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| Above we see Rock
Hill above the shed. The cow and pig are just waking up, but up on
the hill a pair of intrepid hikers is already making their way up the
trail. Unbeknownst to them, two families of whitetails eating their
breakfasts above are watching them warily. |
A view of the barn,
facing north. The black dot on the roof is an itinerant crow. His
companion is on the ground below. In the near future there will be a
fenced in chicken pen to the right. For now the pigeons on the roof are
the only other inhabitants. |
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| Guests at the inn can see this
view from the back porch. Walter is off to an early start. He really
likes the tractor that he personally restored and prefers it to the
newer model. The horse stable is at the left and the reverse loop
to Coxing Stone Works is barely visible in the background. |
Morning walkers near the east
road junction are treated to this view. They wave to the hikers on
the trail and bring some goodies to the cow and pig in the coral. It
looks like it's going to be another perfect day on the mountain.
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| Above is the view from the roof
of the family homestead. The older kids sometimes climb up here
to ostensibly check the condition of the chimney. They really just
like to spy on the hikers and other wildlife. |
Although the view from the roof
is great, it can't compare to that of the local red tailed hawk who
nests near the new highway bridge far above to the south east. She
doesn't seem to mind the construction crews very much and sometimes
performs aerobatics for their amusement. She also knows better than
to snack on the farm's chickens. Her job is to keep the rodent population
manageable. Coxing bridge collapsed this past winter and has been cleared away. Lumber fot the new one is scheduled to arrive on the next train. |
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| At or after lunch
time, guests at the inn can check out the sunflower patches around
the farm. Sunflowers should not be surprising - this is Saint Remy
after all. |
Walter is a closet
rail fan and has come to the center field to watch the afternoon freight
make its way back down the long two percent grade to town. |
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| The farm
pond as seen from the tracks (about half finished). The next photo was
taken a week later. |
One of the Kaufmann
children is taking some time out for fishing from his raft, and some
of the sheep are conducting surveilance from the cover of the tall grasses. |
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| Grandpa and his faithful dog Waldi, bring
part of the flock back from the far corner of the field where they wandered
in search of delicacies. |
Waldi, who loves herding sheep, is watching
the one who is observing the fishing. The rest of the flock is spending
the day nearer the barn where the new spring grass is tastier. |
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| The farm pond viewed from
the caboose of a passing freight. |
Bobby T. Lambchop, the smart
sheep, takes a drink of cool mountain water. In the background is the
newly reconstructed wooden kingpost bridge on the road to Coxing Stone
Works. This style of bridge was quite common in the northeast. |
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| The farm brook as seen from
high above on the new bridge construction site. |
View (using binoculars) of
the farm pond from the tower of Hilltop House. |
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| Closeup view of pond and cattails |
Hikers on deer hill |
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| Twilight on the mountain |
The sun is low and to the west |
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| Walter waves to the crew of
the late afternoon freight as the sun begins to dip toward the horizon.
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Lengthening Shadows |
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The boys are installing the new windows in the
farmhouse.
They have also planted a forsythia bush.
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Evening begins to fall as the last
window awaits installation. |
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| Overview of the high bridge showing
placement in the room The yellowish cast comes from the new camera. |
A view of the barns from the west near Hilltop House (2011) |
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| View of the high bridge through
the farm |
View of the high bridge from the
tractor |
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| The "South Fourty" |
Guests coming to Kaufmanns' Hilltop
House |