I love to bake...when the weather is cool...fughedaboudit when the weather is above 75*F, though!
The secret to good pastry for pies is simple: don't handle it any more than absolutely necessary.
When I make pie crust, I measure out all my dry ingredients and sift them together, then I add the fat (usually butter flavored Crisco shortening, but you can use lard, butter, whatever you like best).
Using a pastry blender, start cutting it into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse corn meal. Then add your icy cold water, just a tablespoon at a time, and moosh it together with your hands until you have it all hanging together in a ball.
Let it rest a bit, then roll it out.
Hope this helps!
If your pastry is gray...uh....you might want to wash your hands! ROTFLOL!