Summer is Gone

It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I have been going through one of the phases when I allow boredom to seep into my pores. I really have no reason for this except that it almost always happen during summer. I have always liked the fall and being here in Delaware has not changed that. Gone are the stifling hot last days of summer and first days of autumn. The first really cooling storms have come and after the storms the days have been extraordinarily clear. The season's change was special for us this year as we were fortunate that our friends Terry and Ray ventured to Delaware from Oregon for a visit. Then a week after their visit, our friends Robin and Dave came from Cape Cod. What a boost to my physic those visits were.

Autumn has come to Delaware. We are not into peak color but that will be in a few short days. I love to load Bentley and the camera into the car and travel around the back roads. I take picture after picture of stuff, mostly trees and come home and look at the pictures and say to myself, "Not too bad."

Here are some photos of the first of such outings. These were taken earlier this week. I hope to be out on Sunday when the changes will be more obvious. I also have to force myself to be more inclined to go out in the morning light, much nicer water scenes then.

The Broadkill River at Milton Memorial Park

Different angle of the same area

Wagamons Pond – sun too bright to show depth of color

There will be more later as I travel around Sussex Country and more.

Last Week of June

Last week the first of the grain was harvested. The field I have been following was combined the day before I went to photograph progress. Now, I know that I cannot say with certainty whether or not the field was wheat or not I do know that it is a grain and I pretty sure that it wheat. The photos below are of an adjacent field being mowed. I am in awe of how close everything seems here.

The folks at our local farm stand say that the sweet corn will be ready in a few days. That is wonderful. I believe that the corn we get from local farms here in Sussex County Delaware is the best I have ever had. The same holds true for the local tomatoes. It is believed that this should be an excellent year for the farmers and consumers (good product) alike. Let's just hope that drought conditions like last summer do not raise their ugly heads.

Just across the road from the above crops is this field. I am pretty sure that it is barley. I love the color this grain is at this time.

While I was out taking these pictures a rain storm came into the area. As I was crossing the pond I was able to capture a turtle in rain and a couple waning cattails.

I have to admit that I enjoy going out and following the progress of the crops. Oh, I know that a lot of you are saying, "Get a life."

Nearby Countryside

Farming and agriculture have always have always been strongly connected to me even though I wish that I knew a whole lot more about the subject than I do. My dad was farming when I was born but the winter of 1948 pretty much drove him out the business. I have always lived where agriculture was a vital part of the local economy. Whether food crops or other (trees, flowers, etc.) the local farm was not far away. Delaware is no different. In fact, Sussex County is very rural and dependent on agriculture. The main farm products are chickens, soy beans, wheat, barley and corn. What is so different for me is the size of the farming areas. In the West everything is on such a larger scale than here. So, it is amazing to see wheat and barley fields that do not go as far as the eye can see. I am also amazed at how fast everything grows after it is planted.

Speaking of planting, defined rows cannot usually be seen. The fields are seeded very tightly. Over the winter and into the spring the fields were very gray. The soil here is what I call concrete colored. After the fields are fertilized -- usually with chicken manure (ooo), they become a little brown and quite ripe. Then two to three weeks later they start greening and before you know it, the corn is three feet high. I swear that it grows at least six inches every week.

The countryside has changed dramatically in the last few weeks. Today we drove down the nearest road (about a mile from the house) and stopped to take some pictures of the crops that are maturing in our area. I think I have identified the pictures of the wheat and barley correctly, at least I hope so.

Here is a wheat field. It is located about two miles from where we live. The farmer was harvesting an adjacent field.

The same wheat field. But here you can see the limited size. We were on the roadside when this photo was taken. This seems to be the size of an average field in this area.

This corn field photo also gives an idea of the size of the fields here.

"The corn is as high as an...." Notice here how close together the plants are growing.

This and the next couple of shots show my fascination with farm sprinklers. In the West much of the irrigated land is done in circles as the massive sprinklers move in a circle. Here, there is not enough room for a circle. Or, should I say, I have not seen a circle yet but I have seen lots and lots of sprinklers.

These pictures are of what I believe is barley. When looking at these fields and the wheat fields I am reminded of how large they are not but how vital they are to the local economic fabric. Although they are not like the rolling hills of the Palouse or flatlands of the Great Plains, they are just as vital and beautiful.

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain..."