hollin farms.

I said it last year and I'll say it again. Hollin Farms has got to be the most scenic pumpkin patch ever. We spent a beautiful Fall Saturday there a few weeks ago to pick our pumpkins. There was still plenty of color on the tree-covered hillsides and the views were stunning. After we found our perfect pumpkins, we decided to try digging for peanuts, which the kids loved. 

skyline drive without a camera?

It's possible, but painful.

A few weeks ago, in the middle of the week, I was in the mood for a country drive. It had been a few years since we attempted Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains during peak fall colors (and our car broke down). The drive can get ridiculously crowded on the weekends so I figured I'd just go during the week. It would have been nice to have Ben and Amelia join us, but the lack of crowds was so refreshing.

I couldn't resist a detour to visit Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton. Their pastries are delicious, their focaccia bread is amazing, and they make fantastic sandwiches. So we picked up a few sandwiches for later (and a few pastries and a few loaves of bread and a bag of their famous granola) and then headed on to Shenandoah National Park.

And since we happened to be passing by the Apple House, we just had to stop for some apple donuts.

The drive through Shenandoah was spectacular. I think we stopped at every scenic overlook. And yes, I did forget to bring my camera. So I had to resort to the iphone. But that didn't stop me from taking approximately one million photos. I had to drag myself away in order to get back in time to pick up Amelia from school. I could have looked at those views all day. (Although I think my travel companions were done after the first few scenic overlooks.)

The "beetloaf" sandwich from Red Truck was SO GOOD. Roasted beets, sweet potatoes, and ground walnuts with goat cheese on focaccia. Yum.