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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.

The tractors were out this weekend as we have had a few days of dry weather — long enough to make hay.

But more importantly, Sarah’s T-ball championship game, awards ceremony and picnic were held on Saturday.  Here is Sarah taking a lead off first base.

And here she is receiving some important advice about fielding.  She seems dubious.

Sarah doubtless impressed her coaches with her fine performance.

The official photographer took a team picture…

…while vintage aircraft circled overhead.

Sarah won the award for Best Hitter with Runners on Base, which is basically the Nobel Prize for T-ball.  It came with a medal and t-shirt.

Here’s the happy medalist.

Here is a robin, surveying his domain during a rare sunny moment this weekend.  The T-ball championship game and picnic were rained out on Saturday, but are now scheduled for next Saturday.  Next weekend should also bring us plenty of black raspberries: the first ones were ripe this weekend, about a week before last year.

We have a bumper crop of rabbits this spring.

In bloom: astilbe.

It’s nice to have a splash of color on a dreary day.

Atop the left pilaster you can see the nest of the phoebe — which Sarah, confusing her fashionable Upper West Side children’s names, sometimes calls a gwyneth.