Rural Elmer Road, Town Of Lawrence NY

One morning I was in the mood for a driving tour, so I grabbed my camera, got into the car and headed to Elmer Road, where I knew I could find much rural beauty. The first farm I passed was this classic pair of barns, with a silo and hay bale elevator:

Farm equipment, a red barn and baleage stacked up for the winter:

In my mind, Elmer Road should be called "Elbow Road" because of the sharp turn it makes - and right at the turn is this log home:

They had two horses in the field, though I only managed to get one of them in the photo:

Two outbuildings, one apparently in use and the other not:

I have photographed this woodsy home before, set back in the pines like a forest hideaway. This, however, may be the first time I've seen it in the winter. It still looked woodsy and welcoming:

A series of outbuildings, apparently leading to someone's home, mostly hidden by trees:

I came to this ambitious and prosperous looking Amish farm, with its twin barns and twin silos:

I got a closer view of the silos and one of the barns as I passed by:

Another barn, this one with a traditional buggy parked outside:

The same Amish farm had a roadside stand and another barn beside the house:

And the house had laundry drying on the porch, a tree swing and a children's sled:

Still the same farm, I passed this workshop and windmill:

They also had a busy, prosperous looking sawmill. But that was the end of Elmer Road. I then turned right on Alburg Road, but I'll post those photos tomorrow:

Peru Road, Town Of Lawrence, New York - Part 1

It was a clear, beautiful winter day in the north country, and I decided to take a driving tour on my way to Potsdam. I chose Peru Road, in the rural town of Lawrence, NY. My first stop was this woodsy home with firewood stacked up outdoors:

There were a few big, modern suburban homes, but I skipped them, searching for older places, reminiscent of country life in the past. This barn, wagon and outbuildings was just what I was looking for:

I drove right by this home, thinking it didn't look old enough, but then backed up to snap a picture when I noticed, on my way by, how scenic it was. What a lovely home in the country:

I stopped to photograph this home, but several small, furiously barking dogs sent me quickly on my way. It wasn't until I got home and looked at the photo that I saw the hanging deer carcass, the bird feeder and the big dog:

Peru Road has some prosperous looking Amish farms, and this one is perhaps the biggest and most picturesque:

This is the house which goes with the above farm:

There were corn fields and hay fields all along the road:

This honey stand stopped me in my tracks because I recognized it. I used to buy honey from this self-serve stand when it was on the highway, but then it disappeared. Apparently the bee keeper moved to Peru Road - or maybe he quit keeping bees and sold the stand:

This magnificent barn was behind the honey stand:

A field of Amish corn shocks:

Another prosperous looking Amish home:

And a beautiful Amish barn. There was more yet to see on Peru Road, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Maple Ridge Road In Brasher, New York - Part 3

Maple Ridge Road took me alongside the St. Regis River (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously):

This old barn sat back in the trees as if it hadn't been used in many years:

The St. Regis River ran beside the road for a long way, making it very scenic:

And yet there were still farms, barns and silos along the way:

Non-farmers had been building homes in this scenic, rural environment because they loved country life. Who wouldn't want to live here?:

This old cemetery suggested the settlement here was once called Carville:

A hip roofed home, set back in the pines:

A neat and tidy farm, with its buildings lined up in a row:

I came to the end of Maple Ridge Road and toward the hamlet of Helena, NY. This large dairy operation drew my attention, though, so I kept snapping photos:

Forage wagons and barns. This was a large, busy farm:

Old and new barns with silos and grain bins. The white plastic off to the right appeared to be bagged silage, a modern version of the bunker silo:

I arrived in the Hamlet of Helena and stopped at this old church, which a sign said was now the museum for the town of Brasher. I hope to find out more and possibly visit it:

Maple Ridge Road In Brasher, New York - Part 2

I was touring Maple Ridge Road in the town of Brasher, NY (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and stopped to watch these Holstein calves:

There was a cluster of barns, but one of them had collapsed:

I was not taking photos of the suburban style homes, but took this one to illustrate the move of non-farmers to country living. It would be a short commute to several larger towns to work each day:

This old farm house might have looked abandoned, but the mowed lawn and tractor out back suggested that it is still occupied:

A neat and tidy family farm:

This appeared to be an old barn, being rebuilt:

A large dairy barn and silo, apparently no longer in use:

This house reminded me of my aunt's farm house in Oregon, where I first developed my love of cattle, chickens and rural life in general. Notice the silo out back:

A silo and barn, both in excellent shape:

The bucket underneath this tractor suggested to me that it was being repaired:

A very tall barn alongside the road:

A woodsy home, nestled behind White Pines. And yet there was still more to see on Maple Ridge Road. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: