Stones, rocks, boulders and erratics 2

Karen, I'm with you.

Ditto on the care of the pool. When we moved in 29 yrs. ago there was an above-ground pool. We sold it and added more sand to the circle and so had the biggest sandbox in town, then DH made a fort for the boys and since 1999 it has been a garden. It's about 20' in diameter.

But, hey, Victor, we'd all love to come to a pool party next year. That would give you incentive to keep up with maintenance. LOL We're just trying to help a brother out.

Cool pic. Louise. I think I would much rather take an older house with great bones than a newer one any day.

Dave, you eternal optimist! Warm days are coming this week, so jump on in and swim, swim, swim!!! LOL

Jan. I agree with you, but they are pretty expensive to maintain. It's always something here! LOL

Mine is 40 years old - part of the problem. But you can do everything right and still have a problem. I worked with chemical engineers who could not keep their pool clear!

Well I'm not able to keep up with all the news but I'm always inspired. It sounds like your warm weather season is winding down. I've heard so many N.E.rs find hot weather challenging and thought many would be looking forward to cooling off. Is summer the season that y'all are entitled to hate heat by reason of geography? That's okay, I'll understand.

Pools sound like a lot of work for you. When DD went to school in Western Mass., I was so surprised to fly over all those backyard pools as we came down to Bradly Airport! It seems so very labor intensive. The other thing that was a learning experience for me was that I thought there were miles of row covers on crops but it was actually shade cloth on tobacco! I thought tobacco was a Southern crop. You guys grow tons of it. No guilt here anymore. :)

Nance, I'm really hoping some of the things we are building and restoring at Maypop will be around many years from now. I am committed to planning in that direction. It's a matter of motivation and commitment.
Luarel

The shade grown tobacco is for cigar wrappers. It seems to be dying down.

An amazing revelation for someone who flew to Cuba as a child for under ten dollars, Iris! Not as long ago as you might think too. The leaves must go to Miami for those who are expert in wrapping. There are wrapping companies that are very high end there.
Laurel

we have had cool weather out here on the eastern side of Massachusetts so I decided to bring my jacket and long pants out to the first game of the UMass football season and the end-of-band-camp festivities. Ha! Mother Nature decided it would be hot and muggy and might even send a thunderstorm {She didn't, thank goodness} and we sweat buckets at the first night game in years under the new, permanent stadium lights. Not as bad as the poor bandos in their lovely, light wool uniforms. {see below} However, the band show was excellent and the Minutemen won the game and a great but sweaty time was had by all!
Martha

Hi Martha!

Laurel, CT used to have substantial tobacco fields. For some reason we grow a great wrapper leaf. I don't think 25% of it is left. Insurance and weapons have always been our big cash crops. They kinda make tobacco seem harmless.

Hi Martha too...sounds like you had a blast at the game. Do you have a U. Mass. band member in your family? Yea Minutemen!!!

Dave, I'm sure there is an interesting history about how insurance and the Basketball Hall of Fame ended up in CT. Have you ever been to the Basketball Hall of Fame? Is it worth seeing? I took my dad to Cooperstown because he is such a baseball nut. He reminds me he grew up in the shadow of Yankee stadium constantly. lol. He says he is a forever Yankees fan because they let servicemen, on leave, in free during WWII. Still can't get over the tobacco growing surprise. I recall the splendid tobacco drying barns all over the Appalachians from childhood 'til now. Cigarette tobacco. Many are rotting and falling over as farmers turn to newer, and hopefully healthier, crops.
Laurel

Oh my yes! Laurel we do have a UMass Minuteman Band member in the family. In the picture above, our daughter Sally is the 4th trombone player in from the left just behind the blonde lady in the black shirt. I go for the halftime show! though the Minutemen did win on Saturday! She is a gardener too. She has participated in flower shows and helps design window boxes and flower baskets with me also. She only goes to school two hours away, but I miss her severely, even with IM's and the cell phone.
Martha

Ah, you should of just said the trombone player with the big beautiful smile! ^_^

This message was edited Sep 2, 2008 8:01 PM

Really! Why didn't you say so right off. Now you'll have to tell all about her year at U. Mass. (such a great school)!
Laurel

This is a shot of a portion of the Palisades in NY. It is made of diabase, an igneous rock, which pushed up into the overlaying sandstone around 200 million years ago. The sandstone eroded, leaving the columnar looking diabase.

Oh, cool, Victor! I love rocks like that. Reminds me of the Rockies or Sierras.

Karen

Thanks, Karen. This is Minnewaska State Park near New Paltz. The geology is dominated by the near-white quartz.

Beautiful!

Here are some pics from Inks Lake State Park in Texas

A closer shot.

Tree on rocks. I believe it's a live oak. Well, it certainly doesn't look dead!

This message was edited Sep 2, 2008 10:47 PM

Another tree on the rocks. I'll have one of those!

I love this one. I believe most of these rocks are pink granite.

Yucca with lichen covered rocks.

Floodway.

Fall colors.

another - I think the tree is a sycamore.

This message was edited Sep 2, 2008 10:56 PM

another

My late brother-in-law. He gives the rocks some scale.

Grass and pool.

Grass on the rocks.

Walking along the creek. This was during the dry season. Imagine what it would be like during a period of heavy rain. I'd love to see that.

Sycamore leaves

Nice color on these rocks.

more

Orange lichen on rocks.

Looking down on one of the many pools.

Another view.

Taking a break.

prickly pear cacti

Nice overview shot of the creek with fall colors.

Winding through the prickly pear forest.