Written by Ransom in October 2025 for 7th grade English

The smell of fresh fruit arose through the air as I looked up at the trees full of apples and pears. My great grandparents live in a large house overlooking a forest and a beautiful lake. In their back yard they have a small orchard that has apples, pears, grapes, and Asian pears. I had a fun time there picking and eating fruit.

One part of this trip I remember especially well was throwing rotten fruit over the fence. Once I threw a pear as far as I could. It disappeared through the trees, and I heard a loud “thud”! I didn’t throw anything that far after that. I found this very fun as well as satisfying.

Another part I liked was picking grapes. The grapes grew on a sort of trellis that had a roof and walls. The grapes would hang down around you filling the air with their sweet aroma. When I went, most of the grapes were dead or dying, but some of them were still ripe. Bees buzzed around the grapes hungrily as we picked some. They tasted sweet but were a little squishy. The grapes added more fun and enjoyment to the trip.

I also remember picking figs. The tree itself was actually in the neighbor’s year, but some of the branches reached over the fence into my great grandparents’ property. Picking them was actually a fairly difficult task because the branches hung right over some bushes, so we had to reach for them. Most of the figs were not ripe yet, but there were a few that had turned purple. Putting the figs in the same bag as everything else was a big mistake. They were squishy; all the other fruits were hard. When we arrived at home, the figs (and the grapes) were mush. Overall, I don’t really think the figs were worth the trouble, but it was still fun.

Although neither the figs nor the grapes survived, and some of the biggest pears had wormholes in them, we still had an amazing time at my great grandparents’ house. Besides having fun, I also learned a lesson: hard and diligent work can be used to bless others and glorify God. Spending time with my family made this memory special to me. Even if I never go there again, I will always remember the sweet smell of fresh grapes and the shiny round fruit hanging around me.