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From My Window

Photographs taken with a bridge camera journaling nature and everyday life in Central Massachusetts.

Month: October 2021

Golden Glow

The main road at the Moore State Park offers a golden canopy above with an edging of dry leaves below to enhance an afternoon walk.

Moore State Park, Paxton, MA

Over the Walls 2

From 2000-2004 Great Meadowbrook Farm was the site of the Over the Walls Horse Trials, one of the premier pre-Olympic equestrian events in the United States. I last visited the farm in the very early Spring of 2020. How much more colorful it appeared when I visited last week!

Great Meadowbrook Farm overlooks the center of Hardwick, MA. This little town is celebrated for its miles of extraordinary stone walls.
On first glance, the hay bales look like huge marshmallows in one of the many sweeping walled fields.

“Mountain Place”

“Wachusett” is an Algonquin word meaning “mountain place”. Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, MA has been a popular destination for hikers, skiers and sightseers for centuries. Local tribes, such as the Nipmucs, camped here. In the nineteenth century, Henry David Thoreau explored this mountain and described his visit in one of his journals.

Mt. Wachusett in Princeton, MA reveals an iconic view of New Hampshire’s Mt. Monadnock.
Wachusett’s ski lifts are popular with sightseers in the fall.
The Bicentennial Trail is one of ten trails of varying difficulties frequented by hikers each year.

A Hilltop Farm

The expansive hills of Alta Vista Farm in Rutland, MA are dotted with new and antique farm equipment, while the farmhouse pays homage to the bison that are raised there.

View through an old apple tree at Alta Vista Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts.

A Century Farm

Central Massachusetts boasts well over forty apple orchards. Sagatabscot is among the oldest.

Sagatabscot Orchards in Sterling, MA was established in the 1740s. This historic farm has been owned by only two families; the present family has been operating it since 1912.
A self-serve stand offers many apple varieties, including heirloom, as well as cider.
The antique cider press has been preserved in the farm barn along with other historical relics. Note the World War I helmet, worn by an ancestor of the present owner.
In the Algonquin Indian language sagatabscot means “place of the hard rock”.
Since the 1700’s the owners have built numerous additions to the original buildings on the rocky hillside.
The farmhouse is painted in the original 1700s color.
The “six over six” windows and side entry are appealing details for colonial architecture enthusiasts.
Lucky and Lucky, the chickens, were named as a consequence of being the last chickens left after a fox found the hen house.
The barn is a treasure trove of antique farm implements, historical items and family lore.
Cart wheels and traditional Ojibwa Indian snowshoes are displayed in the barn rafters.
This bobsled was used to deliver milk when roads were impassable in the winter.
The present owner created this replica of the barn for his young daughters.
Generations of cousins have gathered at the farm for family festivities.
Small rooms carved out from the larger structure include historical items and family heirlooms.

Wetland Colors

The vegetation surrounding the Beaver Wetlands is bursting with gold, orange and crimson this week.

Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton, Massachusetts

Heron Hike 2

The foliage in Central Massachusetts is becoming more brilliant each day. Swamp maples surrounding the beaver lodge at Wachusett Wildlife Sanctuary are nearly at peak color.

Meanwhile, the juvenile Great Blue Heron featured in the previous post is still roaming the sanctuary. It seems in no rush to migrate, perhaps because of the warm weather this week.

Beaver Lodge, Wildlife Pond, Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary
Juvenile Great Blue Heron, South Meadow

Heron Hike

Vibrant ponds and the sight of a Great Blue Heron stepping out across the meadow combined to make a memorable fall hike at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary.

Rock Fire Pond
Great Blue Heron
Wildlife Pond

Pumpkin Puzzle

The clever combination of pumpkins and corn perplexes and delights in this inventive architectural seasonal “home” design.

Bemis Farms Nursery, North Brookfield, MA

An Appealing Orchard

Brookfield Orchards has served generations of Central Massachusetts residents during its one hundred and two year history.

Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield, MA is one of New England’s oldest orchards, and a perfect setting for a fall picnic.
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