Hopkinton, New York Summer Parade-Part 2

I was watching the Hopkinton Summer Parade (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and snapping photos as the paraders went by. This lady drove a beautifully restored antique Farmall tractor:

Nearly all the paraders threw candy to the kids, but because the route was so short, their candy stash so large and the children so few, they were throwing out double handfuls of candy. These kids had collected at least half of what had been thrown so far by the time I snapped this photo:

Step back in time, visit the Hopkinton Museum. I didn't recognize the driver until he waved. Then I recognized him as my nearest neighbor:

The local Girl Scout troop:

A local rust control business. I liked this photo because of the happy kids and dogs in the back of the truck:

An antique car:

And a pink firetruck. I've seen this at other parades and now recognize it as a tribute to breast cancer awareness. This time, however, I noticed that there were handwritten messages all over it:

The horse riders came next. The woman on the white horse is my neighbor who led a donkey in the parade the previous week for suicide prevention awareness:

And then, right behind the horses, was her son with the same donkey:

My neighbor and one of her boys, riding Abilene, the pony:

And her mom, Grandma, the owner of the local feed store, with the other two boys in the family:

I only kept a few of the many firetruck photos I took. This one was from nearby North Lawrence, New York and I thought it would be a fitting way to end this post on the parade:

Around The Farm In June

The first half of June was largely cool and rainy, but that has suited many plants just fine and they are growing splendidly. I have four Snowball Bushes growing along the front of my property, a gift from a friend several years ago, a friend who has since died. These bushes have now taken on an added beauty as tributes to my friend:

The early dawns suit me just fine since I get up so early. I go out as soon as it is light enough to see, with the added bonus that I get to experience such extravagant sunrises as this one:

This tiny flower  is common in my lawn and pasture. After much searching through my Field Guide, I've decided that it is Creeping Wood-Sorrel:

I was doing the evening chores when my five dogs began barking their fool heads off and I realized that the neighbor was leading her new pony with one of her boys down the road. I tried to quiet my dogs, but my neighbor walked right up my driveway in an effort to be friendly and to help her pony learn to stay calm amid barking dogs. Abilene, the pony, did just fine with the dogs (she's an old hand at handling children's parties) but was worried about my cattle who were in the field across the road. That's where she was attempting to look when I snapped this photo:

One of my apple trees died several years ago but has begun sending up suckers. I cut the old wood down to where the suckers began and will let the suckers grow. If they form a new tree, fine. If they don't, I've already done most of the removal job:

The first of my Iris plants bloomed in early June:

All along the edges of fields and roadsides, tall bushes burst into flower. They are Roughleaf Dogwood, a relative of the familiar Flowering Dogwood, common to woodlands and lawns:

Close up, one can see the similarity in leaf and flower shapes, though the flowers are tiny and in clusters:

Blue Flag, our wild Iris, began blooming in wet spots along roadsides and in marshy areas:

Ragged Robin also began blooming in fields and along roadsides:

I posted photos of my old fashioned Bridal Veil Spireas before, but they reached their peak beauty recently, so I thought I'd post a picture of them again. They are show-stoppers:

And close up, they are just as nice. They only bloom once each year, but they are so spectacular that the memory of them lingers until the next year:

Springtime In The Country - Part 2

The apple trees bloomed profusely but briefly. Still, it is a memorable time each year:

And how wonderful it is to be underneath the apple trees and look up through the flowers to the blue sky above:

Apple trees and my car on the left, the tractor in the middle, and the barn and stock tank on the right. When I see such scenes as this, I realized how incredibly blessed I am:

The Bush Cherry blossomed early and then dropped its petals. All these former flowers will be tiny, tasty cherries if I can get them protected before the birds eat them (like they did last year):

Some apple blossoms have a lot of pink in them but all of mine are pure white after they open. There is some pink in the flower buds:

The neighbors rescued an orphan litter of cottontails and were hand feeding them. I did likewise when I was a boy and it brought back lots of memories for me:

The neighbors also got a very well trained pony for their young boys to ride and to keep their old gelding, Boogey, company:

The new pony wasn't sure she trusted me, but Boogey was happy to get some attention:

Walking back to my house, I snapped this photo of my farmstead:

And one last picture of the dogs, happy and comfortable in their backyard run:

North Country Harvest Festival - Part 1

A very large horse farm, Honey Dew Acres in Crary Mills, New York, advertised a Harvest Festival on a recent weekend and of course I went to take a look. I parked in a hay field and walked toward the horse barns, paddocks and crowds of visitors:

There were large numbers of blanketed horses in many paddocks. Those people in the background were waiting for pony rides or watching the children already riding:

One of the horse barns, formerly a dairy barn:

A tractor pulling a wagon filled with tourists was parked on the main lane. When the driver asked if anyone else wanted on for this trip, I said I did and climbed aboard:

We sat on rough benches as the wagon bounced and lurched. The people were friendly and convivial, with quite a  number of youngsters. I was once again with the St. Lawrence County Maple Princess who, according her extra sash, was also the New York State Maple Princess:

We traveled around the barns and paddocks, and then headed into the woods, which apparently was also a sugar bush:

The sugar house was a classic structure and appeared to still be used:

Then we traveled back through the farm where friendly horses looked at us with inquisitive faces and sometimes followed us:

After the wagon ride, I stopped to watch the children being given pony rides:

I'd guess there were six to eight ponies, each with a young lady leading it and even younger children taking rides. But I still hadn't seen the hay maze or anything else, and it was time for me to go look for them. But I'll post about that in Part 2, tomorrow:

Hallahan Road, In The Town Of Lawrence, New York

I had to drive in to town for cattle feed and decided it would be a good opportunity for a quick driving tour on the way. But it seemed I'd already covered all the local roads, so I looked at a map. That's when I noticed Hallahan Road in the town of Lawrence, a road I take all the time. In fact, I'd taken it so often that I'd incorrectly assumed I'd already posted on it. But I hadn't, so I got out my camera and began snapping pictures. The first place was Silverstar Ranch, owned by the guy whose work horses I'd photographed last autumn:

And his place was beautiful, especially this colorful horse beside a birch log corral:

He had lots of horses:

And some which were hidden behind buildings:

I continued on along Hallahan Road, passing a few mobile homes, all neat and tidy:

And old farmsteads:

One cute little pony in a shed sided with slab wood:

Rocky pastures which grew cedars as well as grass:

A modern log home:

Woodlands:

Suburban style homes:

And a place I was already quite familiar with. This is one of many entrances to the Rutland Nature Trail, a favorite place for me to take the dogs hiking. But this was also the end of the Hallahan Road, so I put away my camera and continued on to the feed store: