Picking Connecticut

Last October 14, some East Coast-based CAFAs headed for Middletown, Connecticut. Tong and Rita with Baby Arthur (son of Ariel) drove from their home in Rockland. Oni and Bili took the Metro North train at Grand Central. Nore and Didi were suppose to join but didn’t make it due to an appointment with the contractor renovating their apartment. 

The reason for the excursion? It’s fall in October and Romy invited the group to experience some apple picking activity in scenic Connecticut. Romy and Rory are temporarily based in Middletown to tend to Romy’s mom (Romy’s sister who did that work is currently on vacation). As we know, Rudy and Cindy are currently with Romy and Rory having driven together to the East Coast right after the CAFA’s Milwaukee reunion. 

It was only a day trip for the visitors but with all the planned activities, it felt more than that. The group started with lunch (kaldereta, veggies and strawberry cake with coffee later) at the New England house of Romy’s sister. The professional fare was of course compliments of the house chefs Cindy and Rory. 

From lunch, it was apple picking time at Middlefield, a nearby place with orchards. The gang enthusiastically ‘attacked’ the low-lying fruits even while the taller guys shared what they got from the higher branches. In a while, the plastic bags were getting ‘hay-vier and hay-vier’, so they say. From the orchard, the group headed for the village store that sold all kinds of organic rural produce. Tong found the premium “Honeycrest” apple that was not available for picking in the orchard and whereby he planned to pass it on to Ariel as those that he picked. 

Spent from the afternoon activity, dinner was a welcome event. Romy and Rory knew the appetite of the CAFAs especially after the dinners at Milwaukee’s public market. And so what else could the main dinner fare be? Lobsters, no doubt! New England lobsters that’s larger and supposedly better than anywhere else in the US! After the filling dinner and more interesting conversation, the group broke up late in the evening. The fact that Bili and Oni arrived home (Manhattan) past 12 in the evening, tired but satisfied, says it all for the camaraderie that went on in Connecticut.

See slide show for more photos.