merry and bright

We've never been a Christmas lights family.  We tried the subdued candles-in-the-window thing but never had enough plugs or extension cords.  Or the elegant spotlight-on-wreath-on-front-door -- until worries about the mix of electricity and rain/snow forced me to bring it inside.

But I love the happy optimism and sweet joy in other people's lights.  From tacky to tasteful, I love them all.  They're there simply to give pleasure, and what could be a better motivation than that?   They speak to our urge to make our world a little nicer and share it with our neighbors, and that's a hopeful and generous way to end one year and start the next.  Happy holidays, and may 2011 be a year filled with joy and light.  xo

farm country

Over Thanksgiving we toured the countryside around Halcyon Farm, in Glen, New York, just northwest of Albany.  My aunt and uncle drove us around to see the amazing rolling farmland and old barns, farmhouses, and outbuildings.

I loved the colors of these beehives.

Farm equipment looks like sculpture.

 People over 100 years ago left their names on the beams in one of the barns.

 Little family cemeteries dot the hills.

 His and hers outhouses behind the Baptist Church.

A view inside the silo.

Abandoned homes and farms dot the landscape.

A number of old abandoned farms have been bought by the Amish, 

and there is now a thriving Amish community in this area of eastern New York.

To see photos of our family and Thanksgiving family fun, click here.

happy thanksgiving

We are so thankful to be visting with family and friends this Thanksgiving day -- and eating lots of vegetables fresh from the fields of Halcyon Farm.

Happy Day, everyone! 

picture this

My photo of the dunes on Sandy Neck was a finalist in Massachusetts Audubon's Picture This photo contest.  See all the amazing photos taken by the winners and the finalists on their website.

Oh! the treetops

Don't you love the fall trees in all their incarnations -- 

brilliantly adorned, half-stripped of their leaves, and starkly bare against the sky?