Apples + Gardens + Nature, oh my!

the pear grove on the way to the apples (click to enlarge)

come on you slow pokes ... (click to enlarge)

one on the ladder hands to the other...
Some of us love to get out to our favorite orchard - Butternut Farms - right here in Rochester, NH. It is so amazing to drive a mile and a half up the Meaderboro Road from the gallery and be near three working farms. Meaderboro farm has draft horses, Scruton's Dairy has hundreds of cows and then you come to my favorite apple orchard Butternut Farms, (since leaving Cedar Rapids long ago and my friend's family orchard - Kazimour Farms)

why would you pick when you can snooze in the sun?
So, you can see who did the picking, who did the photos and who did the sunworship. What an amazingly beautiful autumn day!

M.E. and the wild northern end of the garden (click to enlarge)
The final shots are from master art gardener Mary Ellen McKeen. Her still blooming zinnias are a main attraction for the monarchs who have come to rest and drink exotic nectar! (of course some of us drink exotic nectars on her veranda as well) Did you see his wildly spotted body? Nature inspirations - are everywhere.

monarch beauty with a spotted torso (click to enlarge)
The word for the day is ... peek ... as in sneaking a peek, a little look at something splendid and
a tiny crack or hole which lends itself to looking through.