The times are a-changin'

Hullo again! Well, it is September, and so we thought we'd take a wander down by the burnt-out farm to check on the apple trees. Somebody's been here before us because the ancient apple tree has been picked over a bit.

Uh-oh!!! That looks like a survey stake!! Oh dear...

 I see some filter cloth up ahead too... and things look different.

Ack!!!! Where's the burnt-out farm???

I am going to investigate... That's the big old apple tree there...

Whew... and the walnut tree is still here!

But the foundation of the old house has been gutted... and there is a big construction project going on in the background. That's where the meadow used to be.

I knew this was coming. Rumour has been swirling that the SPCA was building a new facility. I can't really complain about that... and at least they've built on the meadow part... and left my fruit trees! Hmmm... someone plunked a big boulder on the old concrete stairway.

Hello? There is someone standing on the boulder!

His name is Arborrier - and he says he protected the fruit trees with his magic powers! Wow...

I'd say he did a pretty good job.

And... do you see that tree behind me... well, the bulldozers came right to the edge of it and pushed away all the blackberries...

So now I can see that this one is a pear tree!!

And not just any pear tree... it is a bartlett pear tree!!!

Oh yum! ****munch munch, dribble, drool, munch**** Soooo good!

 Heh-heh... and there are still a few little grapevines around the old house foundation. I wonder if we could take some home?

Hmmm... I just saw that tree in the background. It looks like another pear tree. So we fought our way through the broom and dodged some blackberries...

Only to find it surrounded by blackberries... No way through on this side.

We fought our way back out and only got a bit of blackberry goo - that looks nasty but it wasn't!

Ah-hah!!! The backside of the pear tree is much more accessible...

Yup... pear tree bark... and a bunch of young pear trees around the base.

Definitely a bartlett pear!

Alright... time to call in reinforcements with buckets!

***an hour later***
Heh-heh... we got a big bucket of apples - yummy ones too!

And a mega bucket of pears. Mmmmm....

I think there might be some apple sauce in my future.

Oh... and a quick update on yard projects. We've hard horror stories about Late blight devastating tomato crops so we jury-rigged a plastic sheet over the tomatoes...

And the new garden bed is coming along nicely... That's it for now!

Always read Signs First!

Today, Sandy found an amazing old barn complex! It looked like a great place for a little bear to explore... and maybe play hide and seek!

 Somebody had cut down a bunch of trees around the barn. It must have been pretty hidden in the trees before.

 Great view from the windows!! And a good thin there is no glass left in the window frames... otherwise a little bear might tear his pants on broken glass.

 Oooh... it is kind of dark in there... maybe it was a milk cow barn at some point??

 Oh hey... there's a ladder too... but it's missing a few rungs so Mama thinks Sandy should get his little bum back down on the ground.

 And there's even a little-bear swing to play on... wheeee!!!

Uh-oh... what's this??? Hmmm... buildings closed for restoration?? But they're open!!

 Double-uh-oh... Sandy is most definitely not "authorized" personnel... so he should scamper off pretty quick! Mind you, there were other people exploring the old barn too but... that doesn't mean anything!

 So Sandy wandered around the old farm property (which is a park)... this old gate looks like it has seen better days.

 And there is this amazing old oak tree with branches reaching almost to the ground! It would be a great place to hide out in the summer when there are leaves on the branches.

 And have you noticed how green it is here?? In most places the grass is dead and dying but there are some new shoots popping up here and there... spring in November??? Sandy is beary confused about seasons here on the coast!

And when we got home... there were two eagles in the eagle-tree!! Maybe they came from Jerry & Ben??? Maybe they delivered some mail for Sandy!!!

A Haunted House... maybe

Last week, Sandy went up to see Grampa and along the way noticed a beary interesting homestead along the highway. Despite much squeaking and stomping of feet on Sandy's part, Mama refused to stop, saying that "we don't have time". But it did look beary cool... so we came back a few days later... just before sunrise.

 Sandy stood outside the gate... peering at the homestead. It looked deserted... overgrown and abandoned. Sandy slipped through the gate and toddled up the driveway...

 Yes, most definitely abandoned. Second gate standing ajar, empty windows gaping in the garage... wind whistling through the bushes...

The barn looks a little scary... with panels missing... and there is a full moon out this morning too. You know what they say about full moons! Who knows what might be lurking in that barn!

 After much coaxing, Sandy gets up enough courage to sit at the door of the bar, after peering inside and making sure that no bats were lurking about.

 It is beary pretty here... but quiet... too quiet sometimes!

 This may have been a chicken coop at some point - but the chickens are long gone.

 Sandy plods through the dead grass and then squeals with terror as he feels something grabbing him by the legs!! It's only a strand of barbed wire but... even that can be dangerous for a little bear who already has pants that are splitting at the seams!

Oh... there is a house here too... it kind of looks cute... from a distance...

 Closer up is a different matter... all the windows and doors are gone.

Sandy gathers up all his courage and walks into the house, little boots scuffling crunching on broken drywall and window bits... Ooohhh... maybe that's far enough!! Sandy takes a peek into the old bathroom and kitchen but nothing (NOTHING) is going to convince him to go upstairs... nooooooo!!! Maybe if Jerry and Ben were here... along with Beanie and Buttons and Hammie and Bob and Sullivan... That group could handle anything!

It's sad when old houses get trashed like this... it would have been a cute place before...

But now, it all looks so woe-be-gone... and someday it will probably be a subdivision!

Sandy found this thing here... which looks like... what?? Can you tell what it is?? First correct guess gets some stickers!

Bye-bye homestead...