The View at Northview

Still Random

2011-11-21T13:02:00.000-05:00

Random

2011-11-10T13:13:00.003-05:00

From the Boonville Fair

2011-07-28T09:31:00.001-04:00

Lake

2011-07-25T06:33:00.003-04:00

More Peck's

2011-07-23T17:14:00.003-04:00

The beaver swam by at the same time every morning heading up the lake for breakfast I guess. Then he swam back later in the day. You could nearly set your watch by him...except for the whole not having a watch thing, plus, being at camp so nobody cared what time it was.

Peck's Lake NY

2011-07-23T13:44:00.002-04:00

My favorite place in the world.

Maybe I Should Call this Blog

2011-05-11T06:50:00.003-04:00

One of the kestrels that nest in the heifer barn

surrounded by starlings

Northern Flicker on the long lawn

Birds at Northview

Yeller Birds

2011-05-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

Water, Water

2011-03-20T09:48:00.004-04:00

Everywhere, even on the lawn. Can ducks be far behind?

Wordless Winter Wednesday

2011-03-09T05:33:00.001-05:00

February

2011-02-28T13:04:00.002-05:00

Snow sculpture by skid steer and (above) the Hickory Hill fire

Friends

2010-12-29T12:05:00.003-05:00

To My Democratic Friends:*

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive,
gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within
the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or
secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice
religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally
successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of
the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011 but not without due
respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to
society have helped make America great. Not to imply that "America" is
necessarily greater than any other country nor the only "America" in the
Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race,
creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of
the wishee.

*To My Republican Friends:*

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Emerson Drive

2010-12-22T12:41:00.001-05:00

Watch at your own risk (don't be drinking coffee or anything)

Cabela's Trip

2010-10-11T11:11:00.004-04:00

I love NY

More Carolina Wren

2010-08-12T09:27:00.001-04:00

This will give you an idea of just how loud the birds are when they sing at the open door and if you watch closely at the very end you can just barely see the bird come up to cling to the screen....just before the cat hit the other side dang him. The video is very blurry, but the sound is what I wanted to capture.

More Summer 2010 Camp Week

2010-07-26T05:59:00.003-04:00

Camp 2010

2010-07-24T15:30:00.003-04:00

This Common merganser hen had eleven babies!

Yes, Virginia, it did rain

Another common merganser;
saw a female hoodie too, but too dark for pics (see rain above)

Sunrise Saturday

Another shot of the eagle up by the dam

Mappy's Partee

2010-07-06T06:22:00.003-04:00

Mom the Great

And putting up the tent

The Spider Photos

2010-06-04T05:42:00.002-04:00

That greenish thing is a wash cloth covering a normal sized round faucet control. That is Alan's hand with a piece of chalk for size reference. This thing is the biggest spider I have ever seen outside a tarantula tank in a pet store....I don't general mind spiders except for the biting aspect, but this one had me shivering.

Turkey Calling

2010-05-01T06:38:00.003-04:00

Mouth calling on the day before the season opened...we were out fixing fence and I asked him to demonstrate for a video.

The kid has called in turkeys...coyotes looking for turkeys...other hunters looking for turkeys. Sometimes it is plumb scary. There is a certain culture of turkey calling on campus too...the guys find each other that way. Sometimes it does not make the professors particularly happy.....dunno exactly why....something about the way those calls echo in the stairwells. A professor recently accosted the perpetrator in this video, along with some of his friends...."Who has a turkey call?" And of course he could honestly answer, "I don't have a turkey call."

I think he learned to mouth call because he was constantly buying expensive calls and losing them. It is really not terribly hard to call turkeys without a call. Even I can get them to answer me. Give it a try if you live in their range. You might be surprised!

Guinea Hen and Rooster

2010-04-22T13:35:00.002-04:00

Froggy Stairmaster

2009-06-25T06:09:00.003-04:00

Or is he just posing because he likes this rock?

