Enjoying the Gorgeous Fall around New York (Sep-Oct 2011)

There's a lot more to see and do on the East Coast than I originally thought... Don't know why. Probably living on the West Coast for 9 years, and falling in love with its natural beauty, I was just not that open to what's out there in the East Coast. The more we see, the more we realize how beautiful it is around here. Our first fall (which was 2010), was kind of focused on other priorities with being pregnant and then Derin's birth and all....but this year we made an effort to see different places to enjoy this fall season, that I am liking more than ever. For those who do not know me well, fall and winter are not my favorite seasons. I love spring and summer. I could live in a place where you feel warm and wear light clothes the whole time. I know I know, if you don't have winter, how do you appreciate spring and summer, right? It is true, yet I still would be perfectly fine in a climate, say, like the one in Hawai'i. But it's too far in Hawai'i, so it'll need to be somewhere else if it will ever happen. All that said, fall colors are so vibrant and the climate so agreeable during fall around here, that I'm starting to like it, actually. But not sure if I'll ever "warm up" to winter. Haha.

Anyway, we made an effort to enjoy the fall by going to different places, and Derin LOVED them all, as it was all new and exciting for his spongy little brain to absorb and learn all those things:

• We started the season off in end-Sep with a trip to the city, to attend a festival, then hung around at Bryant Park to enjoy the rest of the day. 
• Another weekend in October we went to a farm in New Jersey somewhere, to buy organic produce and see how things are as they were too preparing for the season. 
• And yet another weekend we went to a place called Peddler's Village in PA, about 2 hrs south of where are. Beautiful quaint little village, whose economy depends on visitors like us, coming from all over.
• We also went to the Bronx Zoo one weekend in October, where we enjoyed the foliage as much as the animals...but that will be another blog entry.

Enjoy some photos from these visits...



Derin by the pond at the Bryant Park

  

First carousel ride!

 

 



Derin and his friend Mehmet Kaan at Bryant Park

  

Peddler's Village...This is our FIRST photo where all three of us are standing on 2 feet :)




That pumpkin was very comfy




Derin and grandmom waiting in the Philly soft pretzel line. They eat it w/ mustard. That was new to me. Didn't like it (the mustard. Pretzel was just fine) 




Who's your mummy? Get it? :) (who cares?!)





Aww...




Derin has the same clothes...but this is the farm in New Jersey. Derin didn't want to get off that little wagon.




Can you tell he's enjoying the ride? We all need to do that.





This was the second cat Derin saw in his life. They liked each other.



Derin liked the apples a lot, but had to take him away when he started licking them. How do you explain to the customers that "it's ok, he does this all the time"? (yes, yes, we bought the ones he licked...or did we? who knows...)



The farm was next to this little creek. I sat with Derin Ege, and watched him get dirty for the first time in the rubble by the river bank.




Talking about firsts: Derin enjoyed his first attempt of throwing stones in the water. What I have in my hand is a nice, flat stone - which would otherwise be perfect for stone-slipping (is that what it's called?). But I will wait to teach him that later. I gave it to him to just throw in the water. He threw it, and it almost made it to the water. Proud mom! :)




Going back home with our shopping bags full of yummy fresh produce




This was his face the minute you stopped for a moment. Again, talking about firsts, I think this was the first week he learned that he can ask for things by crying. We're still working on that.