Our good friend, Jere (red sweater), brought us to our first “apple press.”

And up until now, I always thought apple juice came from a spigot in an apple tree’s trunk.

Our two children and their families from Missoula, Montana and Afton, Minnesota, along with their five net dogs, converged for a rare gathering in Lakeside, Montana. We enjoyed a week of fun and chaos, with our house being tipped upside down.

Now we are empty-nesters again, enjoying the clean, orderly house but missing the action.

This sport is not for the squeamish.

A series of answered questions from my 4-year old grandson on his way to the first day of preschool:

Favorite color: Orange
Favorite food: Oranges
Least favorite food: Bananas
Favorite movie: The Nut Job
Favorite book: Five Little Monkeys
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Horse Rider
If you had one wish, what would it be? To be a grizzly bear.

I can’t agree with him on the bananas and oranges, but who hasn’t dreamed of being a horse riding grizzly bear?