manzanitas.
A relatively new Halloran family tradition continued yesterday, as we went to Bishop Orchard in Garfield, WA for apple picking and cider making. This is our 4th year and it seems we have the cider making down to a science.
Apples were kind of scarce this year. Last October this region experienced unusual freezing temperatures, which killed many of the orchard’s trees. This also caused the trees that did survive to produce smaller than usual apples. However, we were able to take home a nice little selection to make some pies.
I’m not going to lie, this trip has traditionally been a very sad one for me. The first time we went was the weekend before my mom died – around the time she had started really going downhill. All I could think of each time we went was how horrible of a time that was for my family and I. But something about this time started to feel a little better. While undoubtedly it will still remind me of that week we lost my mom, I think now I can start turning the trip into something to remember her by. Matt’s parents were kind enough to take a little detour to visit her gravesite, which I think helped make the trip a little more cathartic also. I feel my mom in the Palouse, and I think little by little I will overcome focusing on the sad times around this time of year and focus on my mother’s memory.
