J Bar Ranch

I think I have procrastinated this post because I hate the pictures of me in it.  The first weekend in September, we loaded up early Saturday morning and drove to 3 separate pick your own farms in northern Maryland.  We got raspberries, blackberries, tomatoes, peaches, tomatillos and grapes.  I think the grapes were the most impressive, the peaches the least impressive.  So many peaches weren't good.  I don't like peaches from the east coast.  My USDA husband explains its because they don't irrigate like California so they can't control the water.  Anywho - it was HOTT!  And I didn't get ready that morning and now seeing these pictures I regret the lack of make up, better clothes, and make up.  Oh well.  

Autumn and I picking tomatoes.  We made salsa out of them.  Yummy.

Peaches - the sun was in their eyes.  SO many nasty stinkin peaches on the ground it smelled like a vinegar factory.

One of the cute baby who spent a lot of time in this car seat either in the car or stroller.

See how sweaty this poor girl is.  It got so hot that we started taking turns who would get out and who would stay in the car with the air conditioner.  But we had a great time nonetheless.  We also learned a few things about pick your owns.  Unless the items are unavailable in the store (grapes that taste like these ones) it is not really worth buying them, But it was fun.  Hopefully next year we'll have a better garden.

After all the picking we went to the J Bar Ranch rodeo.  It is mostly bull riding since that is what they raise at the ranch - bulls for other rodeos.  We ate hot dogs there.  We'd gotten there a little too early.

This is one of my favorite pictures ever.  On the way from the pick your owns to the rodeo Oliver, all on his own accord, put his hat down on his face and fell asleep.

Before the rodeo started that had people there helping little kids learn to rope.

About the time it should start they said, it's going to rain, but it will only last 30 minutes so we'll start late.  We ran back to our car because we were dumb and didn't take jackets for anyone.  Here we are waiting out the rain.

Finally, they started anyway.  Lance was eating and then asleep and was just two months old still, so I stayed in the car with him.  I was quite tired from teh day, hadn't had a chance to even check my email or anything, so I sat there in the car warm and dry, cuddling my sweet baby who had been ignored most of the day and used my iPhone.  I couldn't have been happier really.  I was about to decide I better go in because the rain wouldn't ever stop and we had paid for me, when here came Levin and the kids frozen and ready to go home.  So we did.  The old me would have felt jealous I'd missed out, but the new me, didn't feel sad at all.  I had needed the quiet time and I had loved it.

Levin said Autumn had worn his cowboy hat and just danced to the music the entire time.  Oh . .. . the music.  I just remembered how blaring it was and my headache.  Yes, yes, I am glad I stayed in the car with the baby.

I have a feeling we'll be going back next summer.