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In June, we talked to local haymaker Herbie Stickle about haying our fields.  He showed up today, having finishing up haying at Burger Hill.  We were very glad to see him — it’s about three full days’ work to clear the fields with our little tractor.

While the farm brooded like Heathcliff, we ourselves had a happy Labor Day weekend.  Erica & Geoff visited, and John Harris flew in from Los Angeles to join me at Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia at Tanglewood.  On Sunday, Geoff and I squared off for an amiable Iron Chef-style pizza-making challenge.

Today we climbed the fire tower at Ferncliff.

John wore his new Rhinebeck Farmers Market T-shirt.

Before we returned to New York this afternoon, John took a spin in the kayak.  Daisy waited patiently for him to return to shore.

We attended the Dutchess C0unty Fair on Saturday — my first and only visit this year; Sarah’s fifth.  Jen won a blue ribbon for her Rhu-Berry jam.  She also took two second place ribbons, including, yet again, a grudging one for her peach-lemon marmalade with no first place ribbon given.  The judges — whom Jen refers to as the “jam biddies” — are quite strict.  Sarah took a third place ribbon for her photograph of Daisy’s nose.

Julie and Stacey enjoyed the Ferris wheel.

Sarah declined our annual hostility-sublimating bumper car session.  Julie was kind enough to fill in.

We saw goats, bunnies, and cows — and even a livestock costume show where we saw a cow dressed as the wife in American Gothic, led by a boy in overalls holding a pitchfork.

Back at the farm, our ever-agitated hawks circled overhead.  On Sunday we scattered my father’s ashes beneath the hickory tree where, seven years ago, we scattered my mother’s.  Dad loved the farm, and he loved the Dutchess County Fair.  We were missing him.

Our Feverfew is enjoying a moment in the late summer garden.

Also enjoying a moment: our rhubarb, as well as Jen, whose birthday was Friday.   She celebrated (after a nice birthday supper at Le Petit Bistro) by combining the rhubarb with blackberries to make Rhu-Berry jam.  Jen entered that, together with four other jams, in the Dutchess County Fair.  Stay tuned for fair results!

This is not our entire 2017 peach crop, but it is a majority of it.  Still, they’re pretty nice looking!

We just wrapped up a two-week vacation in which we returned to our roots.

Sarah returned to riding, aboard Joanie (the Pony) at Southlands.

John Harris returned, with his boys, for a mid-summer visit.

Sarah returned to the stage, at the Rhinebeck Performing Arts Center’s dance camp.

Jen returned to the pond.

And I returned to my agrarian roots (*agrarian roots sold separately).

Jen ranges far and wide gathering berries.  If you look carefully, you can see her trusty companion, Daisy.

Here, via Jen’s iPhone camera, is one of our blooming poppies, in traditional kit.

We also have non-traditional poppies, such as this white one.

Here’s a wacky pink one.

In forestry news, I got my new chain saw stuck in a log while clearing a downed elm.  Fortunately Chuck Kelso stopped by to help me out.

It rained all day on Memorial Day.  I was already a bit sad because this was the first year that Sarah did not march in the Memorial Day Parade.

She has, however, kept busy.  In anticipation of camp, less than a month away, Sarah has been practicing the ukulele.

We had a number of visitors, including this rather pale heron.  Sarah’s friend Ainsley slept over Friday night; Ivan and Elizabeth (and Fred, their ardent puppy) slept over Saturday night; and Sarah’s friend Tsion visited for a few hours on Sunday.  All were model guests, except possibly Fred.

Today Jen planted many tomatoes and peppers from the Northern Dutchess Botanical Garden.

Let’s look in on some of our outbuildings.

The barn is in fine shape, currently teeming with swallows (and pigeons).

The corn crib is hanging in there.  It could probably use a new roof.

And our creepiest structure, the mobile home, is fading into the jungle.  But not fast enough for Jen.