It all started at 3pm for me (with the perfunctory “lighting of the barrel”). Just making sure there was a heat source for people who arrived before the big bonfire lighting.
The sky was gorgeous.
And soon there were solstice attendees and tiki torches.
We lit the fire shortly after 5pm when it finally got dark enough. There were LOTS of people here for the lighting. It was a good one.
The fire had a huge core (that is still burning late the next day).
Meanwhile up at the barn there was terrible Christmas music, lots of food, and a great sense of camaraderie.
Sometimes walking out the door and around back is the best way to hike. We bushwhacked up through juniper and blueberry towards a small lake where fish are rumored to live. Tyinkrysset, Norway is beautiful.
This little stream is just up the road a few hundred meters.
Here are some pictures of our walk in the mountains.
A view of the valley.
Chilly Romey.
Panorama
Our intrepid hosts at the top. Our fearless leader Nova was dressed for the weather.
The garden produced prolifically this year. It was a great year for watermellon and corn. Heck, even the squash lasted for several months before it was wiped out by the squash beetles.
Some of the last of the bounty is coming in now.
Pepper haul Sept
Cayenne
Jalapeño, habañero, hot banana, cayenne
Late September tomato
Pick a peck of peppers
The tomato plans and the peppers have lots more production to go before they peter out. Meanwhile, the corn and the sunflowers are done. So down they come.
Gleaned corn
Now you see it
Now you don’t
I will stand up the husks in a typical Fall display, probably tomorrow.
Ever since we moved to this property in 2002, I have wanted to use one of the old rusted farm implements as an art piece. 17 years later, here is the piece pretty much exactly how I imagined it. The rock slab is a 2500 pound bluestone slab from Pennsylvania. Getting that properly staged was a thing, but it all went surprisingly smoothly.
With age does not always wisdom come. But, fun it was! We had a crazy-cold week that froze the river, and now a crazy-warm day to test out the water. Nice.
Mogli leads the way.
The mic on my phone was broken, but just imaging the sound of crunching ice.
Time for a break.
Here, imagine geese honking their displeasure! and ice popping as it melts. Hit ‘play’ and it is not upside down.
Sweet Mogli has captured a hunk of ice to take home! (Video is correct when plays)
Music. Great food. Huge fire. Friends. Boilo. What more could you want?
Early birds get to see the lighting
Mmmmmm. Beer.
The lighting
Put it in perspective: 100 feet of flame.
This year the fairy ring of osage oranges turned into a warning line for fire spread. We had to get water buckets and a hose out for the first time ever.
The fire spreads
View from the field
The two (or three) pods making up the solstice party are always a good mix. Food and cheesy Christmas music in the barn. Fire and live music in the field. This year some of the real music moved into the barn during a brief rain.
