Frosty Pumpkins

My walkabout with the camera was a little frosty but very rewarding.

I had the sun on my shoulder which should become noticeable on some of these shots.
The creek water was black and cold but made a wonderful background for reflecting images.
Another pilgrim that had left this monument in the fall woods.
You can see a touch of frost on the top of these round bales.
Another delicate frosting that was soon to dissolve in the morning sunlight.

If a leaf falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? A. NO!
Its a wonderful blend of colors now browns and reds and the occasional green vegetation.
I like the contrast in this one.
One of my favorite bends in the channel this is a good place to hang out early in the morning.
Had to show this one in Black and White the dark water sets the mood for this shot.
How inviting is this leaf strewn path bordered with late season ferns?
Milkweed pod in its late season stage
When I got home I noticed that we had a few leaves in my backyard that needed raking!

Payday

All the investment, planning and hard work has finally paid off.


Recent modifications to our Buff pen
The roost after dark, looks like plenty of room for three more if they get along.
My new PVC feeder the pipe holds about a weeks worth of feed .
Ok it's a start! Wonder if Eggland started this way?

Change of Season

Fall is in the air as the nights begin to cool down and the air becomes sharp and clear. It's time to put aside the homesteading projects for a little while and pick up the camera that has been gathering dust and head into natures world to reconnect with the land.
I included this obviously out of focus frame because I like the effect of the blur on this running fawn.
Some beautiful Wood Ducks shared the morning sun with me.
This was the frame right before he made the big jump!
These nice wild turkeys were kind enough to pose in front of the Bee Hives.
It's only early September but a touch of fall color is already in evidence in the upper marsh.
This Morning Glory contrasted nicely with the Goldenrod, what a beautiful sight!
I was already having a great morning when this gang showed up, it's what is referred to as the icing on the cake! The still water of the river makes for some great reflections on these shots.
Looks like Mama had a good summer and is raising two young ones.
I am off for a few days and hope to add more wildlife shots in the near future.

Chick Magnet

New Chicks are here! The Breed is Buff Orpingtons they are gentle giants suposed to be cold weather hardy and lay lots of big brown eggs.
One reason they are good in the cold is that they have very dense feathering which is already in evidence.
Once they grow up a little they will join the laying flock next door.

Intergrated Systems

Time for an update on the garden
The trellis of cherry tomatoes is a welcome addition you can munch anytime you go by.
We have lots of nice big fruit waiting to ripen they are heading for the canning jars .
We have picked these 3 Saturdays in a row from a small Trellis, made Dilly Beans from the first pickings.
Posting a few looks at my Composters at work.
Yeah I know they look like laying hens but look under their feet.
The Hoop Coop is ready for the new arrivals my Buff Orpington pullets.
The whole garden except what we eat goes into the chicken pen to be recycled into compost for next year. The chickens work for free everyday shredding and turning the compost pile!

No Closed Season

Home this week for the 4th of July Holiday so was able to get out and scout early in the mornings.
One of a few Whitetail Fawns I was lucky enough to see this week.

This ones a cutie, we are both wondering where Her Mama is.

This early morning sighting has a surprise hiding in the long grass.

It was raining when I took this shot, you can see the wet look on this one.

Mama finally appeared out of the ditch and took ownership of her little one.

This one was definitely camera shy.

One of my favorites you can now see the little one standing up in the high grass and reflected in the water.

How did you Guys get in here ? These were some yard birds we saw on our travels.

Its been very rainy and cloudy all week here it was nice to get the sun shining on one this morning. I was out walking in my moccasins and had the advantage of seeing Her first.

June

Time for an update on the chickens they are chicks no more as evidenced by this shot of one of the Barred Rock Pullets.



This was an early morning shot I thought was in keeping with the livestock theme.

A recent Saturday project building the Nesting Boxes.

This is how big the Rhode Island Red pullets are now!

Four nest Condo under constuction, who says there is a downturn in home building.

Ah my long awaited chance at a newborn fawn, I was thrilled to have this opourtunity with my camera.

This Peek A Boo shot was the result of an early morning scout.

I was feeling kind of old on this one, I had to hurry up to catch him and he almost beat me.

Another look as I catch my breath.

One more of the Baby too.

Thanks for checking in

Garden Update

Here's a new look at the old ground. you can see some hills in the foreground those are pumpkins and in the background are tomato cages and trellis panels for beans and cukes.
Still picking rocks but most of the large ones have been dealt with.

The new home for those stones is this wall that Susan is building, Its a beautiful addition to our garden.

The chicks have been moved into their permanent home.

Cool temps have them hanging out under the heat lamp.

Adopt a Chicken

Due to the unexpected response to the Adopt a Chicken program, as promised here are some individual looks at the perspective candidates with a brief description for each. Number One is a Barred Rock chick that has a large white spot on the top of his head much like a chickadee!
Number Two is a Rhode Island Red this one is very neat and dainty, definitely a Girly Girl.

