Top O' The Hill Farm: Fall Colors and Beaver Ponds

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fall Colors and Beaver Ponds

Monday - another beautiful fall day. We planned to take Keri and Reverie out on the 12 mile loop today- and Reverie can canter the mile long hill.

Often, when I am out and about in the saddle with my camera- I am just snapping photo's randomly when I think the view is pretty. Sometimes I stop and snap-- sometimes I trot and snap. When I return home and upload the photo's - there are times when I see a theme of sorts-- This day's pictorial topic seems to be beaver ponds in the fall.

Here's the first one we pass- about a mile from my house.

We trot down the other side of Flamstead Road- and look out at what I think is Mount Ascutney.

Hidden Valley Pond- which I guess is not truly a beaver pond. There's a family of geese here every year. They raise their young and go south when it's time.

When the light is right- even the brown leaves are pretty.

Around this time of the year- it's the leaves of the Beech trees that I think that are the most
dazzling.

Approaching pond number three - on the corner of Mattson Road and Mineral Springs Road. This body of water used to be a swamp-- now it's a beautiful pond. Funny how land and water changes over time. Beavers help that process a lot with their engineering projects.

As we trot by- the Kingfisher loudly protests our presence. He sounds more like three birds instead of just one. They are a noisy species.

I have always wondered about the stonework on the opposite side. So I stopped to get some close up views. From the road, you can just about see two triangular shaped holes in the stone- but on the close up-- it's just the manner in which the rocks were placed.

The reflection is so clear here - everything is mirrored very sharply.

Back home on Crow Hill Road- most definitely one of the more scenic back roads in our area. We pass the two bachelor Roosters again.. they were sitting up in someone's shed together so I guess they are pets and going to stay awhile.