Pileated Woodpeckers can be found at Knox Farm
October 7, 2011 – Fall in Western New York means a lot of things… perfect weather, cider, bonfires, and football. So naturally we began both days with a short walk at Knox Farm State Park. At least we were able to look at the pretty foliage! Even if we did have to wait a little longer to go get cider. 
Fall colors were in full bloom.
It was soon cider time, and with much anticipation we trekked over to Mayer Brothers cider mill. We found a spot to park alongside the road and made our way inside. The store was crowded, the line snaking around to the back. We walked by the case of donuts on our way to pick up some cider when Louisa noticed they had apple cider donuts. We did an about-face and got in line to get donuts instead. Choices were plain glazed, powdered sugar, and cream-cheese frosted. Tony liked the cream cheese, while Louisa liked both the glazed and the powdered sugar varieties. We also tried the cider slushie; Tony said it was one of the best drinks ever – it did go particularly well with the donuts. 
October means pumpkins in New York... And just about everywhere else too.
Cider was enjoyed before apple picking at Brant Apple Farm, kind of like a reverse apple experience. It was late in the season, and the spring had been wet as well, but we managed to get half a bushel of assorted apple varieties. This was our first time picking apples, and we had a lot of fun. Of course, some great scenery helped, since it was Fall in apple/vineyard country! One tip – make sure you fill, but don’t overfill, your apple basket. And what would be a better ending to a great day than s’mores enjoyed around a fire?
Hopefully this Blue Jay is getting ready for winter.
So, what else did we get into this weekend? Sunday was football day! The Bills were in town, and we enjoyed some quality family time cheering on the team (read: yelling at the tv). Fortunately, both the Bills and the Steelers had victories, so it was a good football day. Afterward we celebrated (well, okay, we were going to go regardless of the football game) with fabulous pizza at Pasquale’s. We got there at 5, which was a bit after the football game ended; it was crowded but the wait was still short and we were soon seated. We got two pizzas, pepperoni and mushroom (always a classic – great cheese, sauce, crust and pepperoni) and pepperoni and hot peppers (for those among us who like food a bit zestier). The pizza is consistently good, with a hand-tossed crust, a generous helping of cheese and sauce (and the sauce is even well-seasoned), and good toppings.
These fall leaves were just beginning to turn.
Post-dinner treat was ice cream cones at Kone King. The special flavor today was pistachio; while Tony prefers a vanilla waffle cone, Louisa greatly enjoyed a pistachio and twist vanilla waffle cone. You can’t go wrong with any of the soft-serve flavors here, and the rotating flavors always offer something different from chocolate and vanilla.
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