home field

this is the home field in early summer as seen from the barn hayloft.





here is the same view in winter




chester loves winter.




the ranch is large and to get a true feeling of the place it has to broken down into different areas. there are three fields on the property totaling around 100 acres. the upper field is smaller and drier and the lower fields are part of an ancient river bed. at some point in the distant past the river took a new course and left this old river bend high and dry. it would have been an oxbow lake for hundreds if not thousands of years before gradually filling in with sediment from the springs and hillside erosion to become what it is today. due to their lower elevation and the presence of multiple springs the lower fields can be quite swampy in the winter. wild ducks and geese are regular visitors in the spring and fall. the two lower fields are refered to as the home field or main field and other we call the far field. of the two lower fields the home field is probably the most scenic while the far field is definitely the wildest.this is how it appeared on the first day we saw the place. it is late may 2005




march is a time of green grass and rainbows. this shot must have been taken at the end of the first winter due to the burn piles in the front yard. the place was a mess and took years to clean up.




here is some classic fall light and color. probably taken in October. our firewood piles can be seen in the upper end of the field.





this is the view from the upper end of the home field looking down towards the homestead. the walnut orchard can be seen in the distance with hennessy ridge in the backround.





this is basically the same shot as above but in the early spring.





and a zoom in of the walnut orchard