Xmas Tree Chopping

Each year, we travel to Dudeck's Pine Country to cut down a Christmas tree. Now, it's not just a drive to Indiana, get the tree and drive home kind of a trek. It's a whole day of festivities. We coordinate the day with friends who go with us and we all bring hot beverages and desserts so after we finish the cutting, we can enjoy a little tailgate and the smell of the pine country.

Both Adler and Austen have gone every year since they've been born and Adler especially enjoys romping through the trees off-leash. The trees are so thick, we often can't see her and have to call her and then it's a game of her following our voices to find us - which she always does. This year, I think we scarred Austen at Halloween by taking him on a tractor that traveled through a haunted barn. Although, I didn't think it was that scary and he didn't even cry or act really scared when we were doing it, but since then he has refused to get on any tractor. Well, this would be okay except that the trees that we needed to chop down were way out in the pine country and we couldn't walk there. We needed to get on the tractor. After some pleading from us and whining from Austen, Tom just picked him up and put him on the tractor where he whimpered for a few minutes but after that was really interested in the scenery and the guy driving the tractor. When we reached the Frasier Firs, he proudly exclaimed, "That's not scary!"

Anyway, here are a few photos from our day at the tree farm.