We spent half a day with grandson David before driving to pick up grandson Nathaniel in the evening. How blessed we are to have these young men in our lives!
David, John, and I drove to Carver’s Apple Orchard. We enjoyed the mostly golden leaves on the mountainsides. The restaurant on the premises was full! Here is a photo of the dining room, for those of you who may have forgotten what a full restaurant looks like.
It’s fun to have a picture of my dining companions, one of whom is always willing to pose.
[I don’t know how to make the above photo and words smaller.]
After eating, we walked through the market full of apples, cider, jams, honey, and vegetables. It was the first time we’d ever seen men grading apples. They quickly picked out some to go in bushel baskets, and the rest continued on the conveyor belt to a large bin on the left.
On the way home, John drove on a small road beside the Pigeon River. I listened to the sound of the water going over rocks as David went down the steep bank to walk beside the water.
David was helping a friend and didn’t go with us to pick up Nathaniel. They had their own reunion when we got back. John reminded us to do the mirror ceremony. (It’s a ritual that Nathaniel raises the mirror to a level where he can see his face. He moves it back down when he leaves.)
The next day Nathaniel concentrated on school projects while David was at work. Nate asked about building a fire as son John $pencer walked through the room. John joined the two of them as they burned the old wood from the deck. That activity was a perfect diversion from studying. What could be better for a pyromaniac than being outdoors and tending a fire?
Mehrling Muse 
Apples, bon fire and grandsons…perfect.
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Ahhhh, a perfect day. That image of the three men is priceless. It should be on a mug. Or at least always put a smile on your mug 😉
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They had a great time. When you texted, two of them were looking through church cookbooks, which sparked a lot of conversation.
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Very nice and cozy. Fall is great.
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Nathaniel is the one who loves cats. He would enjoy meeting you. His dad still has Pockets, the cat he grew up with.
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I think I would like him too.
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Yes, you would like Nathaniel.
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Will those apples going into the large bin be used to make cider? Do they make cider at the orchard? I love your photos – especially the one of David walking along the creek and the one of Nathaniel tending the fire (in dress shirt and tie).
I would guess that to make the photo and word smaller you might have to select a different block?. Not sure I really haven’t played with the editor much. I think it looks good – puts a lot of emphasis on that statement. 🙂
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That orchard does make cider, but I don’t know whether the rejects were headed for the press. That’s a good guess.
When I saw the photo of Nathaniel, I thought it looked like he was wearing a tie. That’s the rake handle. The funny thing is, he often wears suits, so the idea is not outlandish. He is the one who wrote a suit to classes every day in high school.
My niece sent me instructions about changing the block with photo and text. She had two solutions. I haven’t had time to look at them yet, but I remember she said I could use a block with two columns. It should be easy to manipulate each column separately. Thanks for suggesting a good fix. That was a good starting point.
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Two grandsons local! You are lucky (said by a person whose granddaughters are halfway across the country). We didn’t get to see ours this year as there were covid restrictions. Maybe next year hopefully.
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I hope you can see them soon.
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You are indeed lucky to have these two boys in your life. I forgot, are they brothers or cousins?
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David and Nathaniel are half brothers, having the same mother. They’ve always felt close to each other.
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That’s so special.
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💗
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Hi Anne, I was able to see my grandchildren yesterday. We had a lovely birthday celebration with hoagies and ice cream cake. I love your beautiful scenic photographs, colorful leaves, and the beautiful river. But…the hug…your photo touched my heart with happiness. Nothing surpasses love in this world. My day is blessed by your post. It fills me with hope for all of the world…the earth is still full of good people. Kathy
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Those fellows love each other and are not afraid to show it. Christians have the ultimate hope, and we need to share it.
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That is my hope and prayer each day.
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We are a very long way from eating in a group like that in a restaurant, but it was nice to see that somewhere it was still going on.
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I don’t know what the rules are in Tennessee, but people wore masks everywhere except when eating.
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I think it was the close seating that struck me.
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What a lovely family you have, Anne!
I notice that there’s no social distancing in the restaurant… Up here, our restaurants are closed (since the end of September; they’d been open before that since June) except for takeout or delivery. It’s because our Covid numbers are up by an average of 1,000 new cases in Quebec every day. Sad…
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People in the restaurant were careful. In our state, tables are further apart.
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Very nice post. Beautiful photos. Good dinning hall. Good grandsons. I am so happy.
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I am really envious about the way you bond together. You are so lucky and blessed. the pandemic changed all that here.
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We must remember to enjoy our freedom. My brother and his wife are dropping by to see us today. They are coming from the middle of the state to see the autumn leaves in the mountains. I’m surprised they are coming, because both have compromised immune systems. They declined our offer of a meal, so I think they will just sit on the porch with us for a while. I must remember not to touch them unless they say it’s okay. The pandemic has really affected our thinking, even if we are quite free to move about.
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That is so. I am glad you’ll be able to see them soon.
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I’m still thinking of your birthday and hoping it is a great one, despite the virus.
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Thanks Anne!
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How nice Nathaniel is there for a visit – it’d be wonderful if it was until after Thanksgiving, but I guess that is too good to be true. That is a wonderful picture of the two boys hugging and John looking on – how lucky you are to have them both there, under one roof and at the dining room table. The apple orchard visit looks fun. I’ve been to a local cider mill many years ago and we just got some apples and cider and donuts, but they did not have a room to view what was going on in the process.
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The men were sorting apples right in the market! We could have walked up and talked to them.
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I thought it was a special glassed in room and you could just look in at it.
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I should have walked closer, but it was time for us to get back home.
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That’s okay – I thought it was like a carwash where you can watch your car go through the process … we had a carwash like that and everyone watched from start to finish … not just the kids, the adults too!
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I’ve seen places that are set up like that.
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Well everyone gawks at their car like it’s the first time they ever went there – me included. 🙂 It went out of business a few years ago – people talked about it on social media for weeks in the Neighborhood Forum.
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I’m not sure if it is you to be luckier to have such amazing grandsons or if they are the luckiest ones to have you.
I m incline to the second one😍
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We have been so blessed to have these grandsons. We lived fairly close to them in New York, and they spent the first three summers with us after we moved to North Carolina. Right now David lives with us, and Nathaniel is at university only three hours away. Children are great, but grandchildren are fantastic. I’m not rushing you, because this is the time for you to enjoy your daughters. However, if they give you grandchildren, a whole new world will open for you.
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I think I know what you mean, I grew up with my grandparents who just died last year and my grandad I still miss him everyday. But I also see how different my mum is with my girls 😊
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