Apple Heaven

Allow me to introduce you to two best friends: Cynthia Henderson and Candida Hernandez of Wenatchee, Washington (born and raised). They are twenty-year-old best friends and have known each other since they were one year old. They even share the same birthday: January 1, 2000. Cynthia is tall, slender, and African-American. Candida is short, slender, and Mexican-American. One of their favorite pastimes is picking apples. They always lived in the apple picking capital of the world: Wenatchee, Washington, located in Chelan County. They go apple picking together every Sunday morning. During the week (with Wednesdays off) and Saturdays, they work as booksellers at the local bookstore: Ye Olde Bookshoppe.

They usually pick apples at nearby Stutzman Ranch, but the ranch closed the end of September. Cynthia and Candida were disappointed, but they came up with another idea. It was only 6 am Monday, October 5, 2020. They did was pick up the Freecycle newspaper and searched for apple orchards to pick apples and put a free ad in the Freecycle paper for apple picking. All was left for them to do was wait.

Three days later (Thursday, October 8th), someone responded to their ad. A young family offered to allow them to pick apples for free from their orchard in exchange for dishes to share made from the apples they picked—for example, apple pie and apple sauce. Candida responded to the ad by calling the phone number in the ad. The mother answered the phone. Candida and the mother who's name was Ann Donovan came up with a day and time convenient for everyone: Sunday, October 11th, at 6:00 am. After Candida finished talking with Ann on the phone, she and Cynthia screamed for joy. Cooking is another favorite pastime Cynthia and Candida share. Sunday could not come soon enough.

Friday and Saturday came and went, and before Cynthia and Candida knew it, Sunday morning arrived. They were up and ready to go by 4 am. Before going on a short bus ride to the nearby Donovan family apple orchard, they had breakfast: apple pancakes. After eating breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, they went to the nearby bus stop to take them to the Donovan family orchard, which was only five miles from their apartment. The bus arrived in only five minutes. They used their $30 per month bus cards to pay the $1.00 bus fare.

After arriving near the Donovan family orchard, they exited the bus. They walked one mile to the orchard. It was an easy walk since the temperature was only 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The Donovan family was there to welcome Cynthia and Candida to their orchard. There was George Donovan (30), Ann Donovan (32), Alice Donovan (6), and Geoffrey Donovan (3). The Donovans were a kind, generous family of Irish descent. Ann's maiden name was Walsh, who is also Irish. Their children were sixth-generation Americans, yet the entire family was fluent in Gaelic and English. George exclaimed, "Welcome! Let the apple picking begin!"

The Donovans provided Cynthia and Candida, each with a small red radio flyer wagon, to pick as many apples as they wanted. Braeburn apples were the specialty crop of the Donovans.

These apples are great for cooking, baking, and making applesauce. The flesh is sweet, and the skin is light red with yellow or green streaks. Cynthia and Candida had a ball! They even climbed the ladders to pick the ripe apples high in the trees. With ten acres to explore, they did not want the apple picking to end, especially when it was cool and sunny outside with almost no breeze. The Donovans also had ten people (five men and five women who were legal immigrants from Guatemala), helping them care for their orchards. They were not at the orchard because they have weekends and major holidays off. Cynthia and Candida picked apples for four hours straight with short breaks for water...from 6 am to 10 am.

After the apple picking was over, the Donovans invited them to their house to join them for brunch. The main dish was apple cinnamon pork chops. Side dishes were mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots, steamed broccoli, and fresh strawberries. Everyone had whole milk and water to drink. Alice and Geoffrey adored Cynthia and Candida, and the feeling was mutual. There were lively conversations about different varieties of apples and Donovans trips to Ireland. After brunch, Cynthia and Candida helped Ann clean the kitchen. Alice and Geoffrey played with their Legos with Cynthia and Candida. All four of them built a pretend apple orchard. Ann and George joined them by making tractors out of Legos. After playing with the Legos for four hours, it was time for Cynthia and Candida to go back home. It was 6 pm. George gave Cynthia and Candida cloth bags for their apples (ten pounds each) and gave them a ride home in his truck. He made sure that they were safe in their apartment before driving off.

Cynthia and Candida are now best friends with the Donovans. They visit the Donovans every Sunday and pick apples. Cynthia and Donovan make all types of dishes for the Donovans that contain apples: apple pie, apple strudel, apple brownies, apple briskets, apple sauce, candy apples, etc. share their dishes with the Donovans. The Donovans visit Cynthia and Candida at their apartment, and they bring their Braeburn apples. Cynthia and Candida now have an extensive Lego collection, and all of them build whatever they can imagine with the Legos. Apples brought them together. Sharing apple dishes cemented their friendship.

Because of Indigenous Peoples' Day (Monday, October 12th), Cynthia and Candida had the day off from work. They invited the Donovans to join them for a trip to the Wenatchee National Forest. The Donovans picked them up at their apartment at 6 am in their minivan. It was a forty-five-minute drive to Wenatchee National Forest. Once they arrived, Alice and Geoffrey skipped rocks in a nearby lake. Their parents, Ann and George, along with Cynthia and Candida, joined them. Everyone skipped rocks for an hour. Afterward, they had a picnic lunch at a picnic table—Apple brisket with roasted vegetables, fresh apple slices, apple juice, and apple pie for dessert. After lunch, they cleaned up around the picnic area, put their belongings in the minivan, and went for a walk along the forest trails. After a four hour walk along the trails, they went into the minivan. The Donovans took Cynthia and Candida back to their apartment. When the Donovans arrived home, it was 8 pm. Alice and Geoffrey went to bed, so they will be rested for homeschooling in the morning. Ann and George went to bed to help their workers harvest Braeburn apples in the morning and homeschool Alice and Geoffrey. Everyone sees each other every Sunday. It's a tradition that will last a really long time.