Number Three, this Red has a dark reddish color with orange stripes like a creamsicle.

Number four has wings much more developed than the others, she likes to spread her wings and try to fly.

Number Five has a smaller white spot, she is a guardian and watches out for and protects her little sister Dinky.

Last but not least Number six is the littlest chick She is a character and is always getting into trouble. When I took her picture she was the only one who escaped and I had to chase her around the yard to catch her.

Have fun picking out and naming your favorite chick!

Green Acres

Mr Haney, Proprietor. The picture below is a pile of roots, along with a stone wall full of rocks they are the first thing harvested out of the new garden! There is something satisfying about extracting a tough old root I would recommend it for everyone its good for the soul.

Some of the stones with which we decided to build the great wall of Alburgh. I am reminded of an old but true saying, " When you buy the meat you buy the bones. and when you buy the land you by the stones. "

One of our non - traditional gardens we have tomato's in this container garden on the south wall of our little barn.

Our Square Foot gardens are up and running they are very easy to plant and maintain.

This is the land we cleared for our new garden I have named it the Garden Of Eatin. Getting ready to plant potatoes, squash, pumpkins , green beans and cucumbers down here.

Its OK to be Square!

This is Sue's oasis in all of this She has hummers coming to her feeder and some of the birds are using the other thing so at least someone is taking a bath around here.

These new Chicks arrived today and are a welcome addition to the Homestead.

Wow I just noticed its double coupon day! I think one of them is sitting on the chicken specials.

Some wild baby's have made an appearance this week. If you look close you can spot two in this picture.

Got these shots in a neighbors field, I think someone needs a time out.

Things are looking up!

Another good reason why its perfectly sensible to occasionally scan the tree tops .

It's not warm enough to plant just yet but the Square Foot garden stands ready for another growing season.

A diamond in the rough the new ground is raked and ready for stage two.

Our Contractor is coming tonight to size up the job of stump pulling and rock removal

Seems everyone in the neighborhood is interested in what we are up to and are keeping a sharp eye on us.

Retirement Plan

Seems nice to have a door open without a bunch of kids hollering Pig's Out every few minutes.

We started our Tomatoes from seed and the plants are coming along, should be ready to plant outside around Memorial day.

This is the Henhouse fresh off the lake from down at Holiday Harbor.

After getting the building in place it was time to rough out the pen.

This run has southern exposure and should get some nice sun in the afternoon.

Sue had to move her swing to a new location to make room for the new arrivals.

We have been clearing off the lower lot where we cut the trees this winter.

I chipped the brush that was left and made a couple of nice piles of wood chips for use on this project.

All the leaves and old growth
are going into the compost bins to break down naturally for use in our garden

Thanks for looking in I will Post more on our Homesteading project soon.

Taking down the tree

Ah, the holiday season, a time of shopping, presents, eggnog and after its all over you take down the tree and put it all away for another year.

Taking down our tree was a lot harder this year than it normally is. We must be getting older.

Winter Beauty

Out on the trails on this first day of the New Year

Happy New year to everyone. Thanks for looking in, we are glad to be sharing the beauty of this season with all of you.

There’s a certain Slant of light,Winter Afternoons That oppresses, like the Heft Of Cathedral Tunes

When it comes, the Landscape listens Shadows hold their breath

Buck Snort Gang

Recent visitors from the Midwest arrived for the holidays ready to enjoy the great outdoors.

Some small adjustments were in order to accommodate the snow conditions

Frequent Buck Snorts were heard echoing in the hardwoods as the cold conditions had noses running like a sap tree.

Hot cocoa was requested and has fast become a favorite with our gang.

The leader of the Buck Snort gang cooking in the snow.

We have enjoyed our time in the woods checking out the tracks in the fresh snow.

No Mosquito's

Not a single stinging insect was encountered on today's scout! I paid a visit to the beaver Condo and saw that they have kept a hole open near the lodge.
A very refreshing change of scenery this week as the fresh snow turned the grey and brown of late fall into a beautiful white tapestry

I took this same shot recently in a previous Post below, you can compare the two and really see what an amazing change has occurred in such a short time.

This is an Alder Tree with some pretty cold Catkins.

When we get the nice clear days together with the fresh snowfalls it gives such an interesting accent and a fresh look to so many things.

Thanks for looking in.

New Fangled Stove

This is the new way to burn wood which is catching on big time recently in our neck of the woods.
The stoves have a hopper that holds about 70 lbs of pellets so you only have to fill them once a day, just dump in one of the 40 lb bags and walk away.

The pellets are fed by an auger into a super heated fire pot which heats tubes through which nice hot air blows into your living space.

