It Takes A Village For Thanksgiving Blackberry Pie

 What a wonderful day amongst the star thistles and blackberry vines. A slightly cool breeze brought the smell of pine to our noses and dragonflies darted above our heads. A semi impromptu day for blackberry picking at the family ranch included Ryan and Sadie and their two babies, Papa Vic and Grandma Debbie and myself. Our goal, to pick enough berries for a pie to serve this Thanksgiving. We were somewhat late in the season for picking and a lot of the berries were dried up but a nice little section along the creek seemed like it would yield enough. Ry Daddy and Shasta didn't waste any time getting started.

 Sadie and Sierra started working fast to try and catch up with the master picker Ry Daddy and his helper. "Don't pick the red ones," mommy told Sierra. "Pick the black ones and put them in your bag." Sierra made quite a fancy picker all decked out in her pink cowgirl boots and the newly acquired beaded jewelry from cousin Madison. Sadie had to work double time though as Sierra was inclined to eat the berries rather than put them in the bag.

 Grandma Debbie and Papa Vic arrived a short time later and while G'ma Debbie jumped right in and started picking, Papa Vic felt he was better suited to drink beer and crack jokes. Sierra made a few choice decisions of her own. She donned a lovely pink flower headband and shed the cumbersome blue jeans. Nothing like a nice pine breeze on the booty to cool yourself off. Blackberry picking can be a hot job and after Sierra was au naturale it did make me yearn for my bare butt days as a kid at the ranch. However, tall grass did pose a bit of a problem for Sierra a little later in the day.

Ryan cut a small, personal clump of berries for Grandma to pick free from the strangling, sharp vines.

Sierra tries to help sister Shasta on with her boots.

Ouch!! Tall Grass!

 Ry Daddy and Papa Vic strolled through the meadow checking out the pear trees and apple trees. I could hear them talking and laughing on the other side of the huge bramble I was picking from. I couldn't hear what they were saying but it sure warmed my heart to hear their happy voices. They discovered an apple tree set back deep in the thicket. Papa didn't really have an idea what kind of apple tree it was and Ryan, minus his ladder, was determined to sample one. "Sierra, I'm going to lift you way up high and I want you to grab one of the branches with an apple on it," Ryan said. Sierra was more than willing. She reached as high as she could but couldn't quite get the branch. I think it goes without saying that wasn't one of her more lady like moments. But she gets an A for effort. Ryan was undeterred and with some crashing and thrashing through the blackberry bushes he managed to grab a branch. The small, slightly blush colored apple we sampled was sweet and tart with a very tough outer skin. The mouth did pucker just a bit. We still aren't certain what variety these apples are but we all agreed we needed to clear away the brush and give this little tree room to grow and produce.

Diana picks the "mother" berry of the day

The spoils (tended to by Sierra)

At the end of the picking we relaxed a bit with some beer and easy conversation. Sierra charmed us as she tried to strike a pose like Grandma Debbie. Before long the conversation moved to the topic of PG&E and all the work they are doing to widen and partially gravel the road leading back to the once location of Irene's cabin. Some "trail" users toppled the old structure and PG&E actually hauled all the old wood and insulation out of there. However, Grandma Debbie said that a certain Gordon Ainsley from Friends of the Trails had been complaining to his club members and PG&E about how the work being done was ruining the "trail" and turning it into a road. He also said PG&E had leveled the cabin in order to haul it off. We aren't quite sure why Mr. Ainsley thinks he has a "say" about what happens on property he doesn't own, but I guess we need to educate him that the cabin was destroyed by people using the "trails" long before PG&E talked to Papa and Debbie about the work they needed to do leading to the ditch. Additionally, Mr. Ainsley is far from knowledgeable about the history of the "trail" leading to Irene's cabin since it has always been a road and not a trail. This is the same man that tried to unmark trees PG&E had marked for cutting on the ranch along the ditch. PG&E has an easement and the right to cut trees that are a threat to the ditch structure. Mr. Ainsley, mind your own business! We decided Gordon Ainsley is an ass and Papa said we should have a Gordon Ainsley Day to highlight certain people's stupidity. Ryan suggested it should coincide with Pioneer Day and we should enter a Gordon Ainsley float which would be a giant turd pulled by a PG&E truck with all the family in the cab.