Responding to a spontaneous mutual desire to do a bit of seasonal motoring along the less-traveled byways of central Massachusetts, and to partake in some of the many delights of the autumn harvest, several people who may or may not have been members of AONE banded together for an outing on October 14th. In the morning, four small Italian-looking cars met up in a small town west of Worcester and headed out on a back-roads jaunt.

It was a brilliant, crystal-clear, chilly day, which didn’t prevent those of us who had droppable tops from doing so. We wound swiftly over the planned route, approaching our destination more rapidly than we’d expected, despite taking a few wrong turns. (Nothing wrong with getting lost when you’re having this much fun!) Hearing the fallen leaves crushing beneath our tires was like appreciating the grace notes in a musical symphony.

Our travels took us to the rustic Hyland Orchard, located in the open countryside near Sturbridge. Here, we were met by four more small Italian car owners (the cars being small, if not the owners). Why, there seemed to be some sort of festival going on! The fields beneath the apple trees were filling with cars, and people young and old were streaming toward a large pavilion to buy pumpkins and a beverage that resembled apple cider.

Everyone was having a grand time, and we eventually learned that the event was called an “Oktoberfest” or some such thing. We all tried some of the sparkly, amber beverage and were very pleased by it. There was music provided by a chamber group called the “Sober Statesmen” comprising musical scholars, which you could tell by their long hair and beards. (We heard other people refer to them as a “jam band”.) There were also hayrides for the kids and lots of solid German food to be had.

Well, our group had a most enjoyable and responsible time and vowed that we’d do it again, even if we have to be surreptitious about it in order to stay beneath the radar of the litigation establishment. Be on the lookout for more non-events like this in the future!

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	A stop to reconnoiter along the way
	Rural and not-so-rural sections of the route
	The guys in the newer cars were following the guy in the Giulietta, who led them into this cul-de-sac.
	The non-event organizer
	Alfas amongst the apple trees at the Hyland Orchard
	The Alfa table beneath the pavilion
	Long shadows as we prepare to leave

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