The pellets are made from premium natural hardwoods and have a very low moisture content so your not expending precious energy burning off water. These pellets have the official seal of approval from the Vt Teddy Bear in residence.

You can buy them a bag at a time or by the ton which is what we do. This is what your wood pile looks like all stacked in the garage high and dry and ready when you are.

We are on our second year of heating with wood pellets and after moving the stove up out of the cellar and closer to our living space we are very snug and warm so far this winter. We like the quiet simplicity of our stove and enjoy watching the flames on a cold winter night.

Frosty Morning

Out early today for a scout with the camera, it was cold and the wind was brisk but the trail looked inviting.
There is some interesting color combinations to capture this time of year.

Brother John was remarking in an earlier Post that the water look very calm and clear.

I hope you can see in this picture some of that "clear" stuff is coating these fresh Beaver cuts.

How cold was it? Well you can't just go by the thermometer, you have to factor in wind chill and other varibles on any given day. I guess its cold enough for most folks when the wild birds are frozen to the branches and you have to pull them free so they can fly away.

Thanks for looking in.

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

Out with the camera for a scout the day after Thanksgiving.

Just hitting on all the color that is availible, its mostly brown and grey now.

I was happily surprised to see these two Otters out hunting for breakfast.

This is where they were busting up through the river ice you can see the pieces of ice on top indicating they came up from underneath.

These Beaver's know how to handle a Vermont winter, they build a snug lodge and stock it with plenty of good food and wait for spring to come again.
I had a hard time timing these shots, they were under water and would just pop up long enough for one quick shot.
On my way out I spotted this Muskrat enjoying the little bit of open water under this culvert.

Everything is beautiful in its own time.

Thank's for checking in.

Happy Trails

We got out for a nice hike in the marsh and were surprised to see lot's of Beaver activity.

Besides the softer woods like alder and swamp maple they were trying their teeth out on some oak's.

Notice the protective wire mesh that was suposed to keep them from girdling a tree like this.

They have their lodges built up and supplies laid in for winter.

Craft Shop

This is my new stove made out of a fancy feast cat food can! It is an amazing rig it puts out a nice flame just like a gas stove burner and boils water in a jiffy.



The weather lately has not been the best for photography or biking so I have been getting into some indoor projects. The knife's pictured below have been modified from their original shape, shortened and re profiled to my liking. The results were gratifying the end result is a very functional knife that is at home in the kitchen or in the field. Handles are another endeavor, I enjoy watching them take shape, each one comes out slightly different.
This project features a commercial blade fitted to a custom handle that I fitted, sanded and stained.
Another project that is waiting is to seal and mount this great old nest that we harvested at the end of the season.

Bawana does October

The Artist's Palate

Scenes from September

The patterns of colors emerge slowly at first.
As fields ripen and the cool days return, the colors intensify and transform the landscape.
Nature is busy gathering stores for the winter months ahead.
This is a good example of the season and how it looks
Many wood piles like this are on display as people pepare to offset the high cost of home heating in the coming months.
It takes thousands of leaves like this to put on the foliage production we enjoy every year.

Another September classic, even the wind rows of freshly cut hay have fall color in them!
The baby turtles are hatching this month and emerging from their underground nest.
When the air gets cool and crisp in the fall it also gets exceptionally clear.
Fall is harvest time and there is an abundance of produce to enjoy.

Time away

The question comes up every so often, where do people who live here go on vacation?


With so much natural beauty right here at home you don't have to seek it elsewhere but a change is always nice!

I loaded up some gear in the pack and headed into the Adirondacks to hang out with the Loons on a beautiful remote lake.

Some primitive camping is good for the soul and a good way to maintain our vital connection with the land.

Snake in the Grass

Its a time of transition as new colors blend into the summer landscape.
The cooler nights and sunny days have the snakes out seeking the warmth of an unshaded spot.

I captured this as this young wooduck dries out his wings.
At last a decent look at the elusive Belted Kingfisher. No he is not having a bad hair day his plumage sticks up like a cow lick.
Its peaceful along this stretch early in the morning.
He has his sharp eye on something and he will power dive into the water to get his meal.

Some color frames to add to the composition is always nice!

Blue winged teal in the early morning light.
The fox grapes are ripe and look so inviting but they are sour and tart. How do I know, I checked!
Everything is beautiful in its time. (Even a Bull Thistle)
This one was on a stump and he blended in perfectly.

Lake Champlain Birders Trail

Birds and flowers are some of the favorite targets on any walk. They come together beautifully in this shot as the magic of digital slows and captures this moment in time.


I was surprised by a visit from this Snowy Egret

They can drop by anytime! I love how the white stands out against the green background.
Keeping life in balance.

A good look at a Spotted Sandpiper.

Just the right moment.
It was dark in there, had to use flash to get this one.

Stop by again soon, Fall is almost upon us!