{Guest Post} Fall Favorites

I just love fall!  The changing leaves, the pumpkins, the hayrides, pumpkin beer, and of course, boots!

So today, Nicole, the blogger behind Treasure Tromp (and a dear friend of mine) is taking over my blog to talk about her favorite fall activities!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi there, Glossy Blonde readers! I'm Nicole, the girl behind the blog Treasure Tromp. I'm so excited to share this post with you all - a big thank you to the fabulous Niki for letting me take over her blog today!

I started my little blog as a way to document my attempts at finding life's hidden treasures ... and as a way to help distract myself from my PhD studies. When I'm not studying or working on research, I like to go out on hikes / camp around Southern California, attempt to garden, work on my photography, and make a mess in the kitchen.

Living in Southern California, Fall/Autumn is a bit of a myth. Sure the temperatures may dip a bit (it was 100 today - in October, which is a big improvement compared to summer temps) but we Southern Californians tend to miss out on a real Fall. Because let’s be honest – the prickly evergreens, Palm trees and cacti that surround me don’t exactly scream: let’s jump in a pile of leaves!

Since October has hit, I thought that I’d make a little list of Autumn activities that I can enjoy during the next couple of months.

Carving Pumpkins

I have never craved a pumpkin before. Nope, not once. Somehow I go to the pumpkin patch, spend an hour picking the perfect one and then forget about it.

See, I've gone to the patch twice in the last two years and I've done nothing with them. It is horrible, I know, but this year will be different. A pumpkin will be carved!

Pumpkin Beverages 

Confession: I don’t like Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I knoooow, I’m the only person, but I’m a firm believer that pumpkin doesn’t belong in coffee-type drinks – it belongs in beer. Which is why I’m so excited for all the different types of Fall seasonal beers that are hitting shelves! For those of you that are into pumpkin beers, make sure to try New Belgium’s Red Hoptober (6%), Blue Moon's Harvest Pumpkin Ale (5.7%), and Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale.

Leaf Art

As I mentioned before, we don't do a lot of leaf pile jumping out here in Los Angeles county. The leaves that do fall, however, are great for easy art projects! If you do a quick search online for 'leaf art' you get fancy results like this:

via

Are you kidding me? Yeah, I'm thinking that the image below is more my speed...:

via

Even that kind of leaf art will be a challenge for me (but a fun one).

Apple Picking

First of all, yum. Second, have you ever picked apples before? My grandmother has an apple orchard and I use to love going out and picking fresh apples when I was a little girl. Lucky for me there are a lot of great places to pick apples in the area, including the sweet town of Julian (one of the few places in southern CA that boasts four seasons). This cute little town is a must for me this Fall.

Visiting a Winery

Okay, yes I love wine, but during the Fall, I visit wineries to see the leaves in the vineyards change color.

Isn't it absolutely beautiful? Vines of red and white wines turn different colors come fall and are often planted next to each other, creating stunning compositions. Hint: the vineyards really come alive if viewed after a wine tasting.

So there you have it - this Southern Californian's dream of the perfect fall. Another big thank you to Niki. Feel free to come stop by my blog - I look forward to meeting you!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Nicole!  All of these activities sound like so much fun!  I am actually going pumpkin and apple picking on Saturday and I can't wait!  I just wish I could get out to wine country - the vineyard is so beautiful!

What is your favorite fall activity???