Apple Picking Time Has Arrived In 2011 (Page Two)

...And Riley's Farm Is The place To Go!

It Is A Nice Day To Visit Riley's Apple Orchards

Page 1 - Arrival At Oak Glen And Lunch | Page 2 - Exploring Riley's Farm

A Quick Collage

Riley's Farm collage
Click for full size collage

Riley's Farm

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Riley's.... A great place to go

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
They are also ready to visit Riley's

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
A short drive up the dirt road to the packing shed (barn)

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Not really....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
It was a peaceful afternoon

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Time to stretch the legs...

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Oh dear... We are glad we bought some ahead of time

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Follow the rules

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Indian corn (Maize)

Did You Know? - Maize (Zea mays L. ssp. mays, pronounced /ˈmeɪz/; from Spanish: maíz after Taíno mahiz,) known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable or starch. The Olmec and Mayans cultivated it in numerous varieties throughout central and southern Mexico, cooked, ground or processed through nixtamalization.

Between 1700 and 1250 BCE, the crop spread through much of the Americas. The region developed a trade network based on surplus and varieties of maize crops. After European contact with the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, explorers and traders carried maize back to Europe and introduced it to other countries.

Maize spread to the rest of the world due to its ability to grow in diverse climates. Sugar-rich varieties called sweet corn are usually grown for human consumption, while field corn varieties are used for animal feed and as chemical feedstocks.

Maize is the most widely grown crop in the Americas with 332 million metric tons grown annually in the United States. Approximately 40% of the crop - 130 million tons - is used for corn ethanol.

Transgenic maize (Genetically Modified Corn) made up 85% of the maize planted in the United States in 2009. While some maize varieties grow to 12 metres (39 ft) tall, most commercially grown maize has been bred for a standardized height of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). Sweet corn is usually shorter than field corn varieties.

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
They have activities all summer

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011   Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011   Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
These little guys can be dangerous

Time To Walk Through The Grounds

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Shade trees provide relief from the hot sun

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Water tower of 150 years ago


Water towers come in all flavors and colors....

Did You Know? - A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system.

Pressurization occurs through the hydrostatic pressure of the elevation of water; for every 10.20 centimeters (4.016 in) of elevation, it produces 1 kilopascal (0.145 psi) of pressure. 30 m (98.43 ft) of elevation produces roughly 300 kPa (43.511 psi), which is enough pressure to operate and provide for most domestic water pressure and distribution system requirements.

A Walk In The Gardens (Orchards) Is Mandatory

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
We were a bit late this year...


"Smile.... I am watching you!"

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Sue finds the pumpkin patch....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Pumpkins everywhere


You can find any kind of pumpkin out here

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
The ox was in the corral

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
White and orange pumpkins were available

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Great sign but it was taking a nap right now

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
The past weekend saw many pumpkins leave for a new home

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Chief pumpkin picker at work....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Sue says... Stop stopping... Let's explore some more....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Look carefully and you will see a woodpecker


Almost did not make it

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Great colors.... Light brown, greens, dark brown, and blue.... Mother nature is amazing

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
She was going full blast up the road until Paul yelled stop.... "I can't keep up"

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Corn as high as a very small elephants eye

They Were Also Growing Flowers....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Marigolds everywhere

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Magnificent in the afternoon sun

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Look carefully....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
A Monarch butterfly

Did You Know? - The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer.

In Europe it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in).

(The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger.

The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
A closeup taken with the little point-and-shoot camera

Across The Valley

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Los Rios across the valley.... Also run by the Riley's

Did Someone Say Hayride???

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Hayride time

Did You Know? - A hayride, more commonly known as a hayrack ride, is a pleasure ride in an open truck, wagon or sleigh which has been decorated with hay or straw and similar farmlife paraphernalia. In modern times it is usually organized commercially and takes place at night.

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
"Onward great steed!"

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
The "steed" seems to be still and ignoring Paul's commands

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
We found Sarge's leash.....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
The little house is still there.....

Pioneer house in 2000
Same cabin in 2000 - The trees are much bigger now

Heading Back To The Barn

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Apples ready to be squeezed

Did You Know? - Apple cider (also called sweet cider or soft cider) is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. It may be opaque due to fine apple particles in suspension and may be tangier than conventional filtered apple juice, depending on the apples used.

This untreated cider is a seasonally produced drink of limited shelf-life that is typically available only in fall, although it is sometimes frozen for use throughout the year. It is traditionally served on the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays, sometimes heated and mulled.

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Old farm equipment had special purposes in their day

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Back at the barn (packing shed)

Did You Know? - A packing house is a facility where fruit is received and processed prior to distribution to market.

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
The goats say hello

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Time to head for home....

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
We will pick ours up at Ralphs... Because we had no grand kids to help carry them

We Stopped At Old Ranch For Taco Tuesday

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
A magnificent sunset on the patio .... James, Linda, Bunnaford, and Suzanne made for a delightful evening

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
The moon rises in the east

Apple picking at Oak Glen October 2011
Time to head for home and see the babies

Page 1 - Arrival At Oak Glen And Lunch | Page 2 - Exploring Riley's Farm