Some Gave All

The boss's best high school friend did not come home...he still tells stories of their adventures as lively young men. We visit the cemetery every now and then...

Mason Lake

We tried Pecks for a boat rental and fishing trip, but there was no one at the marina, so we headed North.

Open freshwater mussels like this were scattered everywhere. Raccoons been busy maybe...

There we discovered a road, heretofore unmarked, which took us to a little kayak and canoe launch on Mason Lake, which is a really nice little gem south of Indian Lake.

12 little Mallards swimming in a row

The kids fished for a while, while I hunted for birds, as I had forgotten my fishing license (it is now in my camera case). They hooked some bullheads, which promptly dragged their lines under rocks, and saw a nice Small Mouth Bass as well.

The birds were enthusiastic, and included the first Veery of the year, Ovenbirds, and Red-eyed Vireos.

Alas, the blackflies were even more eager at their work and Alan wanted to barbecue, so we came on home fairly early. Fun trip though. I have always liked that little lake and it is even better to actually be able to access the shoreline and adjacent woods.

There was even a Ruby-throated Hummingbird enjoying an apple tree plumb laden with bloom
And with bumblebees, as it is finally warm enough for them to be out pollinating.

Week of Birds

Baby Grackles. Their parents have utterly fouled...or should it be fowled...my garden pond,
dumping fecal sacs into it. Can't wait until they fledge.

LOTS of these around this year

Brown Thrasher. They nest in the wild roses near the lawn

Baby Starling, yippee skippy

Right Place, Right Time

Got lucky with this photo of the dam at Lock 12...it was so pretty there that evening.

To our favorite Farmer Chick

You know, the young lady who has an incubator in the dining room and lambs and ducks and turkeys and chickens and guinea hens and quail and a calf etc. in the old heifer barn.

Happy Birthday!

Too Late for Photos

Sunny Destin, Florida, a place we really, really liked

Bought some grapefruit in sunny Florida when Alan took us down the last week in December. We ate a bunch of them...so much tastier than the kind in stores up here...and then I FORGOT THEM!!!

They languished in the crisper drawer until this morning, when I realized that I should probably throw them away. I hauled them out to the compost but then decided to cut one in half for the Catbirds.

It was perfect! Juicy, fragrant, and lovely. The Catbirds think so too.

So I hauled the nicest ones back in and am eating one with fresh May strawberries. Awesomeness in a bowl, I gotta tell you. Two seasons and two states combined to make a breakfast surprise that is certainly going to be duplicated on the morrow.

How about that? Who knew?

The combination is so delicious that it is too late for photos.

Sun dappled NY. We like it here too...at least this time of year

Toasting the Tanks

One of the watermen said that this is 100 feet longer than a football field
with each barge being 190 feet long, plus the 1200 hp tug

We ended up at a sort of an accidental party last night and it sure was fun. We met some nice new folks, got to catch up with farmer neighbors we live a couple of miles from but rarely actually see and had a heckin good time watching skilled watermen move gigantic beer tank barges through Lock 12 in Tribes Hill.

The pros

About the company

The story of what was going on is here. And here is a list of barge terminology, which I thought was interesting. 

These young men work really hard

We had hoped to catch the barges passing by as we are right near the river, but it had kind of slipped my mind until I saw a video of them passing Amsterdam yesterday evening. I called the boss and he was willing and off we went.

We hit all our favorite river spots, and finally decided upon Lock 12 as the best vantage, with the added possibility of watching the barges.

Pretty cool that this young man could move the whole shebang closer to shore just by stepping on this line

If you would like to see the tanks yourself, here is a tentative schedule.

And here is another story about the story.

First thing this morning I went out to hang up some laundry. Came a now-familiar rumble of a really big engine. I looked down through the trees at the Mighty Mohawk and there were the barges, going right past our house.

Peep

Eastern Phoebe

Woke up to dense fog, peeping coming from the incubator, which has been rolling eggs and popping out chicks and ducklings and turkey poults for weeks, and work to do before play.

No one knows what that newly-escaped-from-the-egg birdie is, as some hen abandoned a nest and Liz brought the eggs inside to hatch. It's black and yellow though, and that is all I can tell you.

A Northern Water Snake the boss spotted on one of our walks

My mama called last night to tell me that she is giving me a ledger kind of thing from my grandfather's brother...I think. I am quite excited about this, as such things offer a window into the past that books can't equal. I vaguely remember Uncle Jakey, who maybe wasn't quite as respectable as grandpa, but quite a guy just the same. I have childish impressions of a house that smelled of kerosene, full of clutter, and interesting objects too obscure for my young mind to intemperate. And talk among men who seemed old, but probably weren't, my beloved grandpa one of them, that was as meaningless to me as the chatter of the birds outside. Time spent sitting in an unfamiliar kitchen on a stool, behaving, but bored, and slightly intimidated by it all. There was old Jake and young Jake I think, but I was too little to really remember much about all that.....

The things you see when you go for a hike

Anyhow.....


While I was proofreading the Farm Side and getting it sent the fog lifted and the sun is shining. After days of housework and bill paying and meeting writing deadlines, I think I will go out birding.

That is all....have a great day!

Update: there are too little black and yellow chickies. No wonder the peeping was so loud.

Been Farming Long?

Here in Upstate NY, it would certainly seem so.....

Grandma has a brand new Tractor

Thanks Alan and Amber