apples

The following shots are from the last week. The first two are of Tua, Winter, and Pippa taken at a park function at Long Trail. The rest are from an afternoon at Poverty Hill, where we walked the rows and rows of heirloom apple trees. The autumn light was very fine.

Traffic

A recent late summer day found Pippa, Tua , Seth and cousin Pascal out on a walk. A wagon always helps on the way up...and eating apples seems to pass the time rather well when your that age.

The Last Pancake

From what I can remember of my earlier days, I seem to recall the pancake figuring into my youth on a very regular basis. My father spent years perfecting his own recipe, each week rising early on Sunday to create the perfect batch, altering the ingredients a pinch here or there, tweaking the griddle temperature or cooking time. Now Dad has it down to a science and the caliber of his pancakes is known (quite literally) around the world. My experiences in the realm of extracurricular pancaking are limited to a small diner on the outskirts of Bridgewater. Blanche and Bills Pancake House has set my standard by which all other restaurant food is measured. It was here that I first tasted a pancake created from an aged batter. It was here that I first learned that one could be served ice cream in liquid form (in a glass, with a straw); and that one could order this and the pancake made from aged batter at the same time. One could have chocolate chips or blueberries added to the aged pancake batter as it baked slowly upon the griddle, rising to that perfect thickness. Blanche was always one of my heroes. She made the best ice cream shakes, the best blueberry french toast, the best waffles, and very nearly broke the tie for the best pancake. Last Wednesday was Blanche's last day behind the wheel of her establishment. She had sold the building, the trade name, and the secret pancake recipe the week before to a couple from California after nearly thirty years of business. I made a point to eat one last pancake and get a picture of the event. Blanche was in rare form. Despite having transferred ownership to the new proprietors, she still sported her signature blue apron and her sharp demeanor

"What'll it be, Seth?"

Dunno, Blanche. It all looks so good. How about the blueberry french toast?"

"How about it?" she replied.

"And a pancake. I'll take a pancake.

"You want those together?"

"Sure."

"Coffee?"

"Please."


Just as my plates were brought out, I asked one of the other waitstaff for a photo of me and Blanche.

"You want to make sure to get the Red Sox corner in the background." said Blanche. "I sold that to the new owners as well. All that memorabilia. But I won;t need it anyway. I'll be in Boston forgoodnessake."

Blueberry Day

The most plentiful of blueberry harvests never seem to come during the dampest summers. To date, we've had nearly 30 inches of rain this year so far- more than a third over the average-so we really weren't expecting too many berries when we left for the hills of Pomfret. What a surprise to find the bushes full of fruit. Tua and Seth always seem to have a contest to see who can eat the most during the pick, so for good measure, we asked the proprietor to weigh them in at the scales before entering the fields.

Fresh Coat

High up on the list of Tua's favorite things is "painting" the house. It's an activity which can have her busy for hours on end. She has her own bucket and brush- and even has her own favorite section of wall, as small 4 x 3 foot area on the north side of the house. Clean up is easy....the paint itself is tap water.

High summer

Weekends this month have been scheduled with all sorts of activity. The following shots were taken over the last month at two separate events miles apart.

Tua and I at Merck Farm perusing wind turbines. The farm sits on the last high plateau of the southern Green mountains before the land drops away into the greater Hudson River valley. It's a great spot for wind power. The small turbine behind us powers 90 % of the farms resources.

We took an extended weekend in Massachusettes recently where we met up with Brian and Arlyce and a small faction of the rest of clan Menzies- Arlyce's sister Jub and brother Ben.

Saturday night found us on a back porch enjoying a calm east wind off the water and some fine salad.

Tua and Jubilee- ever the inseperable pair. This shot was taken well past bedtime.

And so was this one....

Brian at the wheel.

Bug and Arlyce prepping in the kitchen.

Pippa prepping in the kitchen.

Back at Merck, Tua says "come again?"

Picking daisies for the ride home.

recently

Tua and I experimented with a child carrier made by Topeak. It's a fine piece of equipment, but only works if your frame has drop-outs on the rear stays on which to mount the stabilizers. Mine doesn't so it won't. But after a few tries, we got it sufficiently mounted onto the bike. We took a few frames to show that we had actually done so, but after the photo- op, we made it a mile down the road only to find that the mounting mechanism created had found its way into the rear hub. And as we were only travelling at speeds no greater than five mph, no one was hurt. Tua enjoyed the walk back to the house. She has requested a bike trailer in lieu of the seat and I am inclined to agree with her.

Pippa and friend- a rabbit named bunny. She was given this today- a gift from her sister, who has been getting a bit out of sorts lately whenever Pip takes Froggy (Tua's stuffed frog blanket).

This will hopefully put the disagreement to rest, for now.