September 11, got another machine, will work on the pond tomorrow, walk around

Well they called Sat morning and let us get another backhoe/dozer (mini) so we'll get some work done on Sunday, but on Saturday I did a little walk about and took some photos.

Looking across from the new mown camping area toward our house, the white spot to the right in the photo is the backhoe dozer sitting by the pond waiting to dig on Sunday.

The road across the field, East of Joel's house. One of the white pines is red cause it is dying from the drought we were having. It has rained some, but our water table is still 2 feet plus below normal.

Mowing an area of lawn out of our field East, there is room enough now for a camper or tents should anyone enjoy camping on our property. the taller grassy area in between is where the ditch runs through to drain the property, we will be putting a footbridge across the ditch from one side to the other soon, but there is a bridge where the road goes across for above photo that can be driven over. Note the  humps below of foliage? Those are large clumps of siberian iris dark purple that I planted when there used to be a path and bridge across to the field many years ago.

Another view of the mown area of the east field. There are trails along the ditch north to south from the house to the woods, a road east to west from the house to the road across the field, and some smaller walking trails through the field around the trees from this mown area. behind me in the photos is the pond that is going to be finished eventually.

Here is the trail that goes north and south back from the house to the older woods, along the ditch. There is a group of alders on the west side along the ditch and some white pines and hemlocks and alders on the east side..that buildling is Joel's garage

the little mini dozer backhoe we got for free this weekend after the big guy broke down last weekend. Hope to get the pond dig finished today (well Joel, not me).

This photo is the upper east bank of the pond, when we got the machine here Sat afternoon Joel got a feel of how it worked and moved some dirt. He is moving dirt from the pile on the left to a pile on the right where it will be levelled into a low spot.

This is a shot south of the pond over the field across to our wood furnace building. You can see the pond barely on the right and a baby weeping willow in the field.

Here is what the pond looks like now on the south end near the east bank where Joel will be working on Sunday. You can see the rain has made it a mud hole. He will be moving the mud piles off of the banks to some lower areas of the property first and then crawling down into the mud with the backhoe and digging some of the pond deeper.

Pond looking from dry area on the west to an area on the east that is still holding some water. The water level is down 2.5 feet from normal. Joel will be digging out some of the shallower areas on Sunday with the backhoe.

Standing on the North bank of the pond looking toward the woods to the North.

Woods clearing where the trails go off through the woods to the north.

West trail through woods to barn.

Old Barn in the woods.

Self seeded apple tree that grew from a deer bait pile over 30 years ago that was left in the woods during hunting season. Cleared a trail to the apple tree and around it, this trail joins into John and Jessica's NE trail.

Bird nest of some type found in a maple tree hanging over the trail on the West side of our woods.

Back in the gardens, the last remnants of flowers before winter, above is the fadingn flowers of a hydrangea  and to the left the final flowers of a Malva.

and a few stray purple coneflowers going to seed.

Will post more photos when Joel gets busy digging on Sunday.