Autumn Applefest

Although I have not blogged since school started, I have been thinking about blogging, and taking some pictures of our adventures.  It has been a gorgeous fall here in the Northland! 

The maples were brilliant.

The sumac was stunning.

And the roses were taking their final bows.

Last weekend, we were celebrating HubBub's birthday. It was a beautiful day, so we hit the road and headed for the Bayfield, Wisconsin Applefest.  It is an annual festival attended by some 50,000 folks.  For those of you who are not locals, Bayfield is located on a tiny peninsula which juts into Lake Superior. 

At one time, the climate of Bayfield was marketed as ideal for apple growing.  As it turns out, it is pretty good for apples, and there are a number of successful orchards that turn out an unbelievable number of apple based products for the festival.

We had apple brats.  HubBub loves him some bratwurst!

We had apple crisp, sans ice cream. (Neither of us can have ice cream anymore, so just imagine a lovely scoop of vanilla on top of this.)

We washed it down with apple cider.  HubBub had the Apple-Raspberry, but I recommend the Apple-Cherry.  Delish!

Lest those of you who know him worry about such things, HubBub was able to squeeze in the customary festival corn dog.

We spent some time enjoying the PowWow. This is a grass dancer.

This jingle dancer had beautiful beadwork on her collar, leggings and moccasins.  For those who don't know, the jingles are made from the tops of tobacco cans which are rolled into a cone shape. I thought the emcee did a very nice job of explaining the regalia and dances. I wish there would be more PowWow experiences at festivals like this.  I think they have the potential to develop a deeper understanding of the culture.

I got myself a new Stormy Kromer hat for the upcoming winter.

A huge crowd filled the street enjoying the band from the Big Top Chataqua. They played their own folksongs with a local theme, and they were fantastic!

The leaves were brilliant,

the harbor was beautiful,

and the orchards were busy. It was a fantastic festival this year!

We followed the shore on our way home. This is the pier at Cornucopia, WI.

HubBub used to camp here with his family when he was young. We saw a few people working to put their boats up for the coming winter.

The marina was was full,

and so were the grounds. 

We made the loop past the Siskiwit Falls on our way out of Cornucopia.

And as the sun begins to set over the big lake called Superior, we will close on our Bayfield adventure.  Sometimes people ask us why we put up with our harsh winters.  This is why.

Be grateful and see the beauty in each day!