Orchard Photo Shoot

As often happens when spending a day with the creative types (the husbands are all animators) there is some kind of creative endeavor taking place.  On this day it was the awesomeness that can be accomplished with an iphone / ipod touch, the hipstimatic app, and an artistic eye.  The following photos were not photo-shopped or touched up with the exception of the color enhancing picture.  The  distortion was all artistic eye.

Tiny Rob, Giant Jeremy

Robby wants an apple, mean Kasey.

And now here is some of the behind the scenes of the shoot.  These photos above are two of many.

And now I've ruined the magic...

Happy Halloween

Apple Pickin'

Fall is time for apple picking and pumpkins and cider.  We took our semi-annual trip to the Outhouse Orchard with some friends.  There were six of us so we rented a mini-van, and bought some pastries for breakfast and headed north.  This is the first time we've actually PICKED APPLES at the orchard.  Usually it's about the cider and the donuts, but picking apples is so much fun.  Mostly we used the apple picking claw, but at times with a little boost from someone tall were able to pick with our hands.  There was no tree climbing or apple throwing allowed.

I think we ended up with 30 - 40 pounds of apples.  We split them up, but Rob and I ended up with the bulk.  There are just enough left for a pie.  Yum!

A taste of fall

Teaser

I will be back to blogging regularly.  Soon.  I hope.  We've been busy.
 

Some more pics from the wedding.

possibly the best photo ever of me and Em

the happy couple

grandma's keeping warm

Clint, Katie and the kids (cousins)

Me and Rob.  Oh, how I love these tights.

new sisters!

family

My brother, the gentleman.

 The happy couple were married on a chilly October day.

 

After the ceremony, Emily, Rob, and I captured this sweet moment.

 

These are the first moments alone after becoming husband and wife.

 Ah, warm again.

  

And in love.

 

  The end.

Wedding Preview

Last weekend my brother got married!  Here is a preview until I get all my pictures organized.

I think I caught the OMG ITS FREEZING OUT HERE look on Katie's face.  It was a beautiful wedding.  And don't you love the view.  Clifty Falls Sate Park and the Ohio River.

Meat Grinder

Last year I got the meat grinder attachment for my kitchen aid.  I decided I needed one when all the ecoli outbreaks in ground beef happened last year, or at least that's when I read about them.  It's been nice.  I've used it a few times for leftovers that get ground into taco meat.  But more often I use is to grind raw meat for burgers or chili.  We went to the grocery Sunday night and because they were restocking, there was very little meat options.  But there were some thin steaks on sale.  So I bought a couple.  And sliced them into strips.

The grinder attaches to the front of the mixer with a bowl underneath.

The strips go in the hopper at the top...and comes out all ground up.

 Form and cook.

My meat grinder is cool.

How does your garden grow?

Very well thank you despite the crazy heat.  Parsley and basil were again a big hit.

 

The lettuce do ok... and the mint (in the hanging planter was a bust).  I think next year I will do a whole container of basil because it's easy, it smells nice, we USE it, and if I grow enough I can make pesto.  I'm currently undecided if I will grow from seeds or plants.  The seeds ended up doing pretty well, so we'll see.  I may do lettuce again, or try mint with the parsley.  The bigger problem there was that the wind (on the 6th floor) destroys anything in the hanging planter.  That one need to say good-bye.

The tomatoes, which I thought were a failure are making a comeback.  There are two tiny ones and a second big one growing (this is a total of 5 small and two large for the year).  I'm wondering if it was maybe just too hot and I didn't water them enough...  Either way I am definitely switching back to the grape tomatoes next year.  They were awesome and I want to go with what I know works, until then, I will enjoy these new little guys that are growing and hope they ripen before it gets too cold.

Rob's strawberry experiment seems to have worked at least a little.  The plants are thriving.  But they really need to be thinned out and I don't know if we should bring this one in for the winter.  I am of the opinion you don't grow berries in a container garden, so this one is all Rob, but if anyone has advice we'll take it.  There is also something random growing in here.  Should definitely pull that one up.

My flowers were nice for about two weeks, then one shriveled up and the violet is still leafy, but never flowered again.  I don't have the motivation to switch them for fall flowers.  I need to find a good potted flower that isn't high maintenance and lasts the entire summer.  If I can't, then I need to stick with green things.  I have much better luck with the edibles.

Happy October!  Can you believe it is October!