or sores, and some have seeds. This part of the process goes pretty quickly.

The current batch as they begin in the slow cooker. Twenty-two hours later will be something quite different! The only other ingredient besides the apples at this point is apple cider vinegar, so the house has a distinctive aroma about it!

South Mountain State Park, Summer 2013

The Friday after the 4th of July this year found me at home with all three boys and rainy weather in the offing. It had been raining quite a bit for most of a week, so everyone was kind of edgy with boredom. On a whim I decided to take everyone to South Mountain State Park. We had been in 2008 also. I figured Eli and Briggs would remember it a bit, even if Calvin didn't. Herewith some before and after pictures. In 2008 the weather had been "normal" so the river was what one might expect. The contrast with the state of the river after a month of rain was quite remarkable.

Briggs in 2008. We spent most of our time on the 2008 trip near the parking area. There is a picnic area, and the water in 2008 was pretty, perfect for exploring.

 Calvin in 2008, about 9 months old.

Eli near the falls in 2008. Notice the flow level.

 

 The falls in 2008. Pretty enough, and tame enough.

At the falls in 2013. Gush-a-licious. Sorry it's a little blurry: the spray in the air, and the general cloudiness of the area gave the camera on my phone fits.

Calvin in 2013. He hiked the whole way up to the falls, around the top and back down, in pouring rain for the last 45 minutes. He was not willing to call it a "great adventure" until long after we had gotten home! But at this point the sun had actually broken through for a few minutes; true "calm before the storm."

Briggs in 2013, about half-way up to the falls. We knew the water level was up, and got a good indication of that here. Many places we had walked around on in 2008 were completely submerged this year.

 

There is a sheer rock face along the way up to the fall. Usually it's dry; water was pouring around it this time around. Above, Eli in 2013; below in 2008.

Calvin at the falls overlook. Standing there for just a few moments led to total drenching. There was no rain at this point, but the effect of the water coming off the falls was as if it were pouring.

TVRM excursion near Black Mountain

A month ago or so I was on the riding mower working the lawn. Eli came running outside, closely followed by Briggs. He was yelling and gesturing for me to take off my ear protection. I thought maybe the house was on fire given the way he was acting!

 He said he had heard a steam train whistle. I guffawed. We went back and forth for a minute or so, with Briggs trying to reassure me about what they had heard. Finally, it went off again. The sound really is unmistakeable. It was coming up the track from Ridgecrest. None of us could come up with any explanation for a steam train to be on the line near us. I told the boys to jump in the car, we were off on a quest!

 tail end of the train between Black Mountain and Swannanoa

Dodging five o'clock rush hour traffic in downtown Black Mountain we blasted down US 70 and saw the tail end of the train before we got to Swannanoa. The traffic lights in Swannanoa were going to either make us or break us. My awesome driving skills got us through greater Swannanoa unscathed and without getting stuck by a light. We finally were ahead of the train! We gained more ground and I decided the pull off at a crossing near a landscaping nursery we patronize. We had plenty of time to get out, grab the camera and grab a pic. Unfortunately the stop signs in that part of the valley tend to jump in front of the camera sometimes.

front end, blocked by the sign between Swannanoa and Asheville

Success, but we were still confused about what was going on. Facebook saved us. We learned of a series of excursions sponsored by Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and Norfolk Southern, to build enthusiasm for steam train travel. There was a series of 4 outings planned from Asheville to Old Fort. That meant a journey through seven tunnels between Ridgecrest and Old Fort. I'm not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that all the rides were completely sold out! They were $60 per person; kind of steep. But had there been space, I would have been sorely torn about whether or not to spring for the trip. But at least by this point we had the schedule.  We waited for the train after a Saturday morning ballgame. On Sunday afternoon we walked down the Point Lookout trail to get a good vantage point. That was where we got our best pictures.

On Saturday, there was a photographer taking shots as the train came through Black Mountain. She graciously forwarded to me a couple of them after I politely asked if she would share. Her images are awesome!

photo by Tammy Schneider © 2013

We had a few friends from church who partook of the excursions. They said they were enjoyable, but that from the train cars, the trip seems rather closed in. I have to admit that seeing the trains from the ground as they make their way around Andrew's Geyser near Old Fort surely can't be beat by actually being on the train. We'll keep an eye out for future excursions, and hope to make one.

from the Point Lookout Trail

Carolina Silverbell Tree

stock photo

Most years for our anniversary, I get us a plant. Usually a nicer shrub or tree that Libby has been wanting. Most years I know what I am looking for because I can recall something specific Libby has talked about. This year I hadn't a clue. With Calvin tagging along I went to the little nursery here in Black Mountain. After some hemming and hawing, and making the staff hang around after the announced closing time, I picked up a witchazel, a beautyberry, and a Carolina silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera {Halesia carolina}). There 's not much to the silverbell (nor any of them for that matter), but I was told it was indigenous to our area.

 what we saw while walking

As luck would have it, Libby spotted one beside the trail as we hiked in Ridgecrest yesterday. It was gratifying for us both, that these do exist in the wild, and that ours has potential.

 our specimen

Catawba Falls

On a whim we set off to Catawba Falls this morning. Nobody (!) had anything pressing to do, and the weather was great (sunny and 50o). We had been a couple of years ago, but I don't think we made it to the very top. At least I don't remember getting there; Libby is pretty certain we did.  No matter: we did today. The parking area has definitely been improved since we were there last: nicely gravelled and good signage.  We set off.

