A Tractor Drive Along The Fence Line

We'd had a snowfall overnight which coated everything beautifully, so I took a break from morning chores and drove the tractor down the gravel road, stopping briefly to photograph the Red Poll girls in the south field:

I drove down the road and turned left into the periphery of the north field. My intent was to snap pictures of the wintry beauty, beginning with this collapsing entryway for a mobile home which once stood here:

The driving was difficult because much of the snow was above the tractor's axle, but the scenery was glorious:

This road down into the woods is on my land, but outside of the fenced field. I seldom go there except to dump brush (on the left of the lane) and boulders (on the right):

A spruce tree:

The woods were coated with white powder and altogether lovely:

A fallen tree added a focal point for this photo:

An old dead tree which sprouted a new attempt to live:

A White Pine, starting up, and a large fallen hawthorn, which I cut out of the field after I bought the property:

A wall of huge boulders, hauled out of the field with large equipment, many years before I bought the property:

When I reached the far northern edge of the field, I looked back at my own barn and house. I used the zoom lens, which makes them look closer than they really were:

And the neighbors' farm, pretty enough for a Christmas card. But I hadn't finished the chores yet, so put my camera away and began driving back to the barn:

The Santa Clara Access To The St. Regis River - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking near the St. Regis River on a surprisingly warm day for November (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

It was a fine day with beautiful scenery and we all had a good time:

And the dogs truly enjoyed getting wet and muddy. The last time we were here, the Cardinal Flowers were in full bloom right in this spot (here):

The calm waters of the St. Regis River reflected the blue skies and puffy clouds above, as well as the green spruce trees on the opposite shore:

Happy dogs:

But it was time to leave the river's edge once again and return to the trail, so I gave the dogs a call:

Back on the trail, the dogs ran and played. Jack ran too far ahead and didn't come when called, so I took the other dogs with me and hid, causing Jack to panic when he looked back and didn't see us. He came running, but only time will tell if he learned his lesson:

There were Milkweed seed pods bursting everywhere. I hope these fields produced a lot of Monarch butterflies this year:

The trail turned away from the river and toward the forest. We continued to explore:

The dogs stopped to sniff many spots:

Glorious scenery made this a pleasant excursion. But we still weren't at the end of our hike. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Hazen Road, Town Of Moira

I was taking a driving tour of rural Moira, New York and had just come to the end of Alburg Road (see previous posts). I turned onto Hazen Road and passed this simple home, surrounded by farm fields. It looked to me like a quintessential "little house on the prairie:"

This elaborate barn sat back behind cattails and large bails of hay:

A silo (behind the spruce trees) and several small barns:

A farm house with lots of pumpkins:

A red barn, grain bin and silo:

A busy cluster of barns, equipment and silo. In fact, the road ended at this farm and I had to turn around in its driveway:

I drove on past where I'd begun on Hazen Road and continued my tour, enjoying the lovely rural scenery:

This old barn had a sunflower painted on its door:

Well fed Holsteins lounged comfortably near a farm pond:

And in many places, the cornfields grew right up alongside the road. My windows were down and I could hear the cornstalks and leaves rustling as I passed:

Hazen Road was a small road and I soon arrived at a larger, county road. This prosperous farm was near the intersection:

I turned onto the county road but then quickly pulled over to take one last photo with my camera pointed back toward Hazen Road:

Forests, Lake And Beauty On Lake Ozonia Road - Chapter 3

I had been surprised at the Adirondack beauty of Lake Ozonia and the lovely cottages along its shoreline. This red house sat behind snow covered spruce trees:

And this cute little cottage sat right on the shoreline:

But my favorite sight of all was this spectacular, abandoned cottage. It still seemed to radiate happiness in spite of its dilapidated condition:

In fact, I liked it so much that I took another photo. I noticed that there were still curtains in one window and wondered what else a person might find inside:

Every time I got a glimpse of Lake Ozonia, or more likely, one of its inlets or bays, I was impressed by its Adirondack beauty:

And there was an abundance of cottages encircling the lake:

There were many cottages, some small and simple, some large and elaborate:

It appeared that no one made use of these cottages during the winter. I don't suppose I would either, though everything sure was pretty:

And every place was posted against trespassers:

Rustic logs for pillars and green trim - certainly an Adirondack, woodsy style:

A barbecue and a wood burning chiminea on this porch, everything overlooking the lake:

More classic camp beauty. But it was about time for me to turn around and head back toward the highway. I'll post the final installment, Chapter 3, tomorrow:

Rural And Scenic Southville, New York

I left Converse and passed into Southville, also along Route 11B. The first thing I noticed was this Amish farm:

This farm had many outbuildings and barns. It looked as if they sold rough cut lumber in the summertime, and had religious messages on signs facing the highway:

Southville had modern homes:

And lots of big trees. In fact, the Southville State Forest was nearby:

I was especially enamored of this old barn all by itself up on a snowy hill and surrounded by trees. I'd have loved to have a look inside:

This rural home and, apparently, business was situated comfortably beneath Red Pines:

A more modern home with what looked to be Spruce out front:

And speaking of trees, I passed this sawmill in Southville:

 The barn was filled with neatly stacked lumber. There was lots of trucks and power equipment in operation, so I could tell it wasn't Amish:

 I passed by the Southville Cemetery, probably a very historic place. I didn't get out and look, though. Perhaps I'll do so in nicer weather:

I guessed that this friendly home marked the end of Southville, but I had other places yet to see. Tomorrow I'll post about the continuation of my driving tour: