Pelosi Team - Your source for local community events and real estate expertise. 
In this issue...
  • Welcome Fall!
  • Did You Know?
  • The Best Pumpkin Patches
  • Fun Halloween Activities
  • Wine of the Month
  • Recipe of the Month
  • Real Estate News
  • Fun Halloween Activities
 Welcome Fall!
autumn-foliage-road.jpg
Even though it has been extremely warm out (I'm melting), it is hard to ignore that fall is coming. All the fall decor is out in stores and Safeway has a huge display of Halloween Candy! The leaves are starting to change color and the football stadiums are packed with fans every Friday night.

I can't wait for the air to turn crisp so I can wear scarves and boots. Out in stores, it is a pumpkin spice explosion! Last night I saw pumpkin spice cheerios, pumpkin spice chocolates, Pumpkin Sprice English Muffins and Pumpkin Spice Coffee. I am getting so excited to see the pumpkin patches springing up all over the area! So fun!!

We are definitely going to go apple picking this year. Hopefully I can find time in the sports schedule.... :)
 Did you know?
businessman_lightbulb.jpg
Total Spending for Americans on Halloween in 2016 reached $8.4 Billion, with average consumer spending $82.93 on decorations, costumes and more.

The Top Adult Costume (18-34) for 2016 was Batman

The Top Adult Costume (35 and older) for 2016 was a Witch

Top Children's Costume for 2016 was Action/Superhero

Top Pet Costume for 2016 was a pumpkin

The Best Pumpkin Patches
baby_sleeping_on_pumpkin.jpg
Red Tricycle is always a great resource for places to take the kids for holiday fun. Halloween is no exception. They have a great list of the best pumpkin patches in the area. If you don't want to grow your own pumpkins (We have and it is super fun!), then I love to visit the Clayton Pumpkin Patch. They have great sweets, a cute little shop, a little train and a play area for the littlest kiddos! I highly recommend it and Red Tri agrees! Please see their list below:

Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch
Location: 1620 7th Ave., San Francisco, Ca. 415-753-2689.
Hours: Open daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Oct. 1-31.
Online:  clancystrees.com

Alameda Point Pumpkin Patch
Location: 2153 Ferry Point, Alameda, Ca. 510-705-2352
Hours: October 1-31, 10 a.m. -10 p.m. daily

Perry Family Farms
Location: 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, Ca. 510-791-0340.
Hours: October 1-31, Mon.-Fri., noon-7 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm
Location: 1060 Pine Ln., Clayton, Ca. 925-672-5198
Hours: Sept. 29: noon-5pm. Sept. 30- Halloween: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Playlands and trains operate 3 p.m.-dusk on weekdays and 9 a.m.-dusk on weekends.
Online:  cvpumpkinfarm.com

Smith Family Farm’s Pumpkin Patch
Location: 440 Sellers Ave., Brentwood, Ca. 1-925-625-5966
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 30 -Oct. 31

G&M Farms
Location: 487 East Airway Blvd, Livermore, Ca, 925-447-FARM
Hours: Oct. 1-31, Pumpkin Patch: Mon.-Fri., 2-6pm, Sat. & Sun., 10 am- 6pm, check website for varying maze hours
Online:  gmfarms.com

Lemos Farm
Location: 12320 San Mateo Rd. (Hwy 92), Half Moon Bay, Ca. 650-726-2342.
Hours: Open everyday Oct. 1-31 (closed on Monday, Oct. 2), 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Online:  lemosfarm.com

Wine of the Month
It's that time again. It is the BevMo 5 cent wine sale. Yay! This is a great opportunity to try new wines! With the weather cooling down (hopefully) It makes me feel like a nice glass of a full bodied red wine. Zinfandel is one of my favorite varietals, although after a long work week, they are all my favorites :)

I recently tried the Joel Gott Zinfandel and it was great. It's not too dry, like some red wines. It has just enough sweet flavors to make me want a second glass ;)
If you are looking for a good red wine to bring to Thanksgiving Dinner, this is it!

Recipe of the Month
The minute I saw this recipe, I could smell the cinnamon rolls! Fall is the perfect season for baking and these cinnamon roll bites are going to be first on my list of new recipes to try!
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Bites
Makes: 32 servings
Prep: 20 mins
Bake: 10 mins 350°F

Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 cup caramel apple dip
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple
  • 1 12.4 ounce package (8) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
  • 32 4-inch lollipop sticks or wooden pop sticks*
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 1 3/4-inch muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl combine caramel dip and apple. Spoon a rounded teaspoon caramel mixture into each muffin cup.
  3. Separate dough into 8 rolls (set icing aside). Cut rolls into quarters. Place one piece of dough on top of caramel mixture in each muffin cup. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 3 to 5 minutes. Use a table knife or thin metal spatula to remove from pan and place onto parchment paper (spoon any caramel left in pan over baked bites). Insert a lollipop stick into each bite. Drizzle with icing. Serve warm.
Real Estate News
house-fence.jpg
Clearing off your Countertops
No matter how often I clean, it always seems like there is clutter all over the countertops and table. The mail from the last few days, homework assignments, food wrappers, dirty dishes, etc. You know how quickly it all adds up...

I was reading articles on HGTV.com and I saw an article about making the best use of your storage space. I love reading fresh ideas on how to best organize my house!

Below are just a few of my favorites from the article:
Floating Shelves
Storage for odd items
Tiered Shelf for Mail
Check out the full article for more great ideas!

Fun Halloween Activities
halloween_abstract.jpg
There are lots of fun events going on in the East Bay to get people excited for Halloween. Below are just a few. Check it out!

Pirates of Emerson
9/30 – 10/31 Celebrate 26 “Years of Fear” at Pleasanton’s Alameda County Fairgrounds, and brave your way through horrifying haunts like the Hack Shack. The event doesn’t cater to scaredy-cats, so don’t bring the friend who can’t sit through a scary movie. piratesofemerson.com

G and M Garms
10/1 – 10/31 With a crazy corn maze and plentiful pumpkin patch, this Livermore farm offers a fun time for all—so fun, in fact, that it was featured twice on The Late Show with David Letterman. Bring the whole family, but leave any four-legged friends at home. gmfarms.com

Tarantula Walk
10/7 – 10/8 Wildlife experts will lead you on a three-mile Mount Diablo expedition to look for the creepy, crawly creatures. Make reservations as soon as possible—the hikes fill up fast. mdia.org

Free Movie Night
10/12 Get your scary movie fix during a showing of A Nightmare on Elm Street at the Orinda Theatre. If you can’t make this film, don’t worry—there’s a free movie every second Thursday of the month. lamorindatheatres.com

Zombie Brew Crawl
10/21 Don your best zombie attire, invade Downtown Martinez, and … sample beer! A cash prize will be given to the best individual and group zombie costumes. zombiebrewcrawl.com

If you have topics about our local East Bay scene that you would like to see covered in Beyond the Fence, please send me an email at janel@pelositeam.com and I'll do my best to include your suggestions. 
Janel Pelosi |  Pelosi Team | 925.408.8990 | janel@pelositeam.com