June Already!

 Time is flying by and the weather is fine. Sometimes a little too hot, sometimes rainy, but altogether it is summer! I did plenty of walking and biking on my own last week, but then drove to Connecticut to spend the weekend with my sister and brother in law.  

Saturday

We got up very early Saturday in order to be among the first in the strawberry fields. You need reservations to pick at Jones Farm and the berries are pricey. We couldn't have had better weather though.

This was our haul; about 14 pounds for each of us. We made 2 pies and froze quite a few.

After the berry processing, we headed to the Larkin Rail Trail. The first bit was mountain biking but then it calmed down into a gravel path. The surface kept changing so we had to be paying attention so we didn't hit rocks,  roots, or muddy sections. 

When there were no hazards for a bit, I could take a photo.

A side trail led us to a brew pub. It was very busy and it was only 11 am! We just looked around, then went back to biking. We started and ended the trail at a second brew pub where we did stop to quench our thirst. It was respectably after noon though.
Back at Theresa and Bruce's we made dinner, then played games until midnight. 

Sunday
Sunday morning met us with lots of rain so we got busy making 2 more pies and freezing the rest of the berries. I thought I'd be able to bring them home fresh, but just overnight they were getting soft. Then the rain stopped and we headed to White Flower Farm for a walk in the gardens. It was spectacular.

The iris varieties charmed me.


I need to expand my iris collection.

I really like pink dogwood trees and will probably add one to the front yard soon.

These beauties were dazzling.


Spicebush swallowtail on the lillies.

I need to step up my gardening game after this display.


I bought a glass bird feeder, but I'm just using it as garden art. We ended up at a restaurant for dinner, then I drove home on all the back roads. It was such a pretty drive.

Tuesday
My book group met at Skidmore College in Saratoga last night in a lovely pavillion among the trees. One of our members is dean of students so he was able to secure the building along with pizza and wine. It was lovely, but the sky put on a bit of a show on the drive home.




Wednesday
I spent today making soup, working in the garden, and figuring out how to restring the weed wacker. It only took 2 trips to Home Depot and 3 YouTube videos, but I was successful in the end. I was sure to avoid disturbing  the 'friends of the garden' garter snakes who live in the retaining wall.

I was feeling lazy this evening, but finally set out on my bike for an hour ride before sunset. This lone turkey was wandering near the road.

I'll be hiking tomorrow and hopefully kayaking on the weekend and enjoying the great weather. We are supposed to get an early heat wave next week, so that sounds fun.

Comments

  1. PamJune 13, 2024 at 4:49 PM

    That all looks great. I've never heard of a strawberry pie. But then (your comment) I don't know what a Macbook or a Chromebook is. I'm ignorant...

    ReplyDelete
  2. MargaretJune 13, 2024 at 8:49 PM

    Wow, I want that coral colored bearded iris! Fresh picked strawberries are the best; they're in season here too and I need to get some. I thought of you when John and I took our first bike ride for a long time--only 14 miles but that was plenty for my rear end. Hope your weather isn't too hot! Ours is cooling and changing to rain for a few days, then up into the mid-70s. A nice mix!

    ReplyDelete

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