harvest fest

early thanksgiving tradition continues in the staple family, with everyone coming together for what we call harvest fest in early october. it is everything that thanksgiving is, plus the warmth of the early october sun. it's one of our favorite weekends of the year!

undaunted by early snow fences on the beach, ramona took her nana down to the state park for a walk in the sand.
the next day, ramona did some pants-less wading in a chilly lake michigan,
bird watching on the pier,
and rock climbing on the beach.

when everyone gathered together, a relatively painless and successful family photo occurred.

we celebrated life's abundant blessings by gathering around a well-prepared table,

and digging into 2 birds (a deep fried turkey and roasted orange-glazed goose. yum.), carved with care by the staple men.

after dinner, the beautiful cousins celebrated their fall birthdays. ramona got a piece of the action, too.