Fall, Frost, and Snow

Our giant sugar maple (just off the northwest corner of the driveway) started turning color at the top and worked its way from green to brilliant orange and yellow.

I (Sarah) tried to take a lot of pictures this fall but they didn't come out looking anything like the real thing so eventually I gave up. It was so beautiful!

We were pleased with how well our Maximilian sunflowers did this year! I remember not being convinced they were going to survive by the time I planted them.

They form part of the hedgerow west of the vineyard.

I was quite surprised early one Sunday morning to find a sizable flock of turkeys making their way up Clinton Street.

While wild turkeys roamed, the domesticated wildlife stayed warm and comfortable at home.

Heidi and Marty were very kind to visit several times and help me out while Mick was gone. One of the projects Marty got me set up for was washing the logs. It was hard to feel like it made a difference - until I looked at a side-by-side comparison.

Doesn't she look like a professional beer drinker?! :)

And while Mickey was off in the California desert, we had our first hard frost.

It was a bit surreal to talk to him, sweating in the desert, while I was bundled up in multiple sweaters.

I thought the frost on the garden beds looked like snow.

The air was so crisp and clear and refreshing that morning.

Sometimes I had a hard time getting myself moving those early mornings to feed the animals before work, but once I was up there, I loved it! What a beautiful and enlivening way to start the day!

With the days growing shorter, I mostly found myself on the hill at sunrise and sunset -- which, it turns out, are my two favorite times of day.

I love the last few seconds of a sunset when you can watch the sun move.

It amazes us how far the sun travels from north to south! In the summer, the sun sets quite a bit behind the trees to the right of this picture.

Evening comes quickly after the sun sets.

Quite the harvest moon!

Then we celebrated our first snow last Thursday.

We loved how the weather map followed the rivers and the lakes and the terrain. You could map out the bodies of water from where the snow turned to a mix, and you could give a pretty good guess to the shape of the Pennsylvania hills too.

All that blue turned into some accumulation in the village.

The hill was quite the winter wonderland!

And so fall begins the transition to winter. Can you imagine living without seasons?!