GGW Picture this Photo Contest Nov’09-End of Line

Here’s the entry for this month’s picture this photo contest. See the snow in the background, which is the end of line here for this season.

RB Winter Park ,Pennsylvania

GGW Picture This Photo contest Oct’09 -Abundant harvest

This months GGW photo contest theme is abundant harvest. I had some photographs from our garden as well as the farms that we have visited. But i need a little more ‘bounty’ and so opted the last option from the GGW post “a photo at a local farmer’s market which can convey abundance and celebrate freshness”. So this afternoon I made quick visit to our local farmers markets. Dreese’s produce, Shamokin Dam and Baily’s farm market both located at Susquehanna Trail. I am a frequent visitor there and they were happy to have the pictures taken.

Here is my entry for the contest
 

More pictures from the farm markets below.

Indian Corn

 

chrysanthemum From Baily's farm market

 

From baily's farm market

 

 

Pumpkins & Indian corn -Baily's farm market

 

 

We are the prettiest Ms. Pumpkins of America

 

Abundant vegetables at Dreese's farm market

 

From Dreese's produce

 

From Dreese's produce

 

 

October snow here

Although it was predicted, I did not expect a snow fall. It is still snowing and is colder than usual October here. Luckliy I had moved the Jasmine plant just the previous day. It was hard to move as two pumpkin plants were growing from this pot. Finally i pulled out the pumpkin plants and moved the jasmin inside. You are one lucky jasmine , otherwise you could have been killed by the snow yesterday.

Here are some pictures of my frozen flowers from the snow.

Double petunia in snow & ice

Pink Chrysanthemum in snow

Gertrude Jekyll Rose, English Rose

Queen Elizebeth Rose

Crimson Rose

Snow on iris

Frozen salvia

Fall mums and pumpkins in snow

An interesting post on top 10 modern human addictions

Pick your own farm – Outdoor wednesday

A friend of mine told us about this farm, again it is another ‘noname’ farm. They grow all kinds vegetables like green peppers, beans, onions, eggplants, cabbage, carrots, various greens, butternut squash, lots and lots of pumpkins etc..etc..plus oriental vegetables like bitter gourd( bitter melon), chinese, soy beans eggplant , Okra as well which made us to go there. This farm is owned by a an Amish family. We had fun picking vegetables. Chinmay liked it a lot, he helped us picking vegetables..He had a good time with the kittens and chickens. While me picking the Okra he came and asked me “Hey Amma what are you doing? ” and i replied “picking Okra” and he “what Okra? pick some chickens? ”

Amish woman and men , the most simple, humble and hardworking people in America..their houses are not so sophisticated as the normal american houses here…with no electricity and no tv …They were a surprise for me when we moved to this area. I am not a knowledgeable person to talk about them , but these kind and warm hearted people are still a surprise for me. I am glad I could get to know them a little bit. Some old woman talked to us, resembled to the way my grandmothers used to talked.

We took some pictures there. We were not allowed to take individual pictures.

returning home after Church

Returning from Church on a Buggy

a beautiful home & garden on theway

a click on the way

picture on the way

Bitter melon

Chinmay picking peppers

Kittens getting 'tanned' in the farm

From their garden

Brubakers Orchards

We have been a frequent visitor during summer at Brubakers Orchards. First time it was another accidental trip when we were new to this area. Two years back, on a sunny sunday morning we took Chinmay’s to a farm ( I can’t remember the name, but it was a nice name) to show him farm animals and to see some orchards. Unfortunately they did not have much animals that day, but it was a beautiful farm with facilities to stay (something like a B&B). The caretakers were nice people and they gave us the directions to Brubakers and in 30 minutes we were at Brubakers.

Apple Tree

A view from the farm

Brubakers are a wonderful family. The moment they saw us, they greeted us happily and asked us from which part of India we are originally from. Then the husband and wife shared their story, and their visits to India while their son did missionary work there. He gave us a tour although the farm was officially closed on that day. Since then we are good friends and we visit the farm with our friends and guest every summer, pick fruits such as cherries, peaches,plums, apples etc.

Apple tree

Purple Plum(Prune plum)

Yellow plum

Plum

Sour cherries

Pictures taken at Brubaker’s Orchards
857 Scholl Rd, Winfield, PA

Fall blooming Iris and some more

Irises here are reblooming now. Since I had planted them only last fall I did not know about it and it was sweet surprise for me when I noticed the buds while doing little bit fall cleaning up in the garden. And here is my autumn surprise iris. Also a here is a list of fall-reblooming and late blooming Irises.

Iris

My favorite pink and white gaura, the low-maintenance beauties are still doing great.

Pink Gaura

White gaura

Mums on walkway

Aster party is almost over here

mothersbaugh’s farm,Penn’s cave

Two weeks ago, on our way to Penn’s cave to see the antique machinery show (features farm machines, tractor pull and flea markets from 200+ vendors) we saw this amazing garden. While coming back from the show we stopped there. The person at the mothersbaugh’s farm was kind enough to give us a small tour while he picked the gladioulus for sending to the local farm market for the evening. They had all kinds of vegetables, pumpkins, and mostly flowers for local florists.

I have never seen a gladioulus farm and the varieties amazed me. He offered us to come back and pick up as much bulbs in October and I can’t wait.

From the farm

Sunflower

Pumpkins

Gladiolus pink

Farm

Okay, while coming back from the farm and show, we noticed a park, RB winter park. We never expected such a thing in that park, a beach and was so serene and peaceful. Excellent place for camping,hiking, picnic, boating …etc…No doubt that we are going to be back there again with our friends next summer.

RB Winter park, near Penns cave ,PA

Finally what do I do when i get free gladiolus? I did a mini flower show itself at home and shared some with friends & neighbours as well.

Gladiolus

Gladiolus

GGW – Picture this photo contest Sep

Nan Ondra, judge of this month’s picture this photo contest selected Ornamental grasses as the subject of the month. Here is my entry.

Ornamental Grass with Panicle Hydrangea

Athapoo

We made an athapookkalam this year for onam, a quick mini pookalam infront of our house. The good part is we used flowers from the garden, mainly mums and asters. Chinmay enjoyed making the ‘pookalam’. He helped me picking flowers and arranged it following me.

Atha pookkalam

Onam & Pookkalam: Onam is celebrated as the state festival in Kerala, a southern coastal state in India.

Aster

I thought the asters were annuals..and I decided last year itself after seeing the beautiful flowers in our garden that I must buy it this year again. But I did not have to buy it..They came back , multiplied and it is everywhere …pink and purple.. beautiful flowers…There are some dwarf asters with the tall ones ..but they are not yet ready..

Aster

Aster