Barton Orchard Experience

farm house with green grass and flowers
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A smooth trip to Barton Orchard in Poughquag, NY—until the last 2 miles. A long, stop-and-go line of traffic behind an inspecting sheriff at a T-junction stalls our progress before our last turn.



Summer-esque heat white-knuckling the wheel



Paul lumbers more than walks. Like one of the Dwarves from the film “the Hobbit.” Mira recognizes him first.



Meeting our friends … a full bag of popcorn


An acoustic band plays from a gazebo. An electric band plays on a bandstand. Several country store buildings and “kitchens,” a playground, Dutch racetrack and “mining”: the place is more permanent country fair than Orchard.



Dusty path fifteen-dollar apple bags



We separate seconds after entering the first row. I end up with the Gs.

Bitter-sweet apple … somewhere, a boy up a tree



We reunite with the others. Chris imbibes stats on a football game. Later, while walking down another row, Kathleen vents about Paul’s ex. Their apples picked, all save for the Gs and Mira ride the haycart shuttle back to the “market.”



Morgan’s pumpkin … the tractor slow stop



The western sun in our eyes. The kids disappear in the playground. Chris and I talk and laugh before Millie arrives, empty-handed. Mira and the Gs return. Confiscating a picnic table, we sit, chat, check FB and photos.
By late afternoon, we all prepare to leave.



Frankie running with the G’s gift … cooling off



Daylight fading. We see the taillights stretch out of sight south of Newburg, almost to Suffern.



Nightfall grilling a sirloin by flashlight

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Frank J. Tassone

Frank J. Tassone lives in New York City's "back yard" with his wife and son. He fell in love with writing after he wrote his first short story at age 12 and his first poem in high school. He began writing haiku and haibun seriously in the 2000s. His haikai poetry has appeared in Failed Haiku, Cattails, Haibun Today, Contemporary Haibun Online, Contemporary Haibun, The Haiku Foundation and Haiku Society of America member anthologies. He is a contributing poet for the online literary journal Image Curve, and a performance poet with Rockland Poets. When he's not writing, Frank works as a special education high school teacher in the Bronx. When he's not working or writing, he enjoys time with his family, meditation, hiking, practicing tai chi and geeking out to Star Wars, Marvel Cinema and any other Sci-Fi/Fantasy film and TV worth seeing.

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