Campus Visit 2

2009-04-10T17:07:00.002-04:00

Cutting Brush

2009-03-28T17:48:00.000-04:00

Inside the Hollow Tree

2009-03-06T16:00:00.001-05:00

Odds 'n' Ends

2009-02-19T10:52:00.001-05:00

Farming Photos

2009-02-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Milking machines waiting to be cleaned

The business end of the milk tanker

More Blitz

Just a little reminder, that after the milk truck picks up the milk, somebody had sure better turn on the compressor for the cooler next time we milk (guess whose job that is...)

Cow notes

Somebody should sweep the dust out of this fan!

Scotty's candy cane tail

Flash!! (The other end of Scotty)

Saturday Photo Fun

2009-02-07T12:59:00.002-05:00

More Lake Effect Snow

2009-01-31T09:42:00.002-05:00

Slightly Naughty Joke

2009-01-22T06:33:00.001-05:00

Last night, after I finished my "stuff" and turned the computer over to Alan he suddenly began to snort and snicker....he wouldn't let me see what he was reading until much browbeating and cajoling went on, but I finally got it out of him.....

A gynecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork and was burned out. Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial, he decided to become a mechanic (auto-technician). He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could. When the time for the practical exam approached, the gynecologist prepared carefully for weeks and completed the exam with tremendous skill.

When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%. Fearing an error, he called the instructor, saying, "I don't want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result, but I wonder if there is an error in the grade."

The instructor said, "During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark. "You put the engine back together again perfectly,which is also worth 50% of the mark." After a pause, the instructor added, "I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler, which I've never seen done in my entire career."

Some Snow Photos

2008-12-26T09:20:00.002-05:00

Sun and Snowshine

2008-11-23T13:11:00.002-05:00

More Pics From the Maple Woods

2008-11-02T06:20:00.003-05:00

Some foggy morning pics

2008-10-26T09:21:00.004-04:00

Fixing fence isn't all bad

2008-10-09T10:02:00.004-04:00

Smooth barked hickory

Mr. Maple

Leaning tower of hawthorn

Fall on the Farm and out in the Field

2008-09-25T08:54:00.003-04:00

Saving sunflower seeds

Pond on Goldman Road

Trent Tomlinson at Rutland Fair

2008-09-25T08:52:00.000-04:00

Trent Tomlinson

Vermont State Fair 2008

2008-09-07T06:46:00.002-04:00

Almost to Vermont

The Green Mountains are indeed green, amazingly enough

The night sky was amazing

Trent Tomlinson

For Steve

And even more rodeo

2008-08-12T11:41:00.004-04:00

Kody Lostroh

Going.....going......gone

And even more rodeo

2008-08-11T10:16:00.006-04:00

More shots of Reese Cates and Kody Lostroh and a nice young cowboy, whose name we didn't learn

More Rodeo

2008-08-11T10:02:00.002-04:00

Cory Rasch

Kody Lostroh

Tony Mendez

Kody Lostroh

Rodeo Syracuse NY August 10 08

2008-08-11T09:53:00.002-04:00

Cory Rasch

Kolt Donaldson

Liz and Kody Lostroh

Loons

2008-08-06T14:29:00.001-04:00

Peck's Lake NY 2008

Rubeckia

2008-08-04T11:29:00.002-04:00

Sky and water

2008-07-29T20:19:00.004-04:00

Peck's Lake NY

Flowers

2008-07-22T21:00:00.003-04:00

Fish

2008-07-20T09:37:00.002-04:00

Bass, rock bass and bait

Peck's Lake NY 2008

2008-07-19T20:44:00.002-04:00

People

Birds

Something a little prettier

2008-06-24T15:33:00.002-04:00

2008-06-19T09:25:00.001-04:00

Experimenting with flowers at sunset

2008-06-02T20:52:00.005-04:00

Elusive Oriole

2008-05-15T14:54:00.004-04:00

This guy followed me around all day...or so it seemed. If I was planting scarlet runner beans, out of the apple tree he popped, to sing like a robin only louder and clearer. Then I was on the front porch watering plants and he came chasing his lady friend through the box elder bushes.

