Carried Away at Cider Hill Farm (mostly)

 I saw a big sign in Amesbury this afternoon that said:  THE PUMPKINS ARE COMING! Sure enough.  and I believe there will be plenty for everybody!

 Cider Hill Farm is an active farm that does sells produce throughout the year and encourages picking your own fruit from Spring through Fall.  They keep plenty of chickens (for the egs) and a few sheep and goats.  I took a LOT of pictures for painting references. 

 Can't wait to do this red/orange rooster AND his goofy shaped shadow!

 I don't think most of the toddlers knew THEY were bugging the chickens.  One apparently lost it's egg.

 While the goats LOOKED pristine, they still smelled bad to this city "girl."

 I don't know if this one had indigestion, was trying to sing or what.  NOISY!

 The temporary "lake" in the grass left moss on the duck breasts.

 Sparrows (or maybe Finches) were well camouflaged in the sandy dirt.

 Searching for food was as good UNDER the feeder as in it.

All of the chickens were mesmerized by a man walking by with a (tiny) Boston Terrier.  They stopped picking, clucking and running.  HIGH ALERT.

 I enjoyed watching a group of siblings picking "special" grass and clover (?) for the sheep and goats.

 The "lake" from recent rains.  There were lots of ducks!  And when the children scared the chickens, about half of the ducks would lift off, too.

 A couple of long views of the orchards.  Corn, apples, peaches still.  And there were onions, garlic heads, and eggplant in the barn.  Not sure where those were growing.

 Varied pumpkin display.

 View toward the East with shed and tractor and shadow.

 Pumpkins for selecting, segregated by size.  Kids always gravitated to the hugest ones, parents seemed less enthused, although the prices were reasonable.

 Pastoral scenes on the way home from the farm.  I hope I can turn these into pastel or oil paintings.

 This farm had probably sold most of the eastern acreage to a newish subdivision.  I loved the chain of buildings:  homestead, barn, silo, more barn, more shed, another house, etc.

 Sunflowers at Heron Pond Farm.  I hadn't seen ruddy sunflowers before.

 Church adjacent Kingston Town Hall.  I don't know how I can make this into an interesting painting.  Suggestions welcome.

 View toward the street from the church.

 Farmstead on the far side of the Town Hall.

 Farmstead's weathervane.

 One of many local Christmas tree farms.

 Re-paving some more roads before the plows scrape them up in winter.  This was a VERY sophisticated looking asphalt paver.

 Plans around the fresh water marsh, with its beaver den, below.

Tomorrow we're going to Newbury Street in Boston.  I'll be looking at paintings.  Who knows if they'll let me take pictures.