Selling Apples Landed in Halifax airport in the early afternoon, it was a crisp fall day, finally! Picked up the rental car, and headed out to the highway. It was hard not turning right and heading into Halifax. The kids lived there for three years, and we had many great visits. I still miss those summer days, drinking coffee on Spring Garden Road, and knocking back the occasional Propeller beer!

Heading up the highway, I figure out that I should be listening to some of those tunes I picked up at Fred's Records. Then the synapses connect, where's the backpack with my camera, laptop and CDs? Why I left it on the counter at the National agency at the airport!  A quick turnaround, only 24 klicks out of the way! And there it is, sitting right where I put it to sign the contract.

Finally, got into Truro, met my nephew Chet and hung out with my brother and his wife, Deb for the evening.  Had to get some rest, Bill always gets up early and has lots to do. Saturday finds me heading to the Truro Farmers' market to sell apples. My niece and her husband own the Vista Bella farm in Malagash (I love those east coast names) and have recently acquired an apple orchard just in time for the Fall harvest. My brother Bill helps them out by picking and selling apples in Truro, they also cover two other Farmers' markets and sell from the farm. This is a serious apple business, not just heading to the store and buying whatever is there. There are 42 varieties growing in the orchard, and it's like folks buying wine. They're talking about the scent, colour, size and crispness. Some are waiting for the Russets (I always thought those were potatoes!) and Bramleys, which are large English cooking apples.

It takes a bit, but things pick up and we start moving bags off the tables. Bill has concerns that we didn't sell enough and wants to make sure he sells more than the other two markets. He has a spot on the road, across from the hospital. He decides to head there for a few hours after the Farmers' market closes. He has a few deer hunters who buy 20 lb. bags of seconds to leave in the woods. I wonder what they're doing with them? Kathy and I head downtown, just to walk around. Kathy and her friend Barb had been there in 2007, but like many small towns, things seem to be on the downturn. A Late Fall

Saturday night in Truro, we're off to Roadside Willies for a Motown Review, some live music and dinner. The place is packed, and the music is great, we even make it through both sets and are up past 11 pm!

Sunday we head out for a road trip up to Malagash, just off of Tatamagouche Bay. It's a great drive, lots of Fall colours, the rain stops and we have a short visit with the farmers. Pretty tough slogging, being any kind of farmer these days, it's great to see young folks taking on that lifestyle. They don't get much time to visit with us, there's a steady stream of apple buyers coming up the driveway.

It's a quiet night, and Kathy and I head back to Halifax, we have an early flight back to BC. Time to get back to Spindrift Road, the cats and putting the garden away for the fall. I always know I'm ready to head back when I start hearing Michael Bublé singing Home.

Photos:
1. Bill getting the table ready for the opening rush...

2.  East Coast Fall colours.

http://www.roadsidewillies.ca/
http://www.trurofarmersmarket.com/index.php?r=SBCms/home.html
http://discovermalagash.com/
http://www.bramleyapples.co.uk/