The Echinacea is a delight.

Especially to the bumblebees.

A return kayak expedition to Grafton Pond

finds us watching a loon family of mama, papa, and baby. We had never heard a loon parent’s “doowop doowop” call to a child before. We found our afternoon of watching mama and papa loon fishing out front of our island spot while making the occasional reassuring call to fuzzy brown baby loon near shore very tender.

Here just one of family swims by.

The kayak expedition also found us the Flower blossoms we had come for, Wintergreen.

Back at the farm, Lizzy just arrived home from her summer job at the Putney School’s summer Arts camp. She’ll be back to the Putney School in the fall to teach history (making her the third history teacher in our family of six right now. The dogs greeted her enthusiastically and have already set off for a run in the hills with her.

Note that in the background you can see Jim’s shed is already doing serious duty. Emily and Sophie stacked two cords of wood into the shed last week and have the newly arrived third cord to do this week.

And yes, it really is THAT dry here. This summer we have gone from too dry to too wet to too dry again.

Some things bloom with abandon anyways. Here the Golden Glow Helianthus begins its late summer fireworks.

Scabiosa or Pincushion Flowers fill the cut Flower bed with lovely blossoms for bouquets in the house and office.

Rose hips are ripening as are the peaches, pears, plums, and apples. The blueberries need picking every thirty minutes and there is MORE broccoli to process….. but best of all, for those in need of a prince, one awaits in the pool outside the office door.