Tri-Town Winter Carnival Parade

Counties in New York State are divided into towns, which some other states call townships. The three adjacent towns of Brasher, Lawrence and Stockholm are so rural that they pool their resources for many things, including their annual Winter Carnival. This fire truck was from West Stockholm, a tiny, picturesque hamlet in the town of Stockholm:

The Foreign Legion Post of Winthrop, another hamlet in the town of Stockholm:

Helena is a hamlet in the town of Brasher. The parade was happening in Brasher Falls, also in the town of Brasher:

This year's Winter Carnival theme was "Olde Tyme Carnivale" and these revelers created a float which included popcorn and the games of "Hole In One" and "Ring Toss." I noticed a lot of crowns and fur-trimmed red robes, so these people must have been the King, Queen and other dignitaries:

The hamlets of Brasher Falls and Winthrop are adjacent but in two different towns. They pool their resources for many things, including a fire department:

I guess it's never too early to promote the Tri-Town Summer Festival, a much bigger event because of the much better weather:

The Tri-Town Volunteer Rescue Squad is headquartered in Brasher Falls, also the site of the regional school:

A fortune teller, in keeping with the theme of "Olde Tyme Carnivale:"

Lawrenceville is a particularly tiny hamlet in the town of Lawrence, but they have their own fire department:

Lots of costumes in keeping with theme, and riding on a truck belonging to a local business, Rick's Auto Body:

Hopkinton is a fourth town and not officially part of the Tri-Town pact, but they always support each other's events. Fort Jackson is a tiny, woodsy hamlet in the town of Hopkinton:

The local kids' hockey team, The Timberwolves (one word):

Another fire truck from the combined Brasher-Winthrop Fire Department. This was an even smaller parade than usual, but a heartwarming reminder of friendlier times, when neighbors came out to support each other and wave as their friends and children passed by in the parade. It was all over in about 15 minutes, but in north country winter weather, that was OK with me:

Dogs And Cats And Guinea Pigs

All four cats love the big cat tree at the top of the stairs. It is just outside my bedroom door and they usually wait there for me to emerge. I try to always pet them as I go by:

Little Caspar is plenty playful and loves his belly rubbed:

Seamus, Fergus and Bugsy often hang out together on the yoga mat closest to my computer chair:

And sometimes Daphne joins them:

Both Fergus and Seamus had grown so much hair that their faces were barely discernible. After Fergus bumped into my leg a couple times, I gave his face a haircut:

Seamus got one too, exposing his intelligent, loving face:

I was on my way to bed, accompanied by the dogs, when I snapped his photo. Seamus and Bugsy were still on the stairs at the time:

Each morning I have to sweep the floors and tumble the fleecy dog beds in the dryer. Caspar has learned that he can get a heated, vibrating massage by lying on the dryer while it's running:

Eek! There are ghosts in my kitchen! This blue dog bed was moving mysteriously across the floor:

But of course it was only Caspar, acting silly:

Bugsy, Sammy and Caspar at the community cat food dispenser (up where the dogs can't reach it):

Ruby and Meghan, along with the house plants and fish, are the reason the cats can't come into my bedroom. Both guinea pigs are healthy and happy. Meghan has lost weight and her excess thirst, so I think her diabetes was nipped in the bud:

Little Snow Horses

Blue and Remy hang out with their much bigger cow friends, even sleeping outdoors with them most nights even though they could sleep in the barn:

Blue is not afraid of the cows at the bale feeder:

And neither is Remy:

Both little guys do come into the barn sometimes, though, and I make sure to give them lots of attention when they are in there:

One day I found Remy, standing still and surrounded by ice and cold water. I recognized his panting as a sign of stress, so I walked to him, took him by the halter and led him back to the barn via the safest route I could find. I think he wandered out there and then realized how dangerous it was - but didn't know how to extricate himself:

The east side of the barn only gets morning sun, so all the herd luxuriates for half a day, at least when the clouds have dissipated:

The horsey boys don't get much grain anymore, but Blue's belly is still pretty big:

Remy is in fine shape, and he seems to know it. He's less playful now than he used to be, but more lovable:

Remy even loves his cow friends:

And how could I not pet and kiss a face like this?

Both Blue and Remy stick together most of the time:

And even when they're apart, they usually don't go too far:

Snowy Red Poll Girls

It's been a rugged winter so far but often the cows won't come into the barn when I call. When that happens, I sometimes just close the grain bin and walk back to the house, but other times I carry bowls of grain out to the girls who wouldn't come inside:

And every two days or so I bring them all a new hay bale. The bales are wrapped in mesh and covered in thick ice, so unwrapping them has become a major chore:

The bale feeder will stay on the east side of the barn until the weather moderates:

I move the feeder for each new bale lest it get stuck in frozen hay and ice. I learned the hard way:

And each time I go out to the barn, I look out the back door to make sure they are all OK:

There is about a 3" layer of frozen, moldy hay around each bale and I do my best to break it off before I return to the barn:

The cows eat more or less continually, stopping only to chew their cuds, a necessary step in their digestion:

And the places where the old hay bale had been become places the girls can lie down and get comfy:

During one storm they all turned their faces to the south. The wind was not coming from the north, so I never was sure why they did it. They are good at taking care of themselves, though, so I'm sure they had a good reason:

I had just dropped a new bale into the feeder, then climbed off the tractor to work on removing the frozen layer on the outside of the bale:

When I climbed back up on the tractor, sweet Gracie looked up as if to ask if maybe there was perhaps someplace warmer she could go for the winter:

Alas, we live in the north country and it gets cold in February:

Fine Old Homes In A North Country College Town - Part 2

I was taking a driving photo tour of some of the impressive old homes in Potsdam, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). This beauty had a matching carriage house out back:

I had to turn when I came to the lovely Grass River. Folks who live in Potsdam have access to the river all the time:

A very large old home behind big trees:

This big home had everything:

Another beauty. Have you noticed that most of these homes have fireplaces? They come with the territory:

Porches, front and back:

A large home with White Birches out front:

Green and white with porches, turrets and trees all around:

A lovely brick home with gingerbread trim:

This home was larger than it at first appeared:

Another fireplace, another carriage house, another porch (glassed in):

Comfortable chairs on the porch for summertime use:

I was on my way home and on the village outskirts when I snapped this final photo. It too was big and beautiful: