The Glories Of Summer In Farm Country, Part 1

I drove to the Post Office the other day and was so overwhelmed by the summer rural beauty I passed along the way that I decided I must take some photos. So as soon as I got home, I grabbed my camera, loaded the dogs into the car and took off to drive once more to the Post Office and back. This first shot was of the wildflowers and grasses surrounding my own north hay field:

And Daphne watched the neighbors' hay fields and distant woods with rapt attention as they passed by her car window:

More hay fields and farm silos:

Giant, round hay bales:

An old trailer and boat, parked at the edge of a woodland:

Horses and sheep aplenty:

A truck and a contented, grazing horse beside a big red barn:

Layered textures: Grasses, trees and corn fields with more woods in the background:

Giant corn fields and giant silos:

Farm equipment parked in a field, ready for use:

A neighbor's pond:

And a classic red barn. But I hadn't even reached the Post Office yet. I'll publish Part 2 of this summer series tomorrow:

A Quick Look At Edwards, New York

I was tired, sore and hungry after our hike in the Wolf Lake State Forest, but as I drove through the little village of Edwards, New York I had to take the time for at least a few photos. The sign, by the way, reads "On the Oswegatchie. Settled 1812:"

I'd toured Edwards before but hadn't truly noticed what a nice little village it was, or how many side streets it had with attractive homes and pleasant surroundings:

I was fascinated by this tiny stone house with the miniature picket fence. It had a sign on it which said, "Welcome To The Little House:"

There was a pleasant, rustic church with a nice handicapped ramp, and everywhere I noticed big, blue skies with surrounding forests and farmland:

One local street had a lilac house with a red roof:

Pleasant, comfortable, well kept homes in small cluster surrounded by Adirondack wilderness and broad miles of farm land. It's about 35 minutes to Canton, so I guessed that's where many of these folks worked:

A steel roof for heavy snow in the winter:

An old home surrounded by trees:

There was a very small "downtown" which had only a few businesses:

There was a pizza shop and a few others, but these folks must drive to Canton for most of their needs:

They sure did have an impressive town hall, however. But I needed food, a rest room and to stand up and stretch my tired legs, so I curtailed my driving tour of Edwards, New York and headed for home. But I'll be back another day and hope to spend more time photographing Edwards:

The Farm Country Of Edwards, New York

It had been a magnificent Monday up at the farm, beginning with hiking the Wolf Lake Loop Trail (see preceding posts). The dogs and I were tired and enjoying the air conditioned comfort of the car as we traveled the county roads back toward home. We'd driven through the small town of Edwards and I was particularly enamored of the lovely farm country we were encountering:

This flat land looked like it stretched on forever, which seemed odd as it was adjacent to the Adirondack mountains:

Big modern farms, old fashioned farms, this would be a fine place to live and raise cattle:

This was truly big sky country:

It appeared that hay was the primary crop here, providing me with glorious rural scenery:

This field was recently prepared for planting:

Here and there were small homes, apparently owned by folks who were not farmers themselves but loved living in such rural loveliness:

Silos lifted up into the big sky wherever I looked:

A hay field ready for cutting:

An old stone house. Was this built of the famous Potsdam Sandstone?:

And a large and modern high school. Apparently their children's education is a high priority here. I really loved this countryside tour. The next small town was Russell. I'll post about that tomorrow:

More Photos of Tiny, Rural Brookdale, New York

I was taking a driving tour of the rural area northwest of the farm and especially the little town of Brookdale, New York. I passed by this little pen of curious sheep who watched me closely:

There were several modular homes along the road:

And fine old farm houses:

This old barn had been a giant at one time and its farm appeared to be large and prospering. Had it burned? I didn't see any charred wood. Perhaps it collapsed under the weight of a heavy snowfall:

This much smaller barn appeared to have been converted to a garage but, judging by the unplowed snow, was no longer being used:

Brookdale had lots of old farms with actively used barns and tractors:

A friendly old farm house where I could easily imagine a family gathering for Thanksgiving dinner:

Well kept outbuildings:

Another friendly, comfortable old farm house:

And another small old barn:

There were occasional modern, upscale homes which I assumed where owned by people with good jobs in Massena or Potsdam:

Although we were experiencing an exceptionally mild weekend, there was still evidence of the big ice storm a couple of weeks earlier. Snowy birches arched gracefully alongside the road in many places. It had been unclear exactly at what point I entered the town of Brookdale and it was equally unclear when I left it, but I decided that this was perhaps the spot at which I was leaving Brookdale behind:

Beginning A Driving Tour In Tiny Brookdale, New York

I'd driven up to the farm on Sunday with all my dogs and had a sound sleep in our little farm apartment. When Monday morning dawned I didn't think the mountains would be hike-able in spite of the unseasonably warm weather. So instead, I decided to make a driving tour of the local countryside. I headed north on the county road but only made it about a mile when I was stopped by a flock of turkeys feeding. They ignored me for a long time but flew away when I got too close. I tried to snap a photo of them in flight but hit the wrong button, turning my camera off instead of taking a picture:

The map showed a small town called Brookdale just southwest of Massena so I headed that way. It was so small that I wouldn't have known I'd arrived if it hadn't been for this church sign:

Brookdale was a small cluster of nice homes and farms, situated on flat prairie. I liked it immediately:

People there seemed to take good care of their homes:

And many homes appeared to have been there for a very long time:

A few modern homes had been built:

There were all styles, shapes, sizes and colors of houses:

And leftover Christmas decorations:

Being a Monday, I was surprised to find quite a few driveways with cars:

And pickup trucks, of course:

Well tended properties, perhaps owned by someone with a good paying job in Massena or Potsdam:

This picturesque old farmstead provided me with one of my favorite photos of the entire trip. I'll post more about Brookdale tomorrow: