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This is the beautiful light that greeted us when we arrived late Saturday afternoon. It doesn’t last very long this time of year.

I was wandering around the North Woods in Central Park late Saturday morning when I heard a rising cheer from every direction. I knew at once the election had been called for Joe Biden. That’s a nice thing about living in New York: you can find out if, say, the Yankees have won the pennant without watching the game. Your neighbors will let you know.

After Sarah’s dance rehearsal we drove up to Rhinebeck and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a glass of Champagne on the back porch with the Lawsons.

Lately we have been spending Friday nights in the city because Sarah has mid-day Saturday dance practice, where she is gunning for a big role in the Nutcracker. Here’s one of our more photogenic maples shortly after we arrived late Saturday afternoon. We hurried over to Southlands for their annual fundraising gala, held this year in drive-in format. They showed a short film about Southlands’ past and present, in which Sarah spoke rather touchingly about what riding can teach us about goal-setting and the value of persistence. Then we watched a documentary, Harry & Snowman, about a man whose devotion to horse jumping destroys his family. Finally, we hurried home for another documentary, shown on the side of our barn, likely the last of our drive-ins for the season.

Herb Stickle made round bales this year. They looked very handsome standing in the field. Sarah, our resident equestrian, described the difference between square bales and round bales: “Square bales are single-serve; round bales are a buffet.”

It is very late in the season to be making hay. I was starting to get more than a little nervous that Herb Stickle wouldn’t show up this year, leaving me to mow umpteen acres of high grass. But Jen and I heard the roar of the mower over the hill while out walking. It was a great relief!

We were more than a bit wistful Sunday evening when it was time to head back to New York after six months (for me, to the day) at the farm. Sarah stared at the hazy sky while Daisy ran over to see what she was doing.

Daisy wasn’t thrilled about heading back to town either.

So far we have had spectacular weather for Labor Day weekend. On Friday we had a visit from Ivan and Elizabeth Saperstein, who brought fried chicken. We contributed a salad from our overflowing supply of tomatoes and cucumbers.

Today, Daisy grazed near the hammock where I spent part of the afternoon, resting after a morning bout of vine-cutting.

Labor Day is alway a bit wistful, a punctuation mark at the end of summer. It is even more so this year. After almost exactly six months here, we will return to New York next Sunday. Sarah returns to school in person on September 16.

Here is Jen, harvesting carrots and tomatoes from her resplendent garden.

And here she is on the sun porch, worrying about Concord Academy’s return-to-school plans. She has many under her care!

Petty well, I would say.

This evening we had dramatic skies, and reflections, after a Sunday thunderstorm. Sarah and Jen spent much of the day in Kingston, gathering supplies for Sarah’s new mask-making business, while I battled various invasive vines in the woods and Daisy slept on the front stoop.