A Busy Summer On The Farm

The fantail pigeons sure enjoy their two birdbaths. They make an awful mess, though, and I learned the hard way that I should move that red feeder before putting down the birdbaths:

Here's the real action. Besides the obvious splashing, notice the birds who attempt to roll onto their sides in the water:



And, when they'd had enough bathing, this is how they dried off their feathers:


A local lawn was filled with Wild Thyme's purple flowers:

And a closer view, this one with Black-Eyed Susans in the foreground:

I had a pair of House Sparrows (formerly called English Sparrows) living in my barn and a pair of these plainly marked sparrows, which I have been unable to identify. If you know what species this is, leave me a note in the comments (no marks on their breast). Both pairs of sparrows vacated the barn after their babies were on their own:

The chickens spend each day pecking and scratching:

And they sure do cover a lot of ground:

Their favorite spot is beneath the apple trees:

The pears are looking promising:

I bought four loads of hay to see me through the winter. I have more cattle than before and they are eating machines:

Hay is predicted to be in short supply this year, so I want to be prepared. I still hope to get some hay from my own fields to add to the supply:

The Glories Of Summer In Farm Country, Part 2

Yesterday I presented Part 1 of a summer afternoon drive along rural roads where I marveled at the pastoral beauty all around me. I'll begin Part 2 with a neighbor's geese who honked loudly and waddled quickly away when I aimed a camera at them:

Daphne seemed fascinated by the corn fields passing by her window:

And this is the scene which originally inspired me to drive home and get my camera: A hillside, covered with Black-Eyed Susans and Wild Thyme, with a red barn in the background:

A barn surrounded by clucking hens, with a statue of a cow out front and an enormous Great Pyrenees inside:

I passed by woodlands, both hardwood and conifer:

And several women sat and chatted on the porch near anAmerican flag. The rose bush was in full bloom and the trees provided lots of afternoon shade:

And old home with what appeared to be a modern barn:

A field of soggy ground with fences running through it. I don't know how or why they erected those fences, but they did make an attractive scene:

Wildflowers, barbed wire fence and forest:

A brick home, shaded by giant trees with roses in bloom:

And an unexplained farm lane leading into the woods which caused my mind to imagine all kinds of possible destinations:

And the last photo of my journey was of my neighbors' cows. They were very interested to see what I was doing. I don't know if that's because they know me (they do) or because they're interested in all human activity:

A Return To Frontier Town's Forgotten Village! - Part 1

I loaded the dogs up into my car on a Sunday morning and began another weekend trip up to the farm. We drove straight up the Northway to Exit 29 and then pulled off into the abandoned Frontier Town for a fun rest stop:

It was cool and wet with sporadic rain and I didn't think the dogs needed another trip to the Schroon River. Instead, we drove back through the old Frontier Town toward the abandoned village in the forest. We hadn't been there in many months:

I parked the car near the old storefronts and let the dogs out. I kept a close watch on blind old Wally and deaf old Winky so as not to lose one of them:

The dogs ran around exploring and sniffing everything:

And then we headed up the old "road" to see the sights:

We investigated this crumbling old cabin and I even went inside. But there was nothing of interest in there and I didn't feel the structure was safe. So I quickly exited and we began walking toward the little village in the forest:

Happy dogs, having a most excellent adventure:

Old Winky and Wally lagged behind as we began making our way toward the village, but I insisted on keeping them in sight. But the day was pleasant and Wild Thyme released its lovely fragrance with each footstep I took:

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Frontier Town:

We entered the old village and began exploring:

The old village was set in a forest of White Pines, many of which had fallen, giving the dogs more play area:

The old log church was, I thought, particularly picturesque. But we had lots of village yet to explore. I'll post more tomorrow:

Chapter 3 - Frontier Town And The Schroon River

Yes indeed, this is Chapter 3 of a simple rest stop. That's because it had turned into the longest, most varied and interesting rest stop ever. The dogs and I were exploring the natural beauty and old buildings of the former Frontier Town (see the previous two posts also):

After we'd all walked the "streets" and looked inside the old log buildings back in the forest, we walked back toward the old west storefronts where I'd parked:

Wild Thyme was fragrant and blooming everywhere we walked. I easily coaxed Fergus to sit and smile for the camera in the midst of all those purple blossoms:

I even got a happy smile from crabby old Winky as he waddled through the wildflowers:

But even though we'd begun this adventure at the Schroon River, only the Papillons had been sufficiently agile to get a drink of water. And it was hot that morning. So I packed the dogs back into the car and drove to the sandy beach on the Boreas River, still on the Frontier Town property. Seamus went in immediately:

Fergus, Daphne and Clover all took long drinks:

Even blind old Wally made it down to the shoreline for a refreshing drink while Seamus moved farther and farther out into the river:

And then, wonder of wonders, Fergus the "Nervous Nelly" waded out to give the water a try. I didn't say a word. I just let him experiment at his own pace. Daphne got her toes wet, apparently giving some consideration to following his example:

And then perhaps a wild, vicious minnow or something spooked Fergus, sending him flying out of the water and startling Daphne. But it was all good fun and they played afterwards:

The problem was that Winky refused to go down to the riverbank. He was tired and, I think, confused. He was also very hot. So we left Frontier Town and traveled up Blue Ridge Road to the Boreas River, which was easier for him to get to:

There were twenty or thirty motorcycles parked there, so before I let the dogs out, I walked down to where the cyclists were resting by the river and explained that my dogs were friendly and, though I'd walk to a different place on the river, the pooches might run over to say "Howdy." The cyclists were all friendly and agreeable. So the dogs and I enjoyed a cooling dip in the Boreas, much smaller here atop the mountain than it was down at Frontier Town:

Just as I'd predicted, Seamus, Daphne and Clover heard voices and ran over to the cyclists to make their acquaintances and get some attention. Fergus was too afraid to go with them and old Wally and Winky were oblivious to the whole thing. I finally got all the dogs back into the car - except Winky. He required much coaxing and patience, finally waddling his way up the path. After that, we continued on our way to the farm:

Chapter 2 - Frontier Town And The Boreas River

The dogs and I were on our way up to the farm and had stopped at the old, abandoned Frontier Town for a rest stop which had already become the longest ever. We'd begun at the Boreas River, checked out an old horse barn and were now walking down the old lane, examining the insides of the buildings. I saw this enclosure and walked over to take a look. A young grouse flew up in alarm as we approached, bouncing off the wire and then fleeing into the forest. This was a zoo type enclosure with a small moat. I suppose Frontier Town must have exhibited some wildlife, perhaps bears, beavers or otters:

And then we continued down the lane, checking out the insides of buildings as we went:

I had to push my way through the brush to get inside some of the old cabins:

This one had some sort of drapery inside:

Drapery and artificial flowers. I decided that this had been a photographer's studio where tourists had their pictures taken in old western garb. I, of course, lined three of the dogs up on that stage with the bouquet of artificial flowers and shot several photos, but none of them turned out well enough to use. Besides, the dogs looked so forlorn, as if they were being punished for something by being forced to sit there on that stage. I gave them a happy call and we continued on our way:

Seamus was the happy leader of this exploratory venture. He and the Papillons are up for most any adventure, any time, any place:

We entered what appeared to be an old blacksmith's forge and I lifted Clover and Daphne up for a photo. It was a worthy idea, but the result looked rather ---- um, strange, as if the two were about to be roasted in a fireplace. So I lifted them back down and we resumed our adventure:

More cabins, more exploration. Many of the buildings appeared to have been stores which sold things, though I could not tell what:

When we arrived at the old log church, we had to plow through thick brush and over several large, fallen White Pines to get to it. Winky refused to join us, but Wally tried valiantly to keep up and I lifted him and carried him, letting him rest on a tree trunk before we continued on to the church:

The four younger dogs rushed in to the church as if anxious to begin Sunday services:

Let us pray, doggies:

When we left the old church, we had to circle around in another direction to reconnect with Winky who had refused to join our march through the thick brush. But he was happy in the sunshine and field of Wild Thyme. But our rest stop was not over yet! I'll post more tomorrow: