Every once and awhile the Hutterites will come and ask to pick them. If you have never seen this it is fun to watch. They spread a large plastic sheet covering the ground around the tree. Then one of the boys (theirs not mine) climb up the tree and shake the branches. Thus causing the apples to fall onto the plastic where the women will sort them out, take the leaves off the ones they want and place them into a bucket. When they are done the completely rake the ground and put all the other fallen apples into one of our garbage cans. Then they give us corn, tomatoes, potatoes for letting us pick the tree. What is there not to like...they take away the apples that haven't fallen, clean up the ones that have and reward us with fresh vegetables.
So today it was a nice sunny day and I wanted some pictures by the apple tree. We have never had them taken while in full bloom. I wanted the boys, the boys and I, the boys and Lyle and Lyle and I. Seems easy right? First we have a new digital camera which neither Lyle or I are very comfortable using yet. For work I have to change cell phones every two weeks so I sorta knew how to operate that one. The biggest challenge is that Cole wouldn't smile. Do you remember that age? Those teenage years....when they were younger I could say "dad has stinky feet" and they would smile, big natural smiles. Now Cole does this mouth closed semi-smirk and won't cooperate for anything. Then Lyle got tired of messing around and said enough and went inside. No pictures of the boys and Lyle or of Lyle and myself. I had some funny ones in mind too. And that is just where they remain. Here are the few I managed to get.
If they won't smile by themselves I'll manipulate the picture and do it myself. Cole is a cross between the Hunchback of Notre Dam and porky pig
Carter was the only one who would willingly cooperate
