Anjelica, Lavender and Taking it Easy

We headed over to Anjelica for the "Lavendar Festival".  If this little corner of Western and rural NY State is any indication of the rest of the USA, I'd say that we have a very aware and "back to the earth" country.  There is much interest in organic foods, gardening and crafts.  They were selling organic rabbit meat here!  Wonder what Jubilee would think of that?

Back in Wellsville, we took it easy and had fish tacos for dinner, with a glass of cilantro in the middle of the table.  Lime and cilantro are the key to fish tacos!

When it was time to go, Jubilee put up a hard resistance.  There is no place on earth that she loves as much as Wellsville.

Goats & Gardening

After picking up lunch at the Kinfolk Grocery in Alfred, we headed over to another stop on the "From the Earth" program.

 The goat was all ready for milking!  Unfortunately, she had to wait until the 2PM demo ...

The lecture was all about the art of flower gardening - composition, color, balance, the ever changing environment.  Some people really have a passion for this art; it looks a lot of work to me.   I lean toward weeds and rocks.

 Some of the flowers that caught my eye ...

 My eye tends toward the more "weed-y" looking ones ...

 The Fiber Arts Folks.  I love that they keep this art alive.   Beautiful fabric hand made from all natural fibers and dyes.

The Twig Fence

We went to a place near Alfred to learn how to make a twig fence.   This was part of an Alfred University "From the Earth" event, teaching people how to garden and live closer to the land.  FA and Joe plan to make one of these twig fences around their backyard garden in Fiji.

This twig fence was fancy ...

 ... and very much a work of art ...

 The vegetables, in raised beds, are doing well.

 A pottery shed (actually a store) off to the side, ...

 

I bought a small leaf with a lady bug on it.  (She also has a gallery in Boston - lindahuey.com)

 More embellishments to the twig fence ...

 FA practiced her Fiji-style sitting on the ground during the twig fence demo ...

 Voila!  A twig fence!

The Barn and Land

  

Saturday morning Joe and John went to the land (and barn).  Very cool barn.

 

This (below) is where they will store their car and truck while in Fiji.  The other bays can be rented.

 

The land was so rough and steep that they had to take this vehicle up the hill.  Tray rode in the back but fell out.  Jubilee followed along behind, but got lost in the high grass, and covered in stickers.  John thought they were going to tip over a few times.

The "Hog"

If you are visiting in Wellsville on a Friday night, the chances are high that you will be eating a beer battered fish dinner at the "Hog": The Mahogany Ridge restaurant and bar - "hog" for short - in nearby Scio.

Since this was "Fiji weather" - hot and humid - we put the top down for the drive over.  Knowing what hot and humid is in Florida, I don't think we were quite at the Fiji level, but it was warm for western NY state.

Friends have been gathering here for years, and we had a table full.

Wellsville Weekend (Fiji bound)

Fiji! was the topic. FA had FIJI water at our bedside and along the mantel piece.

They will be Fiji bound on September 2nd, so this was our last visit to Wellsville for awhile.  Their Peace Corps assignment will be for 27 months.

 

Joe is ending 73 years of Felsen medicine in Wellsville with this departure.

Not sure what the "cairn" signifies, but it seems to point into a new direction. More posts from the weekend will follow, when I'm not so tired.

4th of July 2012

Didn't do too much today but mingle with the neighbors at the pool, have a hot dog for lunch (really an Italian sausage, but hot-dog-style), and walk Jube at the park.  Maybe one of these days we'll have a proper 4th of July cookout with family and friends, fireworks and the like.

This is the pool this morning, all cleaned up and ready for the crowd ...

Me and Jube at the Knob Hill park ...

And a thistle in the early morning light ...