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Sarah is learning how to knit a scarf.

We gave the old Dazey butter churn a whirl this morning.  Actually, we gave it what seemed like thousands of whirls.  Eventually, the cream started to look butterish.

And then, suddenly, it was butter — quite tasty, but I wouldn’t want to have to do it every morning.

This weekend we attended the 165th Dutchess County Fair. 

It’s not just about sampling local delicacies, such as fried dough, funnel cake and elephant ears.  We met plenty of animals, from the soulful goats…

… to the handsome, prize-winning roosters…

… to the miffed-looking, ribbonless roosters.

There were many, many piglets.

Sarah even learned how to make non-dairy creamer.

For some reason, the 4H community seems willing to overlook the evident science that produces these creatures.  Instead, everything is a miracle.  Not just eggs hatching:

… but also the birth of a calf (at the Miracle of Life Dairy Birthing Center, with stadium seating).

And, if you don’t catch the action live, you can always watch this revolting — yet miraculous — video.

This little girl contemplated the miracle of mint jelly.

I don’t want to say it was a reactionary environment, but these sheep struck me as racist.

Fortunately, there were plenty of rides.  There were traditional favorites, like bumper cars…

… more modern attractions, like this bungee/trampoline thing…

… and something entirely new this year: the Hamster Dance.

Each child was allowed to participate until she depleted her oxygen supply.

Sarah won a bunny — “Puffball” — throwing darts at balloons on the midway.  She was very pleased.

Back at home, we wished we had entered this tomato, which surely would have won a blue ribbon.

And Jen discovered a new crop — wild grapes — which she turned into a dozen jars of jelly.

Here’s Jen fixing up one of the two cast iron beds we picked up at a barn sale last weekend.  The other one is in Sarah’s room — she says it’s like sleeping on a cloud, so we’re not sure refinishing it could improve upon that.

The garden is producing beautiful brandywine tomatoes, and plenty of them.

We had a great summer vacation, mostly at the farm.  We started off last week with a canoe trip in the Adirondacks, on Follensby Clear Pond.  Here is Sarah preparing to launch the Sarah K. 

Sarah got the full camping experience, including a campfire dinner (hot dogs, corn on the cob and s’mores) and plenty of trail mix.  Sarah and Jen gathered about a quart of blueberries from bushes near our campsite, which made for a geat breakfast.

Back at the farm, everything was getting bigger: the sunflowers …

 … the fawns …

… the turkeys …

… and even the barn swallows, who are getting ready for their long trip south.

The barn swallows were kept company by my father, who spent lots of time working on a Secret Project.

He also managed to find a little time to help out with the yardwork.

The garden is in full swing, producing large quantities of tomatoes, basil and cucumbers. 

We made plenty of homemade treats.  I made these pickles, and Jen made a delicious hickory nut pesto.

Jen let us have some of her blackberries so we could make ice cream.

Sarah already has her eye on the fall, though.  Halloween is just around the corner, and she plans to be ready.

It has not been a great year for berries.  Jen was able to whip this up on Saturday night, but there will not be dozens of jars of jam, as there were last year.

Fortunately, things are going well in the garden.  In this corner is Sarah’s pumpkin plant, which is taking over the world.

Below are the only cucumbers we’ve been able to remember to pick before they become the size, and texture, of footballs.

And we should have plenty of tomatoes.

We had a rainy Saturday, but Jen and Sarah made the best of it.  It’s been quite hot, and some rain was welcome. 

Eventually the sun came out, and with it the bunnies…

… and their admirers.

The rain was particularly welcome in the garden.  Sarah’s pumpkin is thriving.

The corn seems to be doing well too.

Here is a squirrel that, for reasons best known to itself, has been ripping the stuffing out of the cushions on the porch chairs.

And in front of the house, the Rose of Sharon is in full bloom.

It was a two-hammock kind of weekend.  Sarah (in the far one), thinks that “hammock” is an intransitive verb.  She says, “Let’s go hammocking!”  — and so we do.

We didn’t spend the whole weekend suspended from trees, though.  Jen tended her garden.

And I did plenty of mowing, while birds of prey circled overhead.

Sarah organized a game of croquet.

But it was mostly an excuse to stay outside in the evening.

Sarah’s friend Emmanuelle visited for a July 4th barbecue, and they reenacted Swan Lake.

We also visited the heron family, living above the swamp.

It was a hot weekend.  Here’s Sarah on Sunday, after cooling off with a dip in the pond.

On Saturday, Sarah had a visit from her friend Sophie.  Sophie has a swimming pool, and could not be induced to swim in the pond, but they did have a lot of fun together.  They went bug-hunting, and Sophie caught a small frog, which she took home.

On Saturday evening, we had wiffleball …

… and firefly catching…

…and, eventually, some barbecue.