You know how I said I wasn't really "a zoo person"?

Well, I'm not really "an aquarium person" either.

I mean...eh. I've generally always felt that there are things more exciting than glass walls with fish behind them. Like eating those fish with soy sauce on top, or looking at things that make noise, like movies.

Anyway, I'd like to retract that statement. I was not "an aquarium person" for the bulk of my lifetime, up until the point when I had a child and discovered that zoos and aquariums are basically prizes for parents. You get your children's arms into jackets that they clearly view as the visible manifestation of misery and confinement, pack up their diaper bags, maneuver them into their five-point harnesses (we've got three kids riding in one backseat at the moment, so the simple act of fitting together all those puzzle pieces is a pretty impressive feat in and of itself), wrestle them through the front doors of wherever you're going, pay your million-dollar entry fee, and:

I can't remember ever having been to the Bronx Zoo, which seems odd: I mean, it's literally a 15 minute-drive away from where we live. Maybe half an hour from where I grew up.

I think it's because I'm not really a "zoo" person - I think they're fun for about thirty seconds, after which I get dusty and start to feel sick from the whole monkey-smell thing, and the water is too expensive and plus: my feet hurt. (Zoos make my feet hurt instantly, in anticipation of the volume of walking that will have to be completed by the trip's end.)

Last year, our apple picking excursion was just us three.

This year, we decided to make it a party.

We headed to Dr. Davie's Farm Stand in Congers, N.Y. with a whole bunch of friends, and spent the afternoon using those big wooden things that I've never seen before in my life (because I grew up in New York City where where such things aren't particularly useful) to pull apples off of the very highest branches. I have to say, I still love Warwick's orchards - they're huge, and right next to them are things like wine tasting places and petting zoos - but for a quick day trip to get pie-making supplies and hang out in the sun with friends, this was perfect.