Candy Apple Picnic and Fall Leaf Showoff in Aspen, Colorado

Life is full of cycles of favorites.  Fall brings apples, which somehow brings desserts, and desserts always bring favorites.  Gosh, I'm all set.  I bake lots of apple goodness during the glorious, golden days of autumn (you know like here and here).  But today was spontaneous and unplanned SO I bought a box of candied apples as we headed off onto our annual fallish venture.  It was a  quick overnight trip to Aspen, Colorado.  Brandi and her boyfriend have a beautiful home up there that we cozied in at for the night before taking off for fall fun the next day.

The boys waking up with Aston puppy in Aspen

Early morning walk through the gold with our gracious host, Larry.

This is how incredible Aspen is.

 This mountainside is nature's giant billboard,

showing off God's best.

We just HAD to get up in this...

to run right underneath all of this gold...

to soak in every single bit of beauty!

Each year for our fall leaf touring tradition, we choose a different spot to explore.  

We've viewed the Grand Mesa, Telluride, and even our own backyard. 

Maroon Bells, in Aspen, Colorado, is the most photographed peaks in North America.  

This was the perfect spot for this year's leaf tour.

Here is beauty.  All unwrapped.

I wish so much that Chris could have joined us for this short venture

 but he was on a business trip, 

so it was just me and my boys!

We have the cutest (can I still call them that?) boys in this whole wide world.

 Our Colorado boys!

We stopped in downtown Aspen to buy our candy apple treats!  

Our tradition usually includes some sort of outdoor picnic in the colored forest.

If you're a longtime reader, you've seen that here before.  ;)

Then we set off on some trails to find the perfect spot to indulge in our apples.

We crunched over lots of leaves 

and gathered a lot of stick swords along the way

 until we found our picnic spot.

 

Oh yum.  

Pick one!

Literally digging in

This picture makes me smile big because I told Titus to take a bite for a picture

 and he does a gentle lick...

just as he does everything else in life, 

full of quiet peace.

Full

happy

tummies

SIGHHHH

And just like that, 

it was over and we were off,

ready to face the next adventure

or chore,

or deadline,

or whatever the days ahead have in store for us.

I am always left in awe of fall 

as the earth shows us one last exclamation mark

 before she sleeps for the winter.  

Thank you world for giving us beauty year after year after year.

 This little pine tree with yellow autumn leaves

embrace my two favorite times:

fall and Christmas,

two in one.

And it makes me smile to see my two loves combined.

I'm pretty sure this was a present 

just.for.me.

So thanks God!

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” 

-Jim Bishop

 It's a tradition!
Past fall picnics, adventures, and leaf tours:

- Making a moment with a majestic fall picnic

- Filling Baskets and Warming Hearts at the Apple Orchard

- A list of 12 memorable things to do in the FALL

- Sliced Apples and the Great Pumpkin

- Apples in the kitchen: a collection of recipes

- Color it Pretty leaf tour

- Pressed Leaf Garland and a Telluride fall vacation

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This post is linked to: Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty,  Made by You Monday, Met Monday, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, Works for Me Wednesday, Snap Creativity, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, Tablescape Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave, Foodie Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up, Six Sisters Saturday