October, it turns out, is Dahlia season. Jen’s careful tuber husbandry has paid off handsomely.
We strayed from the farm this weekend. Sarah was in Boston, rowing in the Colgate Alumnae Eight at the Head of the Charles.
We crossed the river to join the Sapersteins in a visit to the Scherrs’ new house in Woodstock. First, we met in Saugerties to watch a screening of Nuisance Bear, a documentary about Polar Bears in Manitoba, as part of the Woodstock Film Festival.
Back home, Sunday presented a perfectly crisp fall day, with this Red-tailed Hawk eyeing me suspiciously as he soared over our house.
At least one Eastern Screech Owl family has a new home available to it, as we (Jen) climbed the ladder to hang one of our owl houses. We’ll let you know if anyone takes up residence.
This morning Sarah and I ran in the Rhinebeck Fall Foliage 5K, an important tuneup for the Turkey Trot. We finished ahead of the impending Nor’easter which cut short our weekend at the farm.
Saturday morning was spent assembling these owl house, a gift from Zach Barnett. They are meant for Eastern Screech Owls. I hope they enjoy the accommodations.
Also on Saturday we harvested our first apple from our nano-orchard, after approximately a decade of cultivation. It may not surprise you to learn that this is its better side.
On Sunday we watched Sarah run a 10K in Poughkeepsie. Here you can see her at the finish, flying past a veteran of the Mordor Fun Run.
We had a big party to celebrate our 60th birthdays, with family and friends from near and far. Jen spiffied up the farm to a considerable extent, including large-scale fence-rebuilding and brush removal. We were lucky to have the nicest day of the year, sunny, mild and dry.
After cocktail hour in and around the barn, we had a buffet dinner in the barnyard.
Toasts were given.
Jen held everyone’s attention.
Sarah and her roommate Grace seemed to enjoy the party.
Erica & Geoff were lively guests.
Maya, here with Guy, organized the flowers, gathered from field and garden. They were beautiful!
in anticipation of our 60th birthday party, we performed the annual Sweeping of the Barn. This would be a more manageable task if we had fewer bats, actually swept out the barn annually, or both.
A mysterious figure gathers blackberries on the hill. What can it signify? The mysterious figure gathered no black raspberries this season, yet the Duchess County Fair impends. Stayed tuned for the jarring conclusion.
She doesn’t move as fast as she once did, and she has trouble with stairs, but she still trots over to say hello when we return from the field. And her tail remains majestic.