All righty then, I will stop what I am doing and go get the camera.

Apple tree, sans oriole

Instantly he vanished. All morning and half the afternoon he had been hanging around in plain view and no more than twenty feet from me. But once the camera showed up, whoosh, gone.....He was still there actually, right in the old apple tree outside the kitchen window, but would he come out to get his picture taken? Nope, too shy (although he is not too shy to get up to all manner of high jinks with his girl friend. My goodness!)

And so, with much cropping etc., here is what I got.

If he hangs around I promise to keep trying. Maybe he will let me get some better shots another day.

Not for long

2008-05-11T21:25:00.004-04:00

But nice while it lasts

And more gold finches

White crowned sparrows

2008-05-07T12:49:00.002-04:00

Upstate traffic

2008-04-16T20:28:00.002-04:00

Some Amish we saw today...practically a traffic jam.

Even more Howe Caverns

2008-04-13T11:41:00.002-04:00

Howe Caverns

2008-04-11T13:52:00.001-04:00

Do click if you have time...there is much more detail in all of them close up

Is a great place to celebrate getting your driver's license...so I took Alan today. Imagine living 25 miles from this fantastic place and he had never been and it has been over 30 years since I have.

More Howe Caverns pics

2008-04-11T12:58:00.000-04:00

There isn't a lot of wildlife in the caverns but you do find some occasionally

Still more cavern pictures

2008-04-11T12:57:00.002-04:00

This formation is supposed to resemble a mud turtle

A stalagmite

Our guide and the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Alan testing out this formation, which is called the Keyboard. It forms a natural resonating chamber and makes delightful music when someone hums under it.

And the Pipe Organ, which is across the passage from the Keyboard

Pretty morning

2008-04-09T13:04:00.003-04:00

Auction, marmota monax and the same geese most likely

2008-04-05T16:47:00.003-04:00

I really liked the middle one.

The ring before the sale

Photos by Alan

Still more Canada Geese

2008-04-01T16:38:00.003-04:00

And Mallard ducks...his and hers

Four and twenty blackbirds

2008-03-28T10:09:00.002-04:00

Or maybe just a few more than that. Sorry about the poor quality, but these are taken all the way from the house to the far side of the barn in terrible light. The sun wasn't even up yet....The entire place was surrounded by a giant flock of mixed blackbirds. Amazing

And the next day

2008-03-27T12:33:00.002-04:00

The snow geese showed up. I debated taking the camera with me to clean out the stove...didn't.
So I had to run back in and get it as these began to circle in front of the place as soon as I got the stove door open. They are surely pretty things like bits of white confetti whirling on the wind.

Geese invade the Northeast

2008-03-26T14:21:00.003-04:00

This flock flew over the river by the house yesterday. I suspect there were a couple thousand but I couldn't fit them all in the picture

A little closer view

And closer

On the BIG beaver pond...this is but a fraction of that flock

More new camera stuff

2008-03-22T17:28:00.003-04:00

Geese

H2O

Crazy 8s Meme

2008-02-15T12:37:00.004-05:00

From Mrs. Mecomber

8 Things I’m Passionate About

1. Family
2. Outdoors
3. Animals
4. Books
5. Gardening
6. Music
7. Birds
8. Blogging

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Enjoy my kids
2. Write more
3. Read a lot
4. Grow things
5. Get a faster camera with more zoom
6. Take a lot of pictures with it.
7. Enjoy my friends
8. Laugh uproariously as often as possible

8 Things I Say Often

1. Plumb...as in plumb out of chickens
2. What's wrong?
3. Wassup kiddo?
4. Hi Mikie
5. Horrible!
6. Appalling!
7. Works for me
8. Up to you....

