afternoon in farm country

i live in the adirondack foothills, 10 miles north of the blue line. but today. i spent a chunk of the day 25 miles north of here, in the st. lawrence river valley, some of the richest farmland in the north country of new york. even though the climate is the same, it is a very different place, hauntingly open, wind whipped, even sublime. if you have seen the movies black robe, or frozen river you will have a sense of this place. most of the current farms are big dairy farms, family farms are largely corporations, or dying. i was on one of these today. the barn has collapsed, the land is still farmed, rich and open and beautiful.

i love the stark stubble from corn harvest. it reminds me of drawings by nigel peake and ian stevens. ian is my first born. a fine artist, who specializes in lots of little lines, large ink drawings, printmaking, press work, and glass. he is capable of pulling a fine sheet of paper, too. he is a master wordsmith, and he has a particular love for honest, hard work.

i just love the ochre stubble against the wind driven snow. back home, it's deeper, woodsier. if you have the courage to watch the movie black robe, you will get a sense of the landscape along the st. lawrence. 


it's time to see if i can settle into some book work tonight, but enjoying a blue moon may mean that i just hang out and look at a wonderful book i received from a friend.