a visit with auntie ando

My sister came to visit us last week and we had a great time while she was here. She has been looking for baby bedding for the nursery so we decided to go into the city (NYC) and see what we could find there. It was just her, Lyla and I which made getting on and off the subway with a pregnant lady, a baby and a stroller interesting. We didn't end up finding anything but we still had a good time. We had yummy pizza (NYC pizza is the best!) and Lyla even got to try some. I think she liked it. :-)
Here we are at the end of the day. Lyla did so well but was exhausted by the end.
On Saturday the weather was beautiful and the leaves are starting to change so we all thought it would be fun to drive up to Vermont and admire the beautiful trees. It was a nice leisurly day with no real agenda which was nice. On the way up we saw an apple orchard and stopped to pick a few apples. Lyla even found one just her size.
We also stopped at this maple syrup place that really was no more than a barn with a big machine in the middle. We got to try several different kinds of syrup that they make (they were pretty good) and we each bought a bottle. A few fun facts for you. The sap from the trees used to make the syrup is only harvested in the springtime and when it is drained from the trees it is the consistency of water. They boil the liquid down until all the water evaporates and thus, the syrup is made. In a season, they burn through 50 cords of wood. For those that don't know how much a cord is, it's about two big pickup truck loads which may not sound like much but that's a lot of wood. Aren't the colors in this picture beautiful? It really was a lovely day.
We found a place to hike and we went for a little walk to the peak of a mountain. You can sort of see the view behind us. It was starting to get chilly as the clouds rolled in but we still had a good time.