8 Books I’ve Read Recently

1. The Cows are Out by Trudy Chambers Price
2. A whole series by Tamora Pierce
3. Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
4. Dial-a-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson
5. Changeling by Delia Sherman
6. Seize the Night Dean Koontz
7. The Good Guy Dean Koontz
8. Justice Denied and Hand of Evil by J A Jance

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over (not in order of how well I like 'em)

1. Crazy Kind of Love by the Roosters
2. Lucky Man Emerson Drive
3. Cadillac Cowboy Chris LeDoux
4. I See Heaven Emerson Drive
5. Ireland Garth Brooks
6. Little Joe the Wrangler Todd Fritsch
7. The Cowboy Song Todd Fritsch
8. Faith Ain't Faith Todd Fritsch

8 Things That Attract Me to My Best Friends

1. Common sense
2. Hard work
3. Fun
4. Fairness
5. Practicality
6. Capability
7. Independence
8. Thinking instead of parroting

8 People I Think Should Do Crazy 8s

Any 8 folks who aren't busy and want to

Norfolk Island Pine

2008-02-06T12:52:00.001-05:00

Whirl fish

2008-01-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

Not whirl fish

Winter birds

2008-01-21T13:09:00.000-05:00

Tufted titmouse

Black-capped chickadee

Female Downy woodpecker

Random

2007-12-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Mr. Buckethead (before)

And after

This looks just like a Jersey cow to me, but to many hunters she could be a nice white-tailed buck...so we keep her in the barn yard during hunting season

Huey, Dewey and Lewie

Mike

2007-11-10T16:58:00.001-05:00

An oldie, but goodie

RWBB

2007-10-19T17:11:00.000-04:00

Neon rootlets

2007-10-10T13:10:00.000-04:00

Four O'Clocks

2007-09-04T09:41:00.000-04:00

The sign

2007-08-26T17:05:00.000-04:00

Herkimer Diamonds

2007-08-16T08:02:00.001-04:00

I can never get a photo that captures the incredible sparkle and clarity of these crystals that my brother dug for me. I delight in them every time I walk past my herb garden tree.

Sitting porch in the sunshine

2007-08-10T16:16:00.001-04:00

In the early morning light

2007-06-09T13:55:00.001-04:00

Come out on the sitting porch

2007-05-25T12:36:00.001-04:00

And rest a bit.....

Sunset with thunderheads

2007-05-15T20:54:00.000-04:00

Found

2007-05-10T13:07:00.000-04:00

Spring...finally

2007-04-26T20:18:00.000-04:00

More Fiery Hill Cemetery photos

2007-04-05T11:29:00.000-04:00

Mommy's inferno

2007-03-31T15:40:00.000-04:00

Branta Canadensis

2007-03-29T15:07:00.000-04:00

Marbles

2007-03-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

Two cool cats

2007-03-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

Cool, cool kitty

2007-03-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

Frost burr

2007-03-03T10:31:00.000-05:00

More ice

2007-03-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

A Christmas postcard in February

2007-02-23T12:11:00.000-05:00

Photo taken by my husband, the boss of Northview Dairy....his first ever with a digital camera.

