Now I'm more than willing to drive the extra mile especially if it's for something special like a Honey crisp apple. I drove for about 40 minutes and I pulled into Ecker's Apple Farm which is a few miles west of Centerville, Wisconsin.
Now I could have gotten my Honey crisp apples a long ways before Centerville but a friend recommended this place as something different. There is a little house there where they sell apples, jam, and pie. Well you know that morning is as good a time as any to satisfy my sweet tooth and I have to order up a piece of that homemade apple pie.
A young gal brings my pie out to me and as I'm eating a little old lady comes out and starts talking to me. She asks where I'm from and I tell her La Crosse. She says, "you've come a long way for a Honey Crisp apple." I tell her that I sure did but heard that this was such a nice little place that I had to make the journey.
She goes on to tell me that as the pie maker, and she ought to know about pies because she and her pie making gang make 1,400 pies on average over the season, there are 4 McCintosh and 1 Honey crisp apple in each of the pies. She also tells me that the Honey crisp gives the pie the right moisture.
I'm soaking up all of this information and tell her that I'm going to bring my mother in law and wife back with me so she can sit down and give her recipe to them. Maybe not, I'm not sure having all those pies around the house would be a good idea. Anyway, it's been fun learning about her pies and eating a really great slice of pie. So what's the moral of this story as it has to do with confident kids. Simply this, be sure to always look to get a slice of the pie.
What I mean is get out, meet, and learn things from people. Most folks are more then happy to share their stories with you and really appreciate when you take a moment to listen to what they have to say. The nice lady that told me about her pies must have been close to 80 years old. Can you imagine a walking, talking history book. I'm planning to go back there and sit down with her and talk about pies and other things she knows about.
It's good to try new things and seek out learning opportunities. They're all around you. All you have to do is get up and get moving. Your world is filled with energy and great things to learn. Use your imagination and your motivation and make it happen.
Here's to you finding your own great stories, Fred Nicklaus
