Rural Alburg Road In Moira, New York

I was taking a driving tour of some rural roads and came to the end of Elmer Road (yesterday's post), where I then turned right onto Alburg Road and passed by this outbuilding with its blue house door:

I remembered this elaborate tree house beside the road from passing it in previous years, but this time it was falling apart or being intentionally disassembled. I will never know, but I suspected the children were all grown up now and the tree house would soon be no more:

This looked to me like a classic Amish schoolhouse, with outhouses behind it and a pile of firewood to keep the kids warm:

I suspected this was an Amish barn, but I wasn't sure:

Every part of this farm looked Amish, and when I got home I discovered that one of my photos had caught an Amish woman who I hadn't noticed. I deleted the photo because I know they don't want their pictures taken:

One more Amish barn, this one with a wagon:

And across the road was a corn field, the stalks in traditional Amish shocks:

The next farm had a multitude of modern hay wagons:

And four gigantic silos:

The farm house stood on a hill, where it had magnificent views of the countryside:

Their mailbox was attached to an old-fashioned washing machine and painted to look like a Holstein. Some of the view which the house had can be seen in the valley below:

Another big farm with a grain bin:

And a herd of Black Angus:

As I neared the end of Alburg Road, I snapped a picture of this farm down in the valley below. Some day I'll try to find what road it is on, for I suspect it is a place I haven't yet seen. But this was the end of Alburg Road. I'll post pictures from the next road tomorrow:

It's A Boy

Of all my cows, it had been clear for many weeks that Amy, because of her full udder, would be the first to calve. But one day I walked out into the field and found a different cow, Rosella, cleaning off her newborn:

 Rocket, being young and curious, was right in the middle of everything - but Rosella didn't seem to mind. All her focus was on cleaning off her new baby:

 I'd joked that with a red mother and a white father, I might get pink calves. To my surprise, it looked green. Yes, green. The green turned out to be birth fluids, and the baby began looking grayish white as it got cleaner:

 Rosella didn't seem to mind my presence and I was careful not to be intrusive:

 Yes, the baby had its tongue out for quite awhile. Once clean, it stood up and wobbled as it tried to walk and maybe even find a teat:

 Hi, Mommy. I will follow you if you'll feed me. Of course the calf must find the teats on its own, and if they are healthy like this one, their instincts tell them where to find the milk:

 Ah, there's the feeding station!

 The new calf, besides being white, was much bigger than I was used to. Red Polls are known for small calves but this calf's father was half Angus and half Charolais. This view from behind informed me that we had a bull calf, and I named him Lucky:

 I walked back out to the field a short time later and found the baby asleep in the ditch and Rosella eating the afterbirth as it emerged. It looks disgusting to us, but such behaviors have evolved for a useful purpose:

 Being almost white, the multitude of flies were plainly visible but there was nothing I could do about it. It's just part of being bovine:

 A couple of hours later, the little one was up on his feet and traveling with the herd. I'd estimate that he was born the size of a pure Red Poll calf at two weeks old:

 The next morning, I found Lucky lying down by a fence corner. Rosella was watching him closely, so I turned off the electric fence and went to the outside of it, where I reached in between the wires and snapped an ear tag on him. He never even flinched. Lucky is now number 11:

County Route 44, Between Madrid and Waddington, NY - Part 2

I was driving on County Route 44, on my way from Waddington to Madrid (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). This small barn stood all alone in a snowy field, but the basketball hoop and satellite dish caused me to think that a house once stood there also:

A spectacularly beautiful farm house:

A nice home and barn. Just look at that wrap-around porch!:

A house, small barn and livestock trailer, with miscellaneous farm equipment in the adjacent field:

And when it comes to impressive, modern farms, this beauty would be an example. It was also picturesque and I had to get a photo:

County Route 44 crossed the Grasse River on a narrow bridge:

An old, wooden barn, apparently no longer in use:

A large barn and silo, right up next to the road:

A small cluster of outbuildings, up on a rise:

And a herd of handsome Angus cattle who appeared to be coming up to the barn because there was a feeder there:

A giant, old barn in great condition:

The last picture I took was of this barn and home, which sat back off the road so I had to use my zoom lens. It was a picture of rural tranquility, the kind of place which inspired me to retire to my own farm:

A Driving Tour Of Ferris Road - Part 2

I was taking a driving tour of scenic, rural Ferris Road in the town of Lawrence, New York (see Part 1, posted yesterday). This large old farm had a modern home, pictured at the end of yesterday's post:

There was an impressive herd of black and red Angus cattle out back. I had to use the zoom lens to get a photo of them:

I don't know if this impressive gate led to a sugar house or if Sugar Bush was the name of their farm (or maybe both). Either one was possible, as maple syrup production is ubiquitous in these parts:

Despite the appearance of many active farms, I also saw lots of fields, lying undeveloped and unused:

In some places, the fields had grown up into woodlands:

This striking red barn was part of a small, immaculately tended farm:

The house was elaborate and they'd used the same eye-catching red paint on its foundation and chimney:

I stopped and turned around after I'd passed by the farm with the red paint. I wanted to see it all together. It's a beauty, isn't it?:

This sad old house, caving in and sprouting trees, was certainly not beautiful but it was interesting:

Two historic barns in what appeared to be near perfect condition:

And sadly, another old home, slowly sinking back into the earth:

I remembered this old home from my driving tour three years ago. It appeared then as if it was about to be renovated. Alas, I didn't think anything had changed in the three years since:

Ferris Road ended at State Route 11, where I snapped one last photo of this low rise, red barn. I've decided that some of the most picturesque rural scenery is close to home: