RhinebeckFarm.com

Sarah returned from camp, got a haircut and her ears pierced, and now looks 25.  It’s nice to have her home!  She starts pony camp at Southlands on Monday.

On Saturday Sarah had a sleepover with her friends Anna and Lucy.  Jen and I had dinner with Ivan and Elizabeth at The Corner, Brice Marsden’s restaurant in Tivoli, followed by a performance at Bard College by the Wynton Marsalis Octet (preceded, to our surprise and delight, by four different student jazz ensembles).  None of this kept Jen from staying up late and making blackberry jam.

Last weekend was our 16th anniversary.  We celebrated with dinner at Le Petit Bistro, the French restaurant in downtown Rhinebeck which, for whatever reason, we had never before visited.  On Saturday we took a picnic lunch to Mills Mansion in Staatsburg, just south of Rhinebeck, where we were married.

Here’s the view from the lawn where we had the ceremony and reception, in a monsoon.

Back at home, Jen did what she does this time of year: make jam.

We celebrated Independence Day with a long weekend at the farm.

While Jen gardened, I spent some quality time on the tractor.

We watched Chuck and company build a new mud room porch.

We marveled at the bizarre fungi growing on our trees.

And we spotted a bunny or two.

I guess this is more appropriate for Mother’s Day than for Father’s Day, but this red-eared slider dug a hole for her eggs right in front of the door to Jen’s garden.

They say there’s always good fishing after a rain.  When Daisy and I arrived at the farm on Saturday morning (Jen and Sarah were on a Caedmon alumni canoe trip in Narrowsburg), we found it cold and wet: 55 degrees with a driving rain.  Eventually the skies cleared, and we saw this heron fishing for a late lunch.

Things brightened further when Jen and Sarah turned up.  Jen and I went to the Northern Dutchess Botanical Gardens to find some plants for the garden.

This strawberry plant came with a head start, visible at the tip of Jen’s right index finger.

We were smiled upon by one of the NDBG’s photogenic frogs.

The Ravens played their last game of the season — perhaps their last game ever — on Sunday against West Point.  They played an excellent, spirited game against a very tough opponent.  While they did not prevail, they should be proud of how they played as a team.

Jen cut a few peonies before we left.

It did not actually rain on our parade — including Rhinebeck’s mind-boggling assortment of fire trucks —  although it threatened to do so.  Sarah marched with the Rhinebeck Ravens, likely for the last time.  The team will not continue after this season.

All of the Burleighs visited for the weekend.   We would not have minded a little rain as we watched the parade from the covered front porch of the new home of our friends Guy and Maya.  They were out of town, so, technically, we were trespassing.

It was a very hot weekend.  Sarah swam in the pond both Saturday (with Jen, Rinda, Lewis, and Erica) and Sunday (with fellow Raven Maeve).

We spent most of Saturday at Harriman State Park cheering on Jen as she took on the swim portion of a relay triathlon.  After Jen braved the frigid waters of Lake Welch for a half-mile swim, her team turned in strong biking and running performances, finishing second among the relay teams.

Sunday’s athletic endeavors were somewhat less successful.   A doleful Daisy looked on as the Ravens were routed eight nothing by the Cordlandt Riveters.

Sylph-like Sarah frolicked on the bench.  We are glad that springtime is here, although it was only about 50 degrees.

The lilacs, and many other flowers, are blooming.

Mothers Day was celebrated across the farm, including, we assume, in this nest just outside our front door.

Jen enjoyed her customary breakfast in bed, this year featuring a spinach, cheddar and ramp omelet.  Sarah and I got her a gift certificate at the Hudson Valley Seed Bank.

But an even greater gift arrived in the form of a 4-1 Ravens victory over the Peekskill Santos, ending a two and three-quarter season-long schneid.  Sarah, who played a terrific game, celebrated with her teammates over tacos and ice cream in beautiful downtown Peekskill.