Another year at Apple Fest is in the books! We were really fortunate this year, and the rain stopped right when we arrived. That’s happened before, and it usually means crowds are smaller, especially since we were there right at the beginning of the day. Bayfield’s Apple Fest is one of our favorite events of the year! You can click HERE to see past years of Apple Fest visits.
Photo Friday is a little glimpse at our week in pictures. To see more, follow @TheMangoMemoirs on Instagram!
Apples! Every year we make the trip from Duluth to Bayfield, Wisconsin for Apple Fest. It’s one of our favorite events of the year. Pete & I have been going since we met, so this was our seventh consecutive Apple Fest together, Ella’s fourth, and Sam’s first.
We arrived in town just before the parade started. I’ve mentioned it before…I’m a huge fan of parades. They just get me. I love that everyone waves and cheers and dances a bit to the marching bands. Honestly, how much I enjoy parades can get a little ridiculous. And now I get to share them with the little ones!
Sam was snug as a bug inside his stroller. He did not like the sirens at the start of the parade so Daddy covered his ears.
Oh no! I just realized we didn’t get a picture of Pete with his cheese curds. Without exception, cheese curds are the first thing we buy every year. Pete offered to by buy mini donuts for me as we passed a stand, but I insisted we had to get those fried, cheesy pieces of heaven first. I don’t love them as much as Pete, but it’s pretty close.
Then we got the mini donuts.
The parade is so long at Apple Fest that we watch part of it, get something to eat, watch some more, walk a little, watch a bit more, and check out all the art vendors. It’s the best time to see the art since the booths aren’t crowded.
These were the greatest hammocks we’ve ever seen and they’re made by a family just 20 minutes north of Duluth! Canvas outside, fleece inside. Yes, please. Tree to Tree has an online shop HERE.
After the art vendors, we helped ourselves to more apple goodness.
Could I love these two any more? Nope. I couldn’t.
As per tradition, we bought kettle corn right before leaving to drive out to the orchards. If you know Pete, you know he’s a guy who never does anything halfway. Go all out or don’t bother. Therefore, I should have expected this when I sent him to buy the popcorn. Good grief! The bag is nearly as big as Ella! She was in heaven.
I love the little town of Bayfield. Little towns are my favorite. I grew up in one, so I can imagine what life is like there. Even as the main streets were packed with people, we managed to find a quiet alley for a stroll.
We also found Pete’s favorite bridge. It’s easy to miss. It sits between two streets lined with houses and is surrounded by trees. This is the gorgeous view of what sits below.
We asked a stranger on the bridge to take our family picture, and it turned out not to be a stranger at all! It was Reid, a young guy who went to the church where Pete & I met years ago. We got to meet his wife of two months and catch up a bit. It was an unexpected interaction. I love those.
Then we drove out to the orchards. Bayfield is surrounded by them, but we go to the same one every year. We have a photo of Ella in an apple basket when she was Sam’s age, so we were set on capturing the same image of Sam. Miss Ella wanted to be in the basket with him, which would have been adorable, but I think we would have returned a broken basket to the orchard owners. She was happy as a lark, though, when we piled apples around her in the grass.
Sammy on the top & Ella (3 months) below. I love how similar they are!
Next on the list of appointments for our boy is an appointment with the eye specialist next week. That’s expected for any baby with his diagnosis. Just need to make sure his little peepers are healthy!
In all regards, he’s doing amazingly well. Sam’s PT and OT are happy with his progress. He’s lifting his feet in the air and playing with his hands, holding toys, turning his head when he hears a bell, and smiling a whole lot. We continue to do a little physical therapy every day in simple ways, mostly through how he sits in his bouncy seat or is positioned during tummy time. Little things can make big differences in his physical strengthening. We’re so proud of how he’s moving ahead!
__________
We’ve been enjoying fall around here! It has certainly turned cooler and the leaves are letting go of their branches. (It even snowed last week, but we’ll pretend that didn’t happen. At least it didn’t stick.) Ella helped me make apple decorations for the mantle and we collected leaves for a leaf garland to hang on the mirror above it.
And finally, last week Ella had school pictures. We got up just a bit early in the hopes of avoiding a mad dash out the door in a disheveled mess. We were successful! Her pigtails even made it through the whole morning at school. Her teachers told me at the end of the day that she was really excited about the pictures. The next day she told me she wanted to do them again! Ella sure loves having her picture taken. But we kind of knew that already, didn’t we?
Never to miss our beloved Apple Fest, we recently made the trek to Bayfield, Wisconsin for the apple festivities. This time we took our new friends, Eli & Krista, to partake in the joy of apple picking, cheese curds, apple chili, and brisk, fall air. It was a gorgeous day to be outside, taking in the loveliness of the small town.
Ella with her new friend, Eli.
We have pictures with this cuddly creature on every Bayfield trip. Ella was a bit hesitant at first
but a quick cuddle helped break the ice
then she couldn’t leave without a kiss.
Our first food stop is, without argument or a second thought, for cheese curds.
Apparently, the doctors recommend them!
Nice work, Daddy. Show her how it’s done.
Hanging out on the pier.
Can you tell she’s crazy about her daddy?
We love this bridge. It’s beauty is inexplicable, particularly in the fall. A single path runs beneath it, surrounded by thick trees in all shades of autumn. In the distance, there is a gorgeous, sparkling view of Lake Superior and the sailboats between Bayfield and Madeline Island.
After spending the first half of the day in town, we headed out to the orchards. Ella loved picking the little red fruit off the trees all on her own, and we have plenty of pictures to prove it! Those will be coming soon…
Every fall we look forward to spending a day in Bayfield, Wisconsin for Apple Fest. The picturesque little town sits on the southern shore of Lake Superior and is surrounded by apple orchards. It’s quite the tourist destination, especially during the first weekend in October when the streets are lined with vendors selling everything apple you can imagine. Apple chili, apple dumplings, apple brats, apple crisp, apple cider, apple donuts, apple beer, apple pie. Not a fest goes by when we don’t feel like our bellies will explode from all the apple goodness. This was year number five for us, with many more to come.
We started our day at Erickson’s Apple Orchard, a must for every one of our Bayfield visits, whether it’s for Apple Fest or not.
Ella had fun exploring the orchard.
The weather was absolutely perfect! As we arrived in town, Ella munched on an apple.
Another tradition – I get my picture with the troll in front of the Scandinavian shop.
Ella thought it’d be fun to join me this year.
She was really lovin’ this little guy.
We asked Ella where his nose was and she proudly showed off her own! This was the first time she had pointed to her own nose. The crowd around us was quite amused.
I know it’s not an apple product, but cheese curds are a must. They are always delicious at Apple Fest, and they happen to be Pete’s favorite treat. This was Ella’s first!
We just happened to be in town while the parade passed through again this year. It’s a pretty impressive one. Ella didn’t want to sit through the whole thing so we wandered through the crafty vendor area while everyone else was watching the parade. Perfect! We didn’t have to push through crowds or hurry past the artistic sculptures and paintings.
We came home to Duluth that night with full bellies, sleepy eyes, and 20 pounds of cortland apples. I’m already excited for Apple Fest next year. Just 49 more weeks to go!
For the past three years, Pete and I have been making the trek to Bayfield, Wisconsin the first weekend in October for Apple Fest. This year we made it number four. We were so excited to take Ella to the parade and out to Erickson’s Orchard. She was happy in the apple bucket and loved playing with the apples, as you can see in the pictures. Apple Fest number one with Ella. They’ll be many more to come.