Snowy chickadee at the height of the storm

2007-02-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

Photo by Alan

A meme from Joni

2007-02-07T20:15:00.000-05:00

I have actually done the things in green. Tagged by Joni
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink 2. Swam with dolphins 3. Climbed a mountain 4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 5. Been inside the Great Pyramid 6. Held a tarantula 7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 8. Said “I love you” and meant it 9. Hugged a tree 10. Bungee jumped 11. Visited Paris 12. Watched a lightning storm at sea 13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise 14. Seen the Northern Lights 15. Gone to a huge sports game 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 18. Touched an iceberg 19. Slept under the stars 20. Changed a baby’s diaper 21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 22. Watched a meteor shower23. Gotten drunk on champagne 24. Given more than you can afford to charity 25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 27. Had a food fight 28. Bet on a winning horse 29. Asked out a stranger 30. Had a snowball fight 31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 32. Held a lamb 33. Seen a total eclipse 34. Ridden a roller coaster 35. Hit a home run 36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 37. Adopted an accent for an entire day 38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment 39. Had two hard drives for your computer 40. Visited all 50 states 41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced 42. Had an amazing friend 43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country 44. Watched wild whales 45. Stolen a sign 46. Backpacked in Europe 47. Taken a road-trip 48. Gone rock climbing 49. Midnight walk on the beach 50. Gone sky diving 51. Visited Ireland 52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love 53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them 54. Visited Japan 55. Milked a cow 56. Alphabetized your CDs 57. Pretended to be a superhero 58. Sung karaoke 59. Lounged around in bed all day 60. Posed nude in front of strangers 61. Gone scuba diving62. Kissed in the rain 63. Played in the mud 64. Played in the rain 65. Gone to a drive-in theater 66. Visited the Great Wall of China 67. Started a business 68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 69. Toured ancient sites 70. Taken a martial arts class 71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight 72. Gotten married 73. Been in a movie 74. Crashed a party 76. Gone without food for 5 days 77. Made cookies from scratch 78. Won first prize in a costume contest 79. Ridden a gondola in Venice 80. Gotten a tattoo 81. Rafted the Snake River 82. Been on television news programs as an expert 83. Got flowers for no reason 84. Performed on stage 85. Been to Las Vegas 86. Recorded music 87. Eaten shark 88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish) 89. Had a one-night stand 90. Gone to Thailand 91. Bought a house 92. Been in a combat zone 93. Buried one/both of your parents 94. Been on a cruise ship 95. Spoken more than one language fluently 96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show 97. Raised children 98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour 99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country 100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking 103. Had plastic surgery 104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived 105. Wrote articles for a large publication 106. Lost over 100 pounds 107. Held someone while they were having a flashback 108. Piloted an airplane 109. Petted a stingray 110. Broken someone’s heart 111. Ridden a bike 112. Won money on a T.V. game show 113. Broken a bone 114. Gone on an African photo safari 115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced 116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol 117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 118. Ridden a horse 119. Had surgery 120. Had a snake as a pet 121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours 123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states 124. Visited all 7 continents 125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 126. Eaten kangaroo meat 127. Eaten sushi 128. Had your picture in the paper 129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about 130. Gone back to school 131. Parasailed 132. Petted a cockroach 133. Eaten fried green tomatoes 134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey 135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read 136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 137. Skipped all your school reunions 138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 139. Been elected to public office 140. Written your own computer language 141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream 142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 143. Built your own PC from parts 144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you 145. Had a booth at a street fair 146. Dyed your hair 147. Been a DJ 148. Shaved your head 149. Caused a car accident 150. Saved someone’s life.

Kashette is hungry

2007-02-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

All the time

Blogshares

2007-01-25T20:58:00.000-05:00

I don't usually do this sort of thing but Blogshares is offering free chips to members who do a post about the site and I love to gamble with them.
I admit it.
I am a closet chip gambler.

Or actually a dining room chip gambler since that is where I have the main computer. Blogshares is a sort of fantasy online stock market thingie where you can buy and sell shares in your blog and those of others. You can also have things like artifacts and industries and such, (all of which confuse me completely even though I have won some of them gambling). However even in my swamp of near complete ignorance of how to use the site, I enjoy it quite a lot........

...Mostly because I love gambling with those chips. I have won stocks in blogs nobody ever heard of, all kinds of money ( I believe I am a Blogshares billionaire or darned close to it) and every now and then more chips, which I promptly gamble away. Risking them is like potato chips. You simply can't stop at just one.

If I receive chips for writing this post I am going to gamble them away too! Probably immediately. I can go to a PBR rodeo at the state's biggest casino and not gamble a nickle on a slot machine, but I just can't resist those chips.

Anyhow, give Blogshares a looksee...you will probably find your own blog listed there, you can claim it, find a way to get chips and join me in my secret vice!

Bayberry and a bit of breakfast

2007-01-23T13:36:00.000-05:00

Garter Snake and English sparrow

2007-01-14T12:30:00.000-05:00

*Photo by Becky/Alan/summer 06

Guess who

2007-01-13T19:44:00.000-05:00

Three gifts

2007-01-06T14:46:00.000-05:00