Dan’s mom Linda is the best at finding new places. And it runs in the family. This past Saturday night we had drinks with Dan’s aunt (his mom’s sister) and she reminisced about the drives she used to take with her mom. “We’d just get lost together”, she told us. Many days they would simply hop in the car, with no map (or gps, or phones) to guide them. It seemed as though no matter what road they turned down, somehow, they’d always be led back home. Their mom believed it to be magic.
It was one day in the peak of autumn foliage that Linda invited us to join her for a mid-day drive. We turned down roads that just looked pretty and stopped a few times to take photos of rolling hills and weathered barns. We eventually made our way to an orchard that Linda had heard of a few weeks prior. It was everything I hoped it would be. Two old farmers stood at tables sorting the harvested apples, and wooden baskets lined the shed filled with varietals of apples I had never heard of. The taste descriptions were so tantalizing that it was hard to choose one, but ultimately, Dan and I opted for a basket of the crimson crisps. We hopped back in the car, and I ripped open the bag, cleaning one of the ruby-skinned fruits on my jeans. I took a bite and was transformed forever. It might be the best apple I have ever tasted.
We made many more trips to the apple orchard, devoted to the crimson crisps until their harvest ended. There’s something incredibly satisfying about the simplicity of produce out here—moving with the seasons, buying what is available from the producers near us, and taking pleasure in the flavors and textures of what we procure.
I took this photo of the apples on my film camera on one of our last visits to the orchard before the season ended. I hope that you may enjoy the simplicity of a perfectly ripe fruit and the satisfaction it evokes.
A note that these sweatshirts will not be ready in time for holiday gifting, however, I do hope that you may treat yourself (or a loved one) to one, perhaps as a surprise gift. Anyways, I believe that random gifts are so much more fun, aren’t they? The Apple Sweatshirt will be available for pre-order until December 31st and will ship out in January.
As always, thank you for your continued support of my art. It means the world to me <3.