We stayed on the south bank until we got to the old mill (easy as pie). There is a tree log with a handrail that serves as a bridge. From there it was still pretty easy. Even Calvin had no trouble. We got to the spot where I remember us bagging it last time, where a stream crosses the trail (excellent for dogs) and meets the river below. Nice fall-like features and fairly closely confined. One can scamper up the creekside and get a taste of what's coming later on the trail. Today we kept going though.

The summit was very nice. We passed by the old dam and everyone had a blast crawling over all the rocks and trees. We didn't linger too long at the top, as it was lunch time, and we still had our descent to make. We stopped again at the stream-crossing, this time to explore the big rocks below the trail. The boys found a "cave" that was a big hit.

We decided to forego fastfood and go for lunch at an eatery (The Rail Restaurant) in Old Fort. Libby had eaten there last summer and said it would suit just fine. Meh. They got her order wrong, messed up Briggs' burger and left my sandwich under the salamander too long. And it took a little too long given we were the only folks there.

After lunch we cruised Old Fort and drifted toward the Davidson Fort. Everyone but me got out to explore. They got a very earnest lecture from a guy working on the roof of the place. He imparted, Libby is sure, everything he knows about the site. But all in all everyone enjoyed it.

Calvin's birthday

Calvin turned five last week. Talk around here was, "now you're a whole hand," meaning he wasn't just 2- or 3- or 4-fingers on one hand, he was all five fingers. The boys didn't grasp the full meaning when I said that meant he "was a handful."

We had cake and ice cream on the evening of his birthday. I let my rehearsal go early so I could get home and see the fun. By the time I got here, the presents were all opened. I asked Calvin if I could have a cupcake. He said, "No."

In keeping with tradition his birthday spread over a few days. So a couple of days later on last Friday we went to see a monster truck show as part of his birthday celebration. Eli had gone to a show in Richmond in the downtown coliseum. Briggs had never been before; neither had Calvin. I was prepared to this event to be not as cool as the one in Richmond. The arena just wasn't large enough for a full-scale show. The trucks could go about 50 feet before they had to slam on brakes to keep from running into anything. They raced mini-monster trucks (oh, the irony)  and ATVs. But the big trucks were too big to do laps in this arena. So it was not all that exciting. Calvin (and the other brothers) were ready to go by intermission.

Granny came over on Sunday evening with her presents for Calvin (and Libby), thus extending the celebration even more.

Iced in

The threat of icy weather was enough to cancel school for today for everyone, and enough to put Manna on a two-hour delay. By mid-morning there was actually stuff falling from the sky, so Manna closed. That left all of us at home. Everything is supposed to melt tomorrow. The older boys spent the day on the computer and TV. 

Calvin, for the past few weeks, has been keen on picture puzzles. He's got a couple that he puts together every evening when he gets home from school. Today we pulled out some that we had been holding in reserve for just such an occasion. The living room floor became puzzle central. Too, Libby had given me a puzzle of scenes from the Parkway for Christmas. She pulled that out and started on it and I joined in. We let Calvin put the last half-dozen pieces in. He takes puzzling pretty seriously: he was not sure he wanted me to take a picture of him and the puzzles. Apparently they are not the frivolous sort of thing that one takes pictures of, to his way of thinking. Anyway, I got a couple of pics. It was a nice day, capped off by a walk around the block to visit Miss Julia and to the bodega for a piece of candy. And, tomorrow is still only Saturday!

Winter ball

Briggs is doing basketball this season, as is Calvin. The SmartStart  program for little children that the Parks and Rec department does is pretty good. For kids Calvin's age, it's mostly drills and skills, with lots of time for just running up and down the court. I took Calvin today, and it just happened to be the day the children got shirts and balls. Calvin even managed to sink a goal (8-feet high) with his new ball!

9yo

Briggs turned 9 last week. In typical fashion, his birthday celebration spanned 3 days and more. Saturday he took a friend to Fun Depot for the afternoon, then over to Cheshire later to swim. Sunday Libby took him shopping for shoes, socks, shorts and a shirt. All Duke-blue. Monday was his cakeday. Libby made him a cake and let him help decorate. I managed to help scarf some down before heading to a meeting. It was unseasonably warm last weekend, and rainy. Monday, the boys had a day off from school because it was the end of the term at the high school. So they were stuck at home all day, but couldn't go outside. Not sure if any of that really explains the whole no-shirt thing in this picture, but anyway...Presents from Greg and Granny arrived on Wednesday, which stretched the festivities even further. Nice new Nike shoes from Greg and an assortment of attire, and the move The Sandlot from Granny. All good stuff.