Few scenic shots from around the place

While on my daily evening walk, I reach the pinnacle at the ridge, with our woodlot, the oldest stand here, behind it is my favorite field, undulating terrain, with a view almost 360 degrees. Out past that small tree or bush in the middle is a 400 yd mark, took my longest shot while woodchuck hunting from a rest 180 degrees behind me in the tree line. It's 25 acres or so. the corn is 10' high, ears filling out well, that is an eastern cottontail in the dirt on the trail. One shot is me standing in the corn, looking up, crop looks good. Sunset was nice, I've seen more color and I'll be darned if the fading sunset did not make those trees look like they had hot embers glowing or someone went crazy with safety orange marking paint !

Ear of corn, with a water bottle cap for scale.

That's what I am talking about when I say that the woodlot adds so much to the farm. I also have lanes like that around my fields. I patrol them on foot hoping to see something interesting, kids use them for other types of recreation. Not like you can grow crops right up to the trees with much success anyway. Lanes are especially nice and private with corn growing on the place. I don't have to sell you Billy. You clearly get what I mean. Great pics and beautiful place.

I would agree, the variety, the break up of the land, terrain and all things similar do make it interesting and provides other benefits. It also is nice to look at ! That lane is actually part of a long path that goes through a nice section of land, few hundred acres, of similar terrain, crop fields and the like. Well the trees creep in and where that lane is, could go back 10' to the older trees, and if the corn stays too long the outer rows do become prey to squirrels and such. Much of the land in this area is like this and you have some really neat little fields tucked into all kinds of places, my favorite fields are those ! My farmer friend would call me to help and or work and I'd sometimes have to find him in the seemingly almost maze like places they way the land is broken up, small paths to get in, hard to see, typical in this region, soils vary, but they do produce, large operator planted this one, he's got a lot of beans this year, I've never really seen any beans in this area thinking back. The only drawback is taxes, its beyond comprehension, and I take these photos to document what its like, tax man makes a hardship on all who have land of any size in this county.

Billy NY,

OK... third try at replying - does not seem to be going through and screen freezes up.

BUT really, really beautiful photos. Amazing shots - photo 2 really does look like glowing embers at the base of the trees!!

Thanks for posting.

The red sun shining through the trees looks eerie. When is your normal first frost? That corn looks like it's still in the milk or dough stage. It has a long way to go yet. Jim

I'm going to say early October, in general, for most years, last was almost the end of October. It was planted sometime in June, it does have a ways to go, top of the ear was not as large as I thought it should be, weather usually is pretty decent this month, was hot and humid til yesterday, sunny weather this week, ground holds moisture well, so it should make it. The sunset glow was a bit eerie, its dark in that wood lot and the canopy has filled in nice since it was thinned last, almost 20 years ago, its my favorite place on the entire farm.

It really is bright on the smart phone camera, where those spots are. When I saw all the little holes it was shining through, I rushed to capture it, the ridge is a high point around here and it blocks the sun before it gets to the horizon, which from the side facing it on that ridge, is directly west and I believe you can see at least 50 miles in places, having a clear view, it may be longer in places where the terrain is lower, its a perfect place to watch the summer sunset, and the light is nearly horizontal at dusk, I'll have to make my rounds around that time again and see if any good shots are to be had.

Not much that I can say that hasn't been said already, so I will just say that are some great shots. Those of the sun shining on the trees should be on a calendar! Thanks for sharing.