Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Autumn Boxes

I took this picture, because I liked the sight of an apple sitting atop a granite post. The fall season for me  is marked not by the colorful foliage around New England. It's bright and extends all over, and not by lines of buses, loaded with 'leaf peepers' heading to parts north and south. There are plenty too that pile off the cruise ships docked on Commercial Street and head out in all directions to view the colorful sights. No, for me autumn is and always has been the red, green or yellow fruit, in all its crisp, tart, tangy glory. In language, I enjoy the idiom. I do believe I was the 'apple of someone's eye', probably Mom's. She liked most everything, even wet dogs. And yes, I know this baffles you tremendously, but my 6th grade teacher, Sister Mary Joanne, who I had some serious issues with, once called me the 'rotten apple' in the class, after she claimed I was the lead  instigator of the infamous April Fool's Day caper in her classroom. I might plead the 5th on that one. 
Yes, the delicious fruit was what drew me to the photo.
However, now that I step back.
Mailboxes. My Dad delivered mail in Portland for over 35 years.
Newspaper slots below. I delivered the Portland Press Herald and the now defunct Portland Evening Express from age 11-17.
Was I thinking those things when I aimed my camera?
Perhaps in my subconscious. 
What's your favorite apple treat?
Mine is pie, pure and simple. 
Next question.

18 comments:

  1. You post is packed with lots of information and food for thought today! I've always thought that it would be a a good idea to use mailboxes as a theme, esp rural ones since so many are creative. Despite loving some of the aspects of the technological age, I really mourn the loss of letters and notes in snail mail. I stubbornly continue to use it for important occasions and messages but it is a losing battle. Wouldn't your Dad be amazed at email and its use?! Apples, oh how I love them. I have been making apple sauce for my grandkids over and over this year. Our freezers are filled with cartons of it. My very favorite apple is Honeycrisp, developed by the Univ of MN. And now they have developed another apple that will be an early harvest species, which will be available in 2018. It's supposed to be firmer and closer to Honeycrisp. It is now referred to as NM 55 (or 51, I forget) but will have a new name when one is selected; wish that they would let the public try their hand at coming up with a creative name. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy the Honeycrisp!!

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  2. yes, apple pie for me too! huh...the infamous april fool's day caper...i think we need to know more about this!

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  3. Growing up in Illinois, the area was surrounded with apple orchards and every fall one of the orchards opened up a shop and sold bushel baskets of apples and the most delicious apple cider I've ever tasted. I have not been able to find that same taste anywhere. It was by far my favorite apple treat. My mom's Apple pies were of course excellent but, they were so much better with a glass of apple cider.

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  4. we grew up on apple crisps. yum! i like apple pie, too. and apple sauce.

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  5. leaf peepers, that's a new one for me.

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  6. Stefan got there before I did. I'd probably be a leaf peeper because we don't get those red apple, golden apple and pumpkin coloured trees here.

    Apple crumble, apple pie (plain no ice cream, no caramel, no custard, no anything please), stewed apple, 'compote' (that would be your apple sauce I believe but not quite so runny), apple pie milkshake, apple hard cider, you name it I'm game.

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  7. There's a homemade apple pie on our kitchen counter, applesauce in the freezer, and fresh apples picked from our tree in the refrigerator. Plus more apples on the branch outside. Our tree produced a great crop this year.

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  8. My dad spent most of his working life up to retirement as a postman, but his routes were in town, so most of his day was spent on foot.

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  9. My Dad was on foot too, and he started on the largest island in Casco Bay,,, Peaks Isl. He was the first letter carrier out there.

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  10. Apple pie. Nothing else can compare.

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  11. Hot apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

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  12. Nice shot. I prefer raw apples.

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  13. That's pretty cool. Deliver fruit. way better than junk mail.

    My sixth grade teacher, Sister Mary Christopher, and I had no use for one another. Just keep a low profile.

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  14. It has to be apple pie. And not those wimpy ones with latticed pie crust on top. The full crust.

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  15. It was fun to hear about your dad the mail carrier on Peakes. I got a good laugh reading about you, the Rotten Apple. I think it sounds like an honor! I too love the apples of autumn. And, shhhhh, I've been driving around Midcoast being a leaf peeper & landscape peeper myself. Route 52, Camden to Belfast is one of my favorites for that.

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  16. PS I was one of the Rotten Apples in my 6th grade class as well...

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