This weekend was the first in about two months where I didn't go into the studio once. Unless you count that 30 seconds when I ran in for a pair of scissors, I stayed away all weekend.

No work; all play.

Fall is in full swing in the mountains. It's chilling off, the leaves are already a myriad of autumn hues, and festivals are abounding.

This weekend we took the opportunity to enjoy mountain life a bit. Saturday we headed off to the farmer's market and coffee shop - our usual Saturday routine - and then packed up for a little road trip.

About an hour from our house is the whole of Yadkin Valley, the wine-producing region of North Carolina. As a bit of a wine snob, I'm well aware of the cold shoulder NC wines usually get. But this trip wasn't for a pinot. This was a trip for hard cider.

We visited McRitchie Winery this spring (I'll never forget that crazy llama) and I now get their email newsletter. The latest newsletter announced the release of this year's hard ciders. David and I knew we had to go.

So, go we did. We drove over to McRitchie, enjoyed some great food, a live blue grass rendition of "Brick in the Wall" that completely changed how I look at that song, and watched Lily entertain the crowd with her self-proclaimed "smooth dance moves."

And then we walked away with a case of hard cider, pressed from fabulous local apples.

Life in the mountains.

But that wasn't all. After leaving McRitchie we drove about 20 minutes to the Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival, where Lily posed beside an 1100-pound pumpkin. Not quite as big as last year's, but still a giant.

It was a good weekend. A work-free, all-about-family weekend was just what I needed.

What did you do this weekend?