New England

Remember when I went back east? Yeah, it was a while ago. Sometimes a roll of film takes its time ending, then throw in daylight savings and a few freelance projects on top of that . . . .

But it feels like the beginning of Western Mass fall here today, overcast and a little humid, with a chill just around the corner. So it's the perfect time for pumpkins:


What's that you say? More pumpkins?


And what's New England without apples? Well, it wouldn't be Iowa. This I know.


All these excellent East Coasty things are courtesy of Atkins Farms, the greatest produce market for 50 counties. (The name wasn't ironic when I was a kid, but it only takes one big ol' doctor and his hifalutin ideas to change that.)


Atkins Farms also makes the yummiest cider doughnuts ever, but there aren't any photos of those, because it took us about three seconds to eat them all up. Yay.

Here are a few of the folks in my gorgeous and brilliant family:


And, of course, we can't forget about the classy dame known as my mom, whose 60th birthday was the whole reason for this trip. The party photos turned out orange and blurry, unfortunately, but I do have this stunner on file from her glam days back in London:


You can't really argue with genes like that. I'll take 'em. Also the sweater with the feathers, if she still has it stashed away somewhere.