The weather was perfect this morning, so I jumped on my trusty bicycle and headed out on the backroads that criss cross the farmland here to enjoy it up close. I’ve been here for almost three years, and I’m still amazed at this land of opposites.

The land is really a mix of big farms and woodlands. You never know when a silo or two (or three) might pop up out of the trees. It’s perfect for deer and migrating birds.

The sun-bleached fields are in stark contrast to the lush, verdant banks of the creeks that wind through the dry countryside like Oases in the desert.

Old, abandoned barns dot the landscape, even as productive farms seem to flourish everywhere. The old and the new together never fail to intrigue me.

There’s always some new-fangled farm equipment on the roads now, it’s that time of the year. And it’s all high-tec; what used to take a whole family of sons to accomplish on the farm can now be done by one man and his dog. Apparently.

–Photos by me