Daycation: November in New Jersey

November has become my favorite month. The weather turns decidedly cooler, the winds become a bit more blustery, and the leaves on the trees start to change color in full force. I’ve unpacked my coziest sweaters; I light all my candles when it starts to get dark around 4:30pm; and I revel in the comfort that making warm, filling meals and baked treats brings.

Oh, and it’s the month of Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday. (Shocker — my favorite day of the year is one revolving around food.)

The best part about November, though, has to be the skies. Yes, plural — I feel like November has two distinct skies. One is a crisp, clear blue upon which fluffy grey-and-white clouds lazily roll across the horizon. The other has dark clouds that angrily chase each other upon the wind, blotting out the sun while setting the autumn foliage on fire against their moody backdrop.

And, my favorite days are when the November sky starts out one way then abruptly morphs into the other, so you have the best of both worlds in about two hours’ time.

I find November skies and weather very elemental, which is incredibly inspirational for writing. I’m quite happy to be nestled up inside the Cottage for hours on end, scribbling away at a book review or a new recipe I want to try. I’m fueled by steaming cups of tea and the remnants of whatever treat I’ve recently cooked up, and, as far as the writer in me is concerned, it doesn’t get much better than this.

However, I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately. We writers tend to get lost in our own heads, so we sometimes need to be shaken out into the world to remind ourselves that it’s still there. Although I love the blogger lifestyle, it was becoming clear that I needed a bit of a break from it. So, I put a pause on all things blogging and writing for about 36 hours, and it was glorious.

I know 36 hours doesn’t seem like a very long time, but when you’re contemplating, writing, photographing, editing, and marketing content every day, for several hours a day, each day, 36 hours in which you don’t have to think about any of that seems like an unbelievably decadent amount of free time.

My first daycation adventure involved joining my mother for our annual pilgrimage to Lambert Castle, which is located in, of all places, Paterson, NJ. Even people who haven’t heard of most places in NJ have heard of Paterson; the small city unfortunately does not have the greatest reputation. However, it has many historic and lovely spots, such as the Great Falls, that you know about if you were raised in its vicinity, like I was. Lambert Castle is another such beautiful location.

The castle sits up high on a hill overlooking Paterson, and on a clear day you get a breathtaking view of the New York City skyline. I love walking the castle grounds and imagining what it must have looked like in 1892, when the castle was first built and there weren’t spaghetti bowls of twisting highways and LED-illuminated billboards marring the great swath of land between Paterson and the city.

That said, even with all the modern accents, it’s still pretty impressive to take in the castle’s surroundings.

While it was once a family home, Lambert Castle is now a museum. It was massively renovated in the early 2000s, and the inside is filled with beautiful artwork, sculptures, stained glass windows, and period-decorated rooms. Various events are held there throughout the year, and you can take museum tours, as well.

I was actually there this visit for their annual Holiday Boutique, which I highly recommend if you are looking for beautiful Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations, and holiday gifts. My mom and I have been going to the Boutique for at least 20 years, and it’s something we look forward to every year. My house is overflowing with autumn, Christmas, and winter decor that I’ve purchased at the Boutique over the years.

However, there is plenty to see on the castle grounds, which are free to the public for exploring. Many wedding parties go there for their wedding photos since it’s a “first come, first serve” basis for photographers, and I don’t think there’s a better time to take photos here than at the peak of autumn. Lots of families come up just to sit on the lawn and take in the surroundings. Despite the fact that there’s usually a lot of people — and wedding parties — it’s surprisingly quiet and peaceful.

The day I was there, the trees lining the road were exploding in all different colors as you approached the castle, and the white fountain really stood out against the foliage. I arrived at the Boutique before the doors opened, but I didn’t mind since it gave me some great photo opportunities. It was the perfect way to unwind after a long day; not much beats wandering through history and taking in the beauty of nature.

The rest of my relaxing Friday night was spent in a flurry of holiday cheer and decor, and purchasing unique gifts for family and friends that I know I won’t be able to find anywhere else. Although I’m not one of those people who starts decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, I do admit I enjoy anticipating the upcoming season.

The next day, Husband and I ventured into Chester, NJ with some friends. Chester is an adorable town filled with cute shops and cafes, and plenty of history, though we didn’t spend much time in the town after lunch at The Publick House.

Instead, we headed to Alstede Farms. We figured now that the “crazy season” (September/October) was over, we had a fighting chance at picking some apples without facing insane crowds. Plus, we had our friend’s three-year-old son with us, and we knew he would love seeing the animals at the farm and taking a hay wagon ride out to orchard.

And, we were right. We were treated to a gorgeous, if incredibly windy day at the farm and in the apple orchard. We filled our box with apples, from which I’ve already made an apple crumble and have great plans for other apple recipes before the month is up.

While the orchard was fun, I was incredibly taken by the remains of a crumbling house on the premises. Halloween had just passed, so perhaps spooky old buildings were on my mind, but I could not stop taking pictures of this house. Seeing this was probably the highlight of my day.

Of course, it has some historical significance. And, of course, in true CJ fashion, I didn’t bother to read the plaque near the ruins to find out whose house this was and what it’s still doing on the property. Husband did read it, and although he doesn’t remember the details, he did tell me that the house is part of a local restoration project.

While it’s nice to restore history to its former glory, the romantic writer in me is a little sad that the ruins won’t remain as they are. I love that you can see right into the heart of the home, which nature has wildly overtaken and claimed as its own. I can almost imagine how the house must have looked after it was just built, with all four walls in tact, and furniture and a family inside around the fireplace now clogged with weeds.

There was also an old well on the property, which gave me flashbacks to when I watched The Ring and that creepy girl crawled out of it. I snapped one photo and then ran away. Not taking any chances.

The hay wagon soon came to fetch us back to the main part of the farm, and we clambered on with our box of apples and headed back. Although I was taking a break from writing that weekend, my brain was already starting to churn with ideas for this blog post and related recipes during the car ride home. While it’s fun to get away, it’s also fun to dive back into writing feeling refreshed and reinvigorated!

What are your favorite ways to enjoy November? Would love to hear from you in the comments!

And, stay tuned for the recipe inspired by my apple-picking adventures: All Day Apple Butter!