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We had a sunny, summery weekend, although you wouldn’t have known that looking at this morning’s fog.

On Saturday, Sarah rode indoors so they could set up the outdoor rings for the Southland Foundation’s annual gala.  She and Owen showed good form, but it was so hot in the ring they had to cut the lesson short.

While investigating the secret garden, Jen and I heard a wobbly sound overhead.  It turned out to be our former swans, Frank and Susan, returning for a visit to the pond.

We spent much of the weekend harvesting (tomatoes, basil, peppers), cooking (hot sauce, pesto), and eating.

Jen, Sarah and Erica cooled off in the pond on Labor Day.

Jen was industrious over the weekend, hanging aluminum pie tins in the garden to scare off the birds that had been eating our tomatoes.  So far, it seems effective, although it’s not clear whether the clanging is worth it.

Here’s the view from atop the Ferris wheel at the Dutchess County Fair.

Aunts Julie and Stacey visited for the weekend.

Sarah, shown here on the high swing with her mother, attended all six days of the fair.  She won a fistful of ribbons riding Owen in an equitation competition, although she has somewhat less success with him in the hunter competition the following day.  She also won a blue ribbon for a ceramic bowl she made at Hidden Valley Camp, and a red ribbon and a Chairman’s Choice award for a glass vase she made there.  We are very proud of her!

While Sarah loves the midway rides, I prefer touring the barns, preferably with a 4H milkshake in hand.  Here is an especially welcoming goat.

Jen began her birthday with breakfast in bed.

It looked like it might be a washout, but the rain stopped in the afternoon to allow a birthday barbecue feast with salmon, London broil, and ribs (surf & turf & sty).

Our summer vacation was not entirely under blue skies.

On the bright side, we had our annual visit by John Harris and his boys, with whom I went hiking in the Catskills.  As you can see, they were awed by Kaaterskill Falls, the highest waterfall in New York — yes, even taller than Niagara Falls.

But Jen was stricken by appendicitis, necessitating a sprint to New York for a midnight appendectomy.

Back at the farm, we kept a close watch on Jen as she recuperated.

We also watched our fawns growing up.

Today, we watched Sarah ride in the low hunters competition at Meadow Creek Farm in Pleasant Valley.  She won some ribbons even though her balky pony, Owen, refused a jump three times.  We were glad that Sarah stayed on top of Owen!

Daisy, battling an ear infection, has been off her feed.

Picking up the slack, this diabolically industrious chipmunk devoured not yet ripe blackberries for which Jen had other plans.

Jen was consoled by her stargazer lilies, blooming in front of the house.

While Sarah was at the town pool, we took a walk and were pleased to find our old friends Frank and Susan in the swamp.

On Thursday, Sarah returned to New York from Hidden Valley Camp, and by Saturday she was safely installed in the pond with her mom.  It is great to have her back with us!

Daisy, very pleased to be reunited with Sarah, barked encouragement.

Other pond visitors included this Great Blue Heron.

One is never too old to learn.  Today I learned to be more careful with my wallet while mowing.

We returned from an impromptu long (seven-day) weekend in Croatia, where we toured walled cities and Roman ruins and sampled the general pleasures of the Adriatic.  Some kind of hot air balloon confab was held in Rhinebeck this weekend.  Jen caught this balloon over East Market Street while she was buying a loaf of bread.

Jen’s secret garden, now professionally weeded, is like the Tuilleries.

We had a lazy Sunday in Rhinebeck, watching a thunderstorm from the back porch, after a busy Saturday in New York in which we saw Sarah off to her last summer at Hidden Valley Camp.