Tag Archives: AppleJack Festival

September 23rd, 2018

After a hotel room picnic breakfast, it was time for swimsuits and the most invigorating morning swim ever. Mostly docking in the jacuzzi, there were a few adrenaline junkie excursions to the main and kiddie pools

Future deep marine explorer Eleanor doesn’t seem to mind

Out for the annul classic car show. On the hunt for Mustangs and before the defeating search for any non-deep-fried-dessert vegetarian food option.

Mom’s resourceful idea to source a few slices of Casey’s cheese pizza provided the foundation of the late lunch picnic

Desmond further testing heights, summits the playground dome eerily reminiscent of dad’s (and aunt Kellie’s) elementary school

Today, Eleanor appears to be pro-swing (it varies)

On the drive home, naps are had by all (but dad)

Cause what could be the proper end scene of a 20-hour road trip? A visit to Surfside for Aunt Megan’s birthday was (unexpectedly easy and) enjoyable

When your order for corn fritters is still waiting, you apparently practice tossing rocks towards the river

Des quickly finds the bounce house (cause that’s apparently permanent?)

Eleanor and Ol’ Monkey Butt

Des catching a peek at the evening’s special birthday treat

Waiting the requisite six full minutes before engaging in gravity-jarring, nausea-inducing fun of bouncing uncontrollably…

AppleJack Festival 2018

After a week of dad leaving ransom-note like daily clues, it was finally revealed that Team Llama would be heading to Nebraska City for the 50th annual AppleJack Festival. After a successfully on-time departure with some bagels for the car ride, 

The annual orchard pilgrimage to fetch a medium-sized bag of apples has also been a nice opportunity for a few family photos:

When Pa’s not around to pull the wagon, you gotta pull your share (of a near-empty wagon)

It’s important to understand that each subsequent photo of Eleanor consuming an apple are all different fruit at a ratio of one-to-three to those not-pictured partials starts

Des presenting his most recent “flower” find, mere seconds from the prior (and so forth)

A quick pitstop at the pumpkin patch

[Llama household, ca. Sept 18: near daily reading]
Thistle: “Have you checked the pumpkin patch?”
Duck & Goose: “The WHAT?!”

Undaunted by physical appearance, Eleanor would attempt a lunge for any pumpkin- regardless of weight

Little Ella on the Prairie

Ok, let’s pull together

As a recently confident high stepper, Eleanor immediately infers the gameplay of this part of the playground

“Hop!”

With an early check-in to the lodge, it was the perfect second-story window view for a picnic

Narrator: We now pause for a message from our sponsors-

Des gazes out upon the east orchard, or he’s the admiring the (clearly dead) bug still attached to the extended window sill. Who knows.

Des digs in to his share of the apple pie à la mode

Eleanor cocoons peacefully into the hammock

Explore explores his comfort of heights atop a large rope-spiderweb

And high up a cardinal perch

Plant trees…

…raise children

Eleanor Shreffler, intrepid walker of long distances

Dad’s “it’s cool, we’ll wing it” approach to pizza sourcing and resource management resulted in even a Pizza Hut carryout order pushing dinner timelines well beyond normal. Desmond has his first drive-through food experience to fuel the chips-and-guac requirements for a car DJ chip party, and before you knew it, the pizza was ready.

With the beyond-overtired little sister zonked out (rodeo’d down?) for the night, there was still time for a late-night swim

AppleJack Festival 2016

Unlike last year, Des spent most of this year on foot at the annual family visit to Nebraska City for the AppleJack Festival.

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Ok, maybe a quick break in the wagon with pa

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A boy and his sack of apple (just the one)

The grapes were pretty sour (and likely not meant for public consumption anyway), but that didn’t stop him from each a literal bunch

It was quite the hike, even with the nice weather, so he was pretty tuckered out by the end

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But nothing a quick lunch picnic won’t fix, he was quickly back to playground with his cousins

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Hot mess Des says, “no!”

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AppleJack Festival

This weekend we took our annual trip down to Nebraska City for the AppleJack Festival. It’s a tradition we’ve all come to enjoy- a day picking apples, picnicking in the park gazebo, and walking about the sizable classic car show.

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Upon receiving his first apple, Des mimicked Viv and just held it to his mouth. Curiosity soon got the best of him and he tried biting in. One taste of the juice and he was hooked.

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Mom has eaten an apple or two every day for the better part of her adult life. She can quick draw an apple in just about any situation. Formal attire included.

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Second generation apple fanatic.

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Goofing around with pa and Viv. Note that when he was thirsty, he wouldn’t give up his apple to drink. “I’ve got two hands, don’t I? I don’t see the problem here.”

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Des wearing our combined excitement and relief for deciding to pick apples first this year and beat the crowds a bit.

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After the epic picnic spread ma prepared, the cousins scurried off to the playground.

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(No pics of Des at car show. He napped and the Mustangs consisted of three ’67s and two Shelby clones. Yawn indeed.)