Around The Farm, Around The Neighborhood

As the more brilliant fall colors faded like cooling embers, the local forests began to look sturdier, more stately and reassuring. This woodland at the back of an overgrown Amish pasture seemed to me to be very "New England:"

 And just up the county road from me, a very late haying operation was bordered by gold, green and burgundy:

 Across the gravel road, my own north field took on a dignified beauty. This was the western edge:

 The middle portion:

 And the eastern section:

 The fantail pigeons seem happy and healthy, though I've had to battle a rat invasion (I think I have now won that war):

 The chickens have had no rodent problems, but they've caused a few other problems by scratching pine shavings into their waterer and detaching the bottom tray of their feeder:

 Just north of me on the county road, this small, recently harvested corn field was bordered by trees of red and gold:

 Partially shaded from the just rising morning sun, this hay field was bordered by some brighter colors. Rain was predicted in the coming days, so I figured this might be my last chance to photograph the beauty:

 We had a surprise extension of warm weather, a fine chance to do some outdoor work. I have an old, freestanding section of fence which is slowly falling down. I remove those sections which topple and toss the old, rotten posts in the brush pile. The rusted fence sections get folded up and put in the trash bin. Remy, of course, supervised the operation from beginning to end:

 Remy was curious but caused no trouble whatsoever. I removed two old fence posts and three sections of stock fence, which you can see folded up in front of the posts:

 And on my way back to the house, I was shocked to see the Rugosa Rose beginning to blossom. What a strange autumn this is. Of course it is probably global warming and that is a bad thing, but these warm days so late in the autumn do feel pleasant for the moment:

Converse Road - Part 1

I set off, with the dogs in the car, for an autumn drive down Converse Road in the tiny settlement of Fort Jackson, New York. I crossed the bridge over the east branch of the St. Regis River, putting me in Fort Jackson. The black and white goats in the field by the river belonged to an Amish family:

At the end of the bridge was this large yellow house and barn. It's been being remodeled for years, but this time I noticed a "For Sale" sign, so I looked it up online. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, four acres and a barn. It still needs work, but they're only asking $46,900. You can see the listing here:

This old church has been abandoned for many years, but the signs out front indicated that it has been sold and is functioning as a church once again:

As I proceeded along Converse Road, I stopped for a photo of this old farm house:

Most of the scenery along Converse Road was woodlands, and particularly lovely this time of year:

An old, abandoned house:

An active farm. I sometimes see Holstein calves in their fields:

More autumn color:

This little cabin appears to be a year 'round home, and in a beautiful setting:

And right next door to the cabin is this old home with its front wall totally gone:

I continued on my way and stopped when I saw this attractive house for sale. I looked it up online when I got home and learned that it has one bathroom and 3.8 acres. There was no mention of how many bedrooms, but the listing's photos seem to show three. It is listed for $74,900 and the link is here:

I stopped again at this long, narrow hay field bordered by colorful trees. It's picture perfect every October. I'll post more of Converse Road tomorrow:

Driving Down A Gravel Road

There is a gravel road in the town of Lawrence, New York, which I drive fairly often - but especially in October to photograph the autumn color and in winter to photograph the massive snow banks. Our autumn leaves were disappointing this year but one day I decided to check out the gravel road anyway. I began with these Staghorn Sumacs behind a barbed wire fence. Sumacs are often the first leaves to turn bright red, so maybe there is much more color to come in the next week or two:

 As I drove, I saw many trees which were brightly colored:

 Someone had mowed the grass along the road, allowing for nicer views:

 A White Birch tree trunk set off this scene in style:

 A flaming red maple:

 A stone wall and hay field, bordered with a confetti burst of color:

 Explosions of color, keeping company with quieter shades of gold and green:

 I came to a house (there aren't many on that road) with homegrown pumpkins for sale, and I thought they added to the autumn theme:

 Ah, this is why I love October!:

 An Amish pasture with woodlands on its far side. Apparently our autumn is later than usual, and perhaps there will be more color and beauty than I had expected. There certainly was along this gravel road:

Peru Street In Winter - Part 3

I was nearing the end of Peru Street and still photographing the rural beauty of upstate New York. This giant old barn appeared to be no longer in use:

But it was part of a farm, so maybe they were still farming. With everything closed down for the cold winter weather, it was hard to tell:

A field full of snow covered farm equipment, sitting idle:

A hay wagon and a hay rake, with extensive fields stretching out behind. Even farms which have discontinued other activities often continue making hay:

I passed this log cabin in the woods:

And another giant old barn, this one set behind a stone wall:

A wonderful old home with a giant stone fireplace chimney and a front porch of incredible beauty:

This old farm house was set behind the trees and looked very "New England" to me:

An old auto garage and tow truck, which looked as if they'd both been sitting idle since the 1950s:

Sheds and gazebo, part of someone's property:

An old horse trailer:

I reached the end of Peru Road and turned onto State Route 11 where the business of Adirondack Storage Sheds had many amazing structures to offer. My driving tour had come to an end and I headed home to tend to my animals:

Peru Street In Winter - Part 2

My driving tour of Peru Street continued past this farm with a number of small houses, large barns and silo:

The barn was magnificent, with a silo and grain bin attached:

Another Amish farm advertised baskets, produce and maple syrup:

The barn, though old, was in excellent shape:

This was the second extra large Amish farm on Peru Street:

A closer look at the house and porch:

And on the same farm, an Amish sawmill from which they sold lumber:

A smaller, modern barn with an RV and an arbor of some kind. I thought it was a grapevine when I saw it, but now I wonder:

Another woodland, this one in the process of turning from hardwood to coniferous:

A third, more modest Amish farm:

The Amish home was smaller and simpler, but full of charm:

This huge, grand, old barn appeared to be unused now. It was so very large that I was impressed. And yet Peru Street continued on. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: