Our Super Date

My mom told me that shortly before my older brother Nate was born, she and Dad went away on a retreat together. So Tim and I were initially thinking of getting away during the next few weeks to celebrate our marriage before Daniel's arrival. But since sleep is becoming rather more unpredictable for me as the weeks progress, we thought that a big day out would be preferable.

So, last Saturday morning we began our adventure with a pancake breakfast and our family Bible reading in Romans. Then we packed up and headed for the apple orchards of Oak Glen (near Yucaipa).Riley's Farm had much more to offer than Tim and I had expected. We were delighted to see the farm hands all dressed in colonial outfits and speaking in colonial dialects. A man with a fife led a group around the farm, demonstrating a number of colonial activities (archery, tomahawk-throwing, candle-making, etc.). After watching these for a bit, we decided to hop on the hay bales pulled by a tractor to explore the rest of the farm.

Since the orchards weren't open for apple-picking this weekend, we decided to make our own apple cider on the old-fashioned cider press.

After gathering a bushel of apples, I washed them and placed them in the press that Tim was operating.Tim turned the handle to chop the apples, and then he cranked the next handle to squeeze out more than a gallon of cider! What amazing flavor!

While we sipped on our cider, we hiked up the hill to the pumpkin patch where we selected two brightly colored pumpkins for our Sunday small group meal.

Having worked up an appetite, we returned to the apple barn to enjoy a fabulous country meal while we watched a talented family perform country gospel music. Our toes were tapping the whole time!

On the drive home, Tim took a slight detour to show me the amazing architecture and complex set of passageways at the Old Mission Inn in Riverside.
To top off an already perfect day, we decided to visit one of our favorite locations: the spot where Tim proposed to me. We packed up some blankets and a small snack of Swiss cheese and Reeses pieces and headed off to the Arroyo Seco as the afternoon sun began its descent.

Then we headed home to enjoy a home-cooked meal and a movie. What a day to remember!