Well it's been an interesting summer here in NY. Muggy, buggy & lots of rain!

We've managed one creek trip so far and hope to do a few more before we have to leave. It's so pretty....hope to post a picture soon.

Our first big garden has been overtaken by crab grass and we have given up trying to weed it! We have been overrun with tomatoes (what would you expect with 40 plants plus seedlings that ALL came up)! So we are now drying them and Phil is making some of them nuclear hot. He just can't get enough. We're still getting green beans, some squash & cucumbers and corn. Not bad for our first veggie garden.

I made 2 gallons of 2 kinds of refrigerator pickles for Phil. He's become a pickle freak! He likes the dill kind best so far. Hopefully he likes one of the batches otherwise someone will get a present!

The sunflowers managed to survive the rodents and the weeds. I think I'll just stick to them since none of the other flower seeds came up. The weeds are too thick and fast growing.

I've been picking black berries and elderberries. The black berries take forever to pick --- getting through the high weeds in the field and untangling myself from all the thorns! So long time picking, easy to process.
The elderberries are really easy to pick (just clip and bring the branch home) but take forever to get them off the stems and then look for all the stems that you didn't get undone. Wheeeeeewwwww! Add to the fun of picking berries are bugs. I have to coat down in bug repellent because of mosquitoes! Even when I'm covered in long pants, long sleeved shirt my hands get bit up if I don't. But it's all worth it when we make jam. We already have one batch of black berries, black caps and elderberries. Yum yum!

We hope everyone has been having a great summer! We are definitely enjoying our shore time!