Lesley's Life
Take A Foliage Ride down a Western MA country road with WESTERN MA REALTOR, Lesley Lambert
I love Western MA!
I have lived here my whole life and I love WESTERN MA and I find it to be beautiful all year long, but fall foliage season is something special that if you live outside of #westernma you might not understand.
So, take a foliage ride with me, a New England Fall Foliage ride:
Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Things to do in Western Massachusetts in October
October is my favorite month and a fabulous time to enjoy the beauty of Western Massachusetts!
When I am not busy showing houses, getting houses on the market and doing all things Western MA real estate, I love to get outside and enjoy October in Western Massachusetts.
With that in mind today’s TOP TEN TUESDAY list is the Top Ten Things to do in Western Massachusetts in October:
#1- Pumpkin patch picking. Western MA is rich with farms and agriculture and it seems there is a pumpkin patch around every corner this time of year. Put on your boots and jeans and head to your favorite farm to wander the field and find the perfect pumpkin.
#2- Take a bike ride. Western MA is home to several awesome rail trails which make for a wonderful time biking, walking or roller blading. Here in Westfield we have a gorgeous rail trail, the Columbia Greenway.
#3- Corn Mazes. There are a lot of great corn mazes in Western MA this time of year. Some are pretty straightforward while others create an entire theme with scavenger hunts included. My family and I make an annual trip to Mikes Maze in Sunderland, MA. This year’s theme is “The Dali-rama”.
#4- Seasonal goodies. Western MA is also home to a lot of great local bakeries. This time of year you can enjoy pumpkin and apple goodies in every shape and form. Delicious pies, muffins, cakes, soups, cider, flavored coffees… you name it! Don’t blame me if you put on weight!
#5- Apple picking. Another favorite family adventure is apple picking. There are a lot of great places to visit, but my favorite apple farms are in Granville, MA. Nothing beats a crisp apple fresh off the tree!
#6- Leaf peeping. Just a ride down your town’s main street will give you some beautiful autumn foliage, but if you are in the mood for a leaf peeping foliage drive, there are some amazing fall foliage rides in Western MA. If you can’t get out you can take a virtual foliage tour with MassVacation.
#7- Granville Harvest Fair. This is the quintessential small town harvest fair. Craft show, food vendors, building tours….all set in the bucolic Village of Granville, MA. Held Columbus Day Weekend.
#8- Hiking. October is my favorite time to hike. The crisp fall air invites exercise and the foliage views reward the work. My family and I especially love hiking at Mt. Tom in Holyoke, Noble View in Russell and Sugarloaf in South Deerfield. This list of ten great hikes in Western MA was published for the summer, but would be even better in the fall!
These next two are definitely more for the kids in your house, not my favorites, but I know the kids in the area love these!
#9- Fright Fest at Six Flags New England. Turning Halloween into a season instead of just a day.
#10- Hayrides and Haunted hayrides. I enjoy the former, not so much the latter, but the kids flock to these haunted hayrides. There are many in the area to enjoy.
I hope this list of Top Ten things to do in Western Massachusetts in October has inspired you to get outside and enjoy the beauty of this great area!
If you happen to drive by your dream home on a foliage ride or decide you need to buy a farm to raise pumpkins, be sure to think of me:
Lesley Lambert, WESTERN MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty.
“Why I Have The Best Mom” by my 9 year old daughter
My nine year old is in fourth grade and her teacher has her doing a lot of writing, which I think is great. This week she came home with a story titled, “Why I Have the Best Mom”.
Here is what she wrote, misspellings are left as she wrote it because I think it is precious:
I have the best mom because she is buitiful, kind, helps me every second of my life. She also loves me alot. She snuggles me every day at least 12 times. Sometimes she’s sill, but she can also be very strict or serious. My mom will help me with homework even if I don’t need it. Her smile always brightens my day. My mom loves animals almost as much as I do. She even let us keep Tate our grandma’s unwanted dog. We get to travel together for compititions or vacation. My mom is one of my dance teachers. She teaches me tap and musical theater, also some leaps and turns. My favorite thing that she teaches me my jazz solo. I think it’s cool that my mom and me love dance. In our free time we get sushi, watch movies, take walks and also work on the garden. I have the coolest mom ever.
Isn’t that the sweetest thing?
Steps for Pediatric Cancer – Pulled at my heartstrings and now I want your help
Last night Morriss and I had dinner at the Frontera Grill in Chicopee. When I got there I sat next to a friendly man who I chatted with for a few minutes. Morriss arrived a few minutes later filled with news of his son’s high school open house.
In the course of the evening, we ended up talking with the fellow next to me some more and he introduced himself as Ed Cayo and shared the story of his son, Nick. He shared with us that at the age of 11 Nick was diagnosed with a high-grade astrocytoma (malignant brain tumor). They did surgery and treatment and he lived until one day shy of his 13th birthday.
At this point I reached out and held this man. He may be a stranger, but he is a parent that lived through the worst thing that I can imagine. Sitting there with Morriss, who had just attended his 14 year old’s open house and myself the mother of a 9 and 12 year old, the emotions were high.
Ed went on to tell us the inspirational tale of what he and is wife created in the wake of their son’s death. This is from their website:
“Nick’s mom and dad, Michelle and Ed Cayo, knew they needed to make a difference for Nick and all the children with pediatric cancer. The creation of the Steps for Pediatric Cancer Walk is one step closer to bringing the much needed awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research to the forefront. Michelle and Ed made a promise to Nick to make a difference…and they never intend to break that promise.“
Morriss and I went on to learn that they had just days before held their first event with outstanding results. While I wish I had known about the event in time to attend, I knew as soon as I heard Ed’s story that I wanted to help in every way possible. All of the funds raised go to pediatric cancer research at the Jimmy Fund in Boston. I am making a personal donation, of course, but I wanted to take this one step further. I have a question for you:
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Can you make a donation of any size? Can your company become a sponsor? Can you share this on your social media channels to bring a higher awareness to Western MA?
I know you can do one of not all of those things and I am emploring you to step up and join me in supporting this. While I don’t know Ed any better than you can from one evening of conversation, I know he is a survivor and I am so impressed with the fact that he and his wife are turning their grief into a gift to the children.
DONATE HERE
