Golden Roads Of Autumn

I was lamenting the end of colorful leaf season and the dropping of most deciduous leaves until I took a shortcut via Converse Road on my way to Potsdam. Everything was golden and lovely, so I got out my camera and took a few pictures:

I kept my camera out and snapped photos every so often. There may not have been any reds, but the golds, mostly maples, were incredible:

I crested a small rise and the colors got more vivid:

And the maples grew older and more stately:

It was all so lovely that I decided to take a longer driving tour in search of autumn's last gasp of glorious golds:

I found this incredible farm field, split rail fence and golden trees on Days Mill Road, somewhere between Hopkinton and Nicholville:

More outrageous orange, also on Days Mill Road:

I returned to Converse Road in Fort Jackson where I snapped a picture of this farm, surrounded by golden maple trees:

And then I turned down a narrow lane which was a sort of back road into the Fort Jackson Town Park:

And back up onto Converse Road, where I saw farm fences, gates and maple syrup hoses running between trees:

A small herd of Holstein heifers was excitedly eating their morning grain up on that small rise:

And then I began to head home again, taking one last golden photo. But I had enough photos for two blog posts, so you'll see another autumn leaf post tomorrow:

The Fort Jackson Cemetery

I'd just finished a photo tour of Wilber's Hardware store and was on my way back to the farm when I passed the Hopkinton Ft. Jackson Cemetery. It was a gloomy, overcast day and threatening to rain at any moment, so I thought it would be a good time for me to stop and take a closer look. Who knows? I may be buried there some day:

I became so enthralled with studying the headstones that I took sixty or more photos. Winnowing them down to twelve was not easy, let me tell you. But here's a sampling of what I saw, beginning with the grave site of Floyd and Maude Eakins. I was particularly moved by the adjoining small headstone for their baby who died way back in 1917:

Some of the marble was exquisitely colored and some of the engravings had been painted:

The Converse/Abel family's grave sites included a very touching headstone for a little girl who had lived for only two years. What drew my attention was what was probably supposed to be booties atop the headstone but which, from a slight distance, had the macabre look of hacked-off feet:

A sad angel perched atop a headstone:

This man died way back in 1929 but was so beloved that someone is still putting flowers on his grave:

There were many graves for babies and children from the 1800s and 1920s. Times were hard back then:

And women were given names such as Silence:

I found a section of the cemetery dating back to the 1800s and was particularly touched by this marker for an twelve year old boy who died in 1851:

And that same year, 1851, a woman died whose parents had named her Truth:

Archie Mulligan was buried with his first wife, who died very young, and their baby. His second wife was also buried there. It reminded me of a line from Longfellow's A Psalm Of Life: "Life real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal":

The cemetery was laid out in a long strip between the county road and a deep ravine through which a small river coursed. I had taken over sixty photos but narrowed it down to twelve. I hope I've presented you with a thoughtful look at the local cemetery and the area's settlers:

The Brasher Falls IGA Grocery Store

I returned to my dogs and my little farm apartment in the afternoon, let the pooches out for a romp and made myself a quick lunch. But night falls early out on the northern tundra this time of year and I wanted something - well, interesting for dinner. So I left one more time for the little town of Brasher Falls. They have there a brand new IGA market which surely must be the envy of less fortunate towns like Fort Jackson, Winthrop, Nicholville and Hopkinton. Brasher Falls is only 15 to 20 minutes from my front door:

I probably should have said something first and asked for permission, but I didn't. I just began walking around snapping pictures. The Brasher Falls IGA is a real old fashioned market. It has nearly everything a person could want in the way of groceries, toiletries, household cleaners or pet supplies:

There appeared to be four employees - two behind the meat counter, a young boy at the cash register and an older man stocking shelves. I'll wager it's a family affair:

A dairy aisle and frozen foods. Who needs to make the long drive into Massena to shop at Wal-Mart when everything you need is right here? I'm not being snarky, by the way. I really mean it:

Even fresh fruits and vegetables:

I can't even remember what I bought that day except that I know I got two small steaks for just a couple of bucks. I wondered if the price would even cover the cost of packaging:

The place was booming and the register had a line. The cashier carried an older woman's groceries out to her car for her without her even asking. I was impressed:

I snapped only one photo of downtown Brasher Falls as I left the store. I only needed one photo because it all fit in one: