escaping to the farm in the fall

I watch the news each morning before I go to work. And each day this past week, those ridiculously cheerful weather people told me how amazing the weekend was going to be. It was like they were advance shaming me for just reading magazines by the harbor.

So, I was borderline determined to savor the Fall weather a bit, see some foliage, and if I was lucky a stone wall or two. 

I really had no idea where to go for a brief adventure. I didn't want to drive for more than 45 minutes and I would prefer to not see crowds of people. I stumbled upon Appleton Farms after clicking through a couple of options that I found on the Trustees of the Reservation website. It fit all of my qualifications and more. It was a working dairy farm! This means baby cows in addition to Fall foliage. Although I felt pretty confident in my decision to venture out to Appleton Farms, I stumbled onto this article on Edible Boston about "happy cows" and was even more convinced. 
I was not disappointed in the estate at all. Old stone walls. Changing fall leaves ... and the thing I just can't resist.... barns. Plus fresh cheese. I was however disappointed some of my pictures. I had invited a friend to join me for the day and was so distracted by our conversation that I didn't realize my camera was on the wrong setting for most of the day. Bummer.

All in all, I can't wait to get back to Appleton Farms again soon. I desperately want to hug one of those baby cows. Are baby cows friendly? I'm not sure. I am pretty sure I was the only person there who wasn't either getting their family picture taken ... or in a children's rain boot commercial. I ended up with some amazing cheese (cheddar and blue cheese) and some "happy cow" butter. I was tempted to put myself on the CSA waiting list... because it is 5 years long. I thought this was internet hyperbole but when I asked the lady working the Dairy Store she smiled and laughed. I wish I knew how long it took to get off the Red Sox wait list.

A small bonus? The close proximity of Ipswich to Plum Island facilitated a quick trip to the ocean. Plum Island seemed to be a combo for me of Humarock (in Scituate) with regards to island street configuration and houses .... and the Vineyard for the huge water views and beach.
The rest of the weekend was spent continuing to embrace Fall. I rented a movie for Saturday night that I was too tired to watch and I never took a run ... but that's fine. I checked out a whole other farm today and made a pretty sweet new style dessert. I'm not quite ready for it to be Monday but I do feel like I gave this weekend a run for its money.

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