Miss Apple Festival 2012

 

We take our apple picking seriously:

 

A second worker is required at all times to stand and supervise. (Day-glo orange vest optional)

 

 Stealth tactics are encouraged...

 

 and "Be careful!!!"  is hollered repeatedly.  

 

We are this serious because we are all vying to win the Roger Ley Best Apple award.  Not long after we moved to Virginia, Dad came to a conference and brought Mary and Emily along (or the other way around).  On their way out of town, we made them stop for a round of apple picking and, for some unknown reason (perhaps the Ley DNA???),  things got slightly competitive.  At the end of the day, daughters and granddaughters had to admit that Grandpa Ley had picked the best apple.  It was the roundest, shiniest, deepest colored apple in the orchard and Dad was the champion. 

 

We don't make it apple picking every year, but driven by Beth's new obsession with juicing, we made time to go pick a few apples and the hunt was on ...

 

 

and the contestants for this year's Roger Ley Best Apple award are:

 

Contestant from the Great State of Colorado

Contestant from the Great State of Kansas

Contestant from the Great State of New Hampshire

Contestant from the Great State of Louisiana

 

and the winner is ????  Unfortunately, we're still counting the absentee ballots...

Here's our haul:

 

and a few weeks later, those pumpkins were all decked out like this

 

We might need a pumpkin contest next year :)