One Day After Our Snow Melt - Part 1

If you saw yesterday's post, you know that our snow had almost all melted. The very next morning, I woke up to a winter wonderland - and the snow kept falling:

I took a drive down the (unplowed) gravel road alongside my pasture fence to see the wintry beauty. White Birch were plentiful. That's my pasture on the other side of the trees:

The scenery became mostly forest as I continued on past my property line:

A small, unused field was backed up with woods which looked as if they'd been dusted with powdered sugar:

A neighbor had cleared out around some old apple trees and pruned them:

Much of the tall Red Pines along the road have been cut, but some remain, and they are beauties:

A Beech tree had grown up outside the old fence which shows that there was once a pasture here:

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I think I remember that this was an Eastern White Cedar, a common tree in these parts:

An old stone wall, gradually being swallowed up in tree growth. I once live-trapped a mouse and released it here, hoping it found a good place to live:

The snowy tracery of small brush:

A White Pine had sprung up amid the hardwoods and Red Pines:

A golden leafed Beech behind an arabesque of snowy branches. But there was still more wintry beauty to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Springtime Horses

Blue and Remy still get a half cup of grain each morning in separate stalls to keep them from fighting. That's not enough grain to make them fat but it is enough to keep them coming when called - usually:

 With the grass growing now, they spend most of each day outside, searching for the newest, tenderest grass:

 The cows now join them and on rainy days when the fields are sodden, they know a high spot where they can graze:

 Violet and Remy were hanging out together by the edge of the gravel road, where white birch trees grow in abundance:

 Blue was over by the county road, near the fence gate which is electrified. I hadn't intended it that way, but I put an "Electric Fence" sign on it to warn passersby. I imagine it's even worse when there is a puddle there (I wasn't about to go touch it to find out):

 Remy was looking mighty cute and I thought he needed a portrait shot:

 "Here's a side view for my publicity photo:"

 But mostly their days are spent grazing green grass and sleeping:

 Blue doesn't look so fat since he lost his winter coat. He also doesn't look so black either, but instead more brown:

 One morning I found Blue in the barn, waiting for his breakfast:

 Remy, however, was sprawled on the floor and didn't move a muscle. Was he sick or dead?

 No, he was just sleeping. The sound of the grain bin being opened brought him suddenly to life:

Winter Scenery Along A Gravel Road - Part 2

I was driving down the gravel road by my house to photograph the wintry woodlands (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

Stands of Red Pines had been planted on former potato fields in many places, and now stood tall:

My Amish neighbor had been sawing logs into lumber and stacking it in a large field he'd cleared. I don't know what he intends to use it all for, but he sure is ambitious:

Baby Beech trees clustered at the feet of taller Maples and Aspens:

Red and White Pines, with hardwoods mixed in:

Most of this land was once farm fields, but it is now growing up into woodlands. Only one large plot, which belongs to my Amish neighbor, has been changed back from woodlands to farm fields:

Another neighbor harvests Maple sap for syrup each spring and the lines were up all over the place, just waiting for the weather to break:

This stand of Staghorn Sumac was colorful against the blue sky and fronted by a barbed wire fence:

Another large stand of Red Pines:

The golden leafed Beech trees were especially beautiful, dusted with snow and contrasted with the white Birch trunks and Pine trees:

More of the mysterious, needle-less conifers. I'll try to remember to investigate and identify them when the weather warms up - if I can find them again, that is:

Winter Scenery Along A Gravel Road - Part 1

We hadn't had significant snow in more than a week, though we had more than our share of bone chilling cold. I decided to drive again down the gravel road beside my house to see the woodland sights:

It was beautiful and quiet, with no other cars or any signs of life other than the trees. White Birch and nearly white Aspen trunks stood out along the road:

But the most striking sights were the Beech trees, for they held their golden leaves right through the snow, cold and wind:

This gnarled old Maple trunk has stood for many decades, and I imagine it began as a seedling over a hundred years ago:

Snow was heaped up over a fence post and Beech tree leaves brightened this frigid woodland:

I couldn't identify these conifers, nor could I determine if they were alive or dead. I wasn't going to get out of the car and climb across those snowbanks to go see:

The remnants of old barbed wire fencing lined much of the way:

And Red Pines had been planted on former potato fields in other places. These trees had recently been thinned by a crew who wanted telephone poles:

A lovely scene, with a golden Beech tree in front, surrounded by Aspens and backed up by what I think was a White Pine. Notice the old barbed wire fence in the foreground:

More of the strange, needle-less branches of the mystery conifers. They weren't Tamaracks, but beyond that I don't know:

The woods were quiet and mysterious - inviting, but I had no intention of going in to see. It was private property anyway. I'll post Part 2 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: