Peru Road, Town Of Lawrence, New York - Part 2

I was taking a driving tour of rural Peru Road (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and stopped for a photo of this Amish sawmill. I thought the small sign on the wall might advertise lumber, but it was for sawdust, presumably to be used for animal bedding:

The boulders in this stone wall were huge, as big as Volkswagens, so I had to assume they were moved with modern power equipment and not Amish horse power:

Another Amish farm:

I snapped another photo as I pulled past the front of the house and noticed a wood furnace on the front porch. I'm not sure how they moved the air without electricity, but apparently they'd figured out a way to do it:

Just past the house, I saw the buggy parked by the small outbuilding:

This gigantic old barn in the middle of a corn field looked as if it hadn't been used in many years:

An Amish farm with a windmill and a water pump:

Another old barn which apparently hadn't been used in a very long time:

This old farm house was not Amish, and it appeared as if there was a board blocking the use of the front door. The sign on it did not say to use another door, however. Instead it just said "Eggs For Sale:"

Another long abandoned old barn. It's sad to see them falling into disrepair, but they are expensive to maintain and not many people can afford to do that:

A handsome farm house behind giant, old maple and pine trees:

My last stop on Peru Road was at the Willis H Thomas auto garage, closed many years ago. It was out of business when I passed by here the last time and the tow truck was parked in exactly the same place. It might now do well as a sort of museum, commemorating times gone by:

County Route 35, West Potsdam NY - Part 2

I was driving on St. Lawrence County Route 35 in West Potsdam, NY (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), and snapping photos of the rural scenery:

The landscape was mostly flat, but in places it was lower than the road, allowing wonderful scenic vistas:

This classic farm house looked as it must have many years ago:

This farm house appeared to have been remodeled and modernized:

An old, small barn with lots of equipment nearby:

Almost hidden behind the trees was an old farm house and barn, no doubt a family farm for many years:

A country auto repair shop:

This appeared to be an active farm, with multiple outbuildings (which had new roofs) and haylage stored out back:

A lovely mustard colored house with a great side porch for sitting and enjoying the rural scenery:

A system of barns and silo, right next to the road:

An old brick farm house, an uncommon thing in these parts. I think the brick part was the original home, and it still had its old plank door:

This was a modern building, but there were two big silos out back. The former barn must have collapsed or burned many years ago but the silos still looked new. This was the end of my driving tour so I put my camera away continued on toward Canton:

Farm Country - U.S. Route 11, Part 3

I was making a photographic driving tour of New York Route 11, headed east from the town of Lawrence to the town of Bangor, New York (see previous two posts), and came upon this old, abandoned shed - or was it once a house?:

A sugar house with a full woodshed, all ready to begin operations any day now:

An elaborate horse barn. I'll bet the view from the cupola at the top was magnificent:

And speaking of magnificent, these two horses fit the bill:

An auto mechanic's country garage:

A very old barn with a number of additions:

I noticed the sign post (without its sign) by this old barn and suspected that it was once a gas station on Route 11, between Malone and Potsdam:

This old barn had been abandoned so long ago that trees had grown up all around it:

And the house next to the old barn had also been abandoned:

A lovely old barn, which still appeared to be in usable condition:

An example of an old barn still standing, thanks to the steel roof they'd put on. This was the last photo I took on this driving tour, so I began the return trip toward home. The rural scenery in this area is lovely, and I find it a pleasure and privilege to record some of it for posterity:

Farm Country - U.S. Route 11, Part 1

I finished the morning chores and snow plowing (with the tractor), then noticed what a nice day it was for taking photos. The sunlight was bright but diffused. I had nothing else much on my to-do list, so I hopped in the car for a driving tour. I was headed east on U.S. Route 11 when I realized that the barns and farms all around me were about as nice as I'd find anywhere. The traffic was sparse, so I began pulling to the side of the road and snapping pictures. I loved this old steel clad silo:

I pass this "Boat Barn" often. It used to have boats stored outside, but I saw none this time. Perhaps they quit the boat storage business:

This old house had broken windows and an open door. If it hadn't been right at a main intersection, I might have investigated:

This barn was next to the abandoned house, so I assumed it was once part of a busy farm:

There were several very old barns with no glass in their windows, leading me to believe they were no longer being used - except perhaps for storage:

Another old barn with wide open windows. I'll bet the pigeons love it:

This barn was large and imposing. It was also well maintained and impressive. Note the milk room, silo, grain bin and other sheds. That shed with the red doors looked downright historic, though with a new roof, doors and window:

A very large dairy barn:

And an old garage. I'd guess that it was once an auto mechanic's shop:

Another old barn. The snow had been plowed in front of it, so it must have been used for something, but apparently not for livestock:

A busy farm, and what I assumed to be a dairy barn. But I was just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Around The Farm In February

Welcome back, faithful reader. It was nice to take a winter's vacation from the blog, but I certainly continued to be busy around the farm. The weather has been very cold, with many nights far below zero:

The fantail pigeons stayed relatively comfortable in their unheated but draft free room in the barn. As the days began to lengthen, I began to see them pairing off and cuddling together, cooing gently:

The pigeons are looking healthy, though I'm sure they'll be happy when they can get outdoors once again:

They have four trough feeders at all times, plus heated water:

PeeWee, my elderly dog, long ago quit pooping and peeing outdoors and began doing it indoors. In spite of my best efforts to keep the floors clean and sanitized, my kitchen began to smell oddly and I'd notice it when I came in from outside. So I resorted to burning incense, and got this "Old Man Tree" incense burner, from which smoke would pour from many holes. It seemed to fit the rural theme here:

The chickens are crowded in their small room, but it's draft free and I keep it clean. Like the pigeons, they too have heated water and a continuous supply of feed. The two roosters seem to get along famously:

A couple of hens began laying in February, though not every day. The big rush of eggs will come soon, though, as springtime arrives:

My car needed a repair and I thought the old fashioned country garage where I took it was worthy of a couple of photos. The shop is surrounded by farms and forest, and looks as if it hasn't changed much over the decades:

The owner's wife carried in a plate of freshly baked apple Danish and distributed them to all the employees and customers while I was waiting. That's what I call old fashioned, country hospitality:

It's been a brutally cold but beautiful winter. Now we're all hoping for an early spring. It feels good to be blogging again: