From Our Deck The Water Looks Bluer In October
October on the Eastern Shore of Virginia is just the best month of the year, to me anyway. The clear blue skies and the Indian Summer warm days are so delightful, nearly perfect really. The leaves start to turn, but very slowly. My dogwoods and crepe myrtles are coloring up beautifully but the deep reds and oranges of hickory and oaks have yet to really start. Fall camellias are just starting to bloom, pansies are ready to plant, time to put collards and kale in the garden and buy a few mums for the porch steps to enjoy as I come and go. Sitting on the deck enjoying the views, for some reason the water just seems bluer to me in October. Fall here is long- sleeve- cotton- blouse weather, not yet time for a sweater or windbreaker, which is good because I hate toting that stuff around, putting them on, taking them off. ( Actually I’d rather be a little cold than lug a sweater around even in December. January is a different story. )
Colorful Fall Foliage In The Blue Ridge Mountains
And there’s always a lot going on in October both on the Eastern Shore and around Virginia. It’s almost time for our annual Blue Ridge mountain trip to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville, Virginia, home to Pink Lady, Fugi, Stayman Winesap, Yellow Delicious and Granny Smith apples— all favorites of our family. Time to put a couple bushels in the garage refrigerator for pies and Waldorf salads, etc. through the winter. Fall foliage will be at its peak up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a lovely sight indeed. And the 20 + wineries there will nearly all be having special tasting room treats. It’s an easy trip, just over a three hour drive from Virginia’s Eastern Shore to Charlottesville ( C-ville as the locals there call it ), through some beautiful scenery. Going to Carter Mountain for apples, apple cider and apple butter plus some side ventures for wine to Jefferson Vineyard and Barboursville Vineyard, both a part of the Monticello appellation ( www.monticellowinetrail.com ) is annual October tradition for my husband and I. Part of the “October is my favorite month” thing — good apples, good wines , good times.
October Is The Time To Plant Pansies And Mums On Virginia's Eastern Shore
Here on the Eastern Shore, the October foodie thing, the annual Harvest Festival has come and gone. ( In fact, I just finished a week of rice cakes and cottage cheese for lunch, thanks to over- indulgence at the Harvest Fest, especially on crabcakes and the always fantastic sweet potato pie.) The October birdie thing, the 18th annual Birding Festival has also come and gone. But the birds, especially the beautiful songbirds and large raptors, are still migrating through. Good luck guys and gals, it’s a long, long way to Central and South America. ( Ever wonder if birds say to themselves, in bird speak obviously, ” This migration thing is a severe pain in the tukus — let’s just say “No” next year and go to Miami instead !” ) The annual Chili and Chowder Cook-off held in Chincoteague, Virginia each year in October for the last eleven years has also come and gone. The chili and chowder part is great– I love chili, my husband loves clam chowder, so it’s a win-win event for us. But Treat or Treat is still to come. I’m looking forward pumpkin carving and walking around the “big block” in the little town of Cheriton with my grandkids on Halloween as they collect enough goodies to provide another year of job security for their dentist. And then, inevitably, October, my favorite month on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, will be over yet again.