"Ooooo Weeeee, Pig, Pig, Pig"

Had another cultural experience this weekend. Our mouths watering for fresh from the tree apples, the hubby and I took a drive to Ellijay, GA. The drive itself was beee-autiful. The trees were starting to turn so everywhere you looked brilliant reds, oranges and yellows popped. We made most of the trip on two lane state roads that wind through itty bitty towns with enormous views. The fall colors made the mountains just spectacular. And though it was a bit overcast, the crisp autumn air felt great - just enough for a jacket but not enough to shiver.

Turns out, October is the end of the apple picking season (mental note: pick apples in September for the best variety) and the orchard we chose was in the middle of an "apple festival" so it was - in a word - chaotic. But we still made it out of there with a 1/2 bushel of apples, but not one picked directly from a tree by our hands. The quality of the product was more important to me than the picking experience. Have I mentioned I'm an eater? Well, I am. We also walked away with apple butter, apple cider and a handful of memories.

notice there are more apples on the ground than on the trees...

While there we got to watch our first pig races! I didn't even know pig races existed, so watching them was a surprising treat. In honor of their hard work, we snacked on freshly fried BBQ pork skins. Gotta admit, I've been channeling my inner redneck ever since. Fried pork skin = good eatin'. But I digress... The races were emceed by a genuine good 'ol boy. I'm not sure if his schtick, full of "ooo wees" and plenty of "them theres", was for real or exaggerated for effect. Regardless, he was a trip. And as a take away, I'm now aware of exactly HOW to call a pig. Not sure that bit of knowledge will ever be employed, but regardless, it's in my arsenal.

Look at those piggies go...

After cheering on the swine we watched some less-than-enthusiastic clog dancers. Their performance was NOT even close to picture worthy. (Come on ladies, next time stomp it like you mean it). It almost seemed as if they were bothered by being there at all. Perhaps the second stage at the Hillcrest Orchards Apple Festival isn't the gig they had been training for all their lives... who knew? After we ate a turkey leg we high tailed it out of there. While the afternoon was much fun there are only so many tractors I can see and only so much manure I can smell before I start to twitch.