Fall. Perfect.

There's nothing like a perfect fall weekend in New England.

Main Street, Concord, MA

While the idea of "perfect" is subject to individual taste, this weekend's weather probably comes close to what most people here love about living in New England. The warm sun, cool shade, changing leaves - such vibrant yellows this season! What makes it perfect, in my opinion, is that it is also the weekend.

This is the type of weekend that gets me out of the house. The temp never quite got to 70 but it didn't need to, the sun was shining - beckoning almost - and who can resist that?

At some point when we weren't looking, apple picking became the "in" thing to do on a fall weekend. You're outside on a beautiful, fall day getting fresh air, hopefully enjoying good company and walking away with a basket full of apples that you picked yourself (which, let's face it, will most likely go to waste. Who needs that many apples??) For those of us participating in this activity it will be the closest thing to farming we will ever do. I know because I have been apple picking and enjoyed it. But unless you have children with you, I don't see the point of doing it again. These places all have shops that will sell you bags of pre-picked apples along with amazing and fresh cider, pies, and other goodies. Now, that I can handle.

But who am I kidding? I'm there for the apple cider donuts. I love donuts but these are on a plane all by themselves. They are freshly baked - sometimes even still warm. If you've never had one, drop everything and head to an orchard now. Seriously.

 A fresh bag of both plain and sugar/cinnamon donuts

Honey Pot Hill in Stowe, MA, is our orchard of choice but I have never met a fresh apple cider donut (not to be confused with the ones in the supermarket) that I didn't love. Honey Pot is about 45 minutes or so west of Boston and a popular spot judging by the crowds that were there yesterday.

 Parking lot

While we usually stay and visit with the animals on the property and look at the pumpkins, this weekend's crowds kind of scared us away. The usual 5 minute pop in to the store turned into 30 minutes in line at their new outside bakery windows. My friend and I were puzzled by this but since we had come all that way we were not leaving without the donuts! We both agreed, though, that it was nice to see a local business do so well.

Since we were in the neighborhood and were practically driving right by, we stopped in at the quintessential New England town of Concord. Concord is about 30 minutes west-ish of Boston and is steeped in Massachusetts history. Today, it has a lovely main street shopping area that you can stroll. Not enough to fill an entire day, but there is plenty around, like Minute Man National Park and Walden Pond, to round out a trip.

I love bookstores (and happen to be writing this in one now) and Concord has two lovely shops. The Concord Bookshop, a very relaxed shop with both new books and remainders (not used, but cheap and fun to browse all the same!). They have a nice selection of calendars and notebooks as well and participate in the community with lots of author events. Right around the corner is The Barrow Book Store, a used bookstore featuring local authors and a nice cozy couch for reading - always a great touch!

Now here we are on Sunday, another picturesque fall day almost behind us. I feel refreshed, like I was fully able to leave my weekday life and forget all of its stressors even if just for a little while. I'm finishing up my weekend writing in one of my favorite bookshops - Bestsellers Café in Medford Center. It is a small shop but it is bright and pleasant, the view of the Mystic River from the café is relaxing and the staff are super friendly. Much more personal than Starbucks (which, for the record, I don't half mind). If you are ever in the neighborhood, please stop by and show your support for this great local business!

I almost feel ready for Monday. Almost.

Next stop, San Diego, California. La Jolla Cove HERE I COME!!!