Snowtober!

As I write this I'm sitting in semi-darkness. Why? Because we had a massive snowstorm yesterday! Two days before Halloween. The poor trees -- their leaves were just getting to be so beautiful and then the wind, snow, and ice hit them and WHAM! Many trees around here are down for the count. Too many leaves plus snow plus ice were too much for them.

Wordless/Wordful/Outdoor Wednesday: Lewisburg, PA

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, is a charming place with a downtown that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Famous because of the prestigious Bucknell University, the town is nestled on the banks of the Susquehanna River.

Fosterfields, A Living Historical Farm, Part II

Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morristown, New Jersey is a beautiful place to visit. Yesterday I explained the history of Fosterfields. Here are a few more photos.

In first photo above are corn cribs, used for storing and drying field corn, which is eventually fed to the animals.


The next two photos are cornfields.



The first photo below shows the ensilage pits. Ensilage is livestock feed made by chopping green corn stalks and storing them in an almost airtight environment.


The farm superintendent's home, the 1920's farmhouse:









Walking the cows home:



To read my first post on Fosterfields, click here.

Fosterfields -- A Living Historical Farm, Part 1

Fosterfields is a living historical farm located in beautiful and historic Morristown, New Jersey. In the first photo of this post, B.J., the very friendly farm cat, is front and center, and Calvin the horse is poking his head through the door. His companion, an almost identical horse with a missing left eye, Hobbes, is inside the stall (yes, they were named Calvin and Hobbes after the comic strip -- my favorite!)


General Joseph Warren Revere, who was the grandson of Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere, bought the property in the 1800s (which had been a working farm since the 1760s) and built the Gothic Revival main house, The Willows. Around 1881 Charles Foster bought the property and renamed it Fosterfields after himself. His daughter, who was around four years old at the time, lived in the house her entire life. Apparently country life agreed with her, because she lived to be 102! She was quite an interesting character.

As the website says:

Wishing to preserve her beloved home and give future generations the chance to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of rural life, Caroline Foster in 1979 bequeathed Fosterfields to the Morris County Park Commission, to be preserved as a "living historical farm," the first in New Jersey. Not a replica, Fosterfields is a working farm, using the tools, techniques, and materials of a turn-of-the-century farm.

Fosterfields closes for the season on October 30th. It is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The weather should be gorgeous this weekend!





The Willows:


The Ice House:


The Woodshed:


You can read more about Fosterfields, including some wonderful stories about Caroline Foster.

You can also read about the Foster family here.
Part II tomorrow!

**************************

Wordless Wednesday: Van Vleck Gardens in Montclair

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.
********************************