We went for a short walk this morning - a little later than usual, but still it wasn't too oppressively hot - and we took some pictures along our stretch of West Shore Road where all the "action" seems to be this summer.  As we were leaving our driveway, we noticed a new toadstool at the edge of the woods.  I really admire the patterns and colorings of nature.  I'm not sure what this duo is attached to, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't been there many days.  These things seem to pop up overnight and are often gone just as quickly.  I used to collect the ones that grow on decaying logs in the woods, and the kids would draw on them, or sometimes I'd paint a scene or a design on them.  These we found on our lawn aren't that substantial, so I expect they'll eventually wither and disappear. 

 Then we moved on down the road to see how Don Encarnacion's lumbering project is coming along.  There is only one machine working there, but the piles of logs are growing daily.   This is a picture of one of two piles we saw - there may be others, but these are close to the road which will make it easy for the truck to pick up.  

There are some piles of brush that look like they will either be chipped or perhaps burned, once snow comes.  When they are finished, the land around Don and Mary's house will be open for the first time in at least 60 years.  This is a picture of that hillside about 1910.  The set of buildings you see behind the big island was the Will Somers farm, later Wilbur Ewen's, and now where Pupino's house is, directly across from the Encarnacion's.  Helen Morrison's is a little left and up the hill slightly, and our house would be just out of the picture on the right.  You can see the railroad tracks at the right of the picture, close to the water.  The picture was taken from the road that is now Route 15.  The hillsides were hay fields and pastures.  The trees along the ridge would have belonged mostly to the Bolton farm.  The big island was called Richaradson's Island, now belonging to Kitty and Abel Toll, and just to the right of it is Sim Whittier's little island, now Pearl Island. If you click on the pictures you'll get a better view.