I have had dogs that chewed the furniture, chewed shoes, and chewed children’s toys, but never a dog that only chewed the bills of my favorite hats.  While you might think it would be easy enough to keep them away from him, in practice his ingenuity overcomes my diligence over and over.

Last week was the Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, NY.  My wife went with my son, our nephews, and some Old Beach Farm sheep.  We won big with Grand Reserve Champion sheep and Best Natural Fleece, among other prizes.  Of course, it is not about winning (sure) but more about the community of farmers and wool growers that we know and love.

As the summer winds down and I review my vegetable garden, there have been some bumper crops and some duds.  The Brussels sprouts were a complete failure, whereas the okra was the best I’ve had in years.  The spaghetti squash looks good, but the eggplant just didn’t make it. The garden is like that every year, but this year, we have eaten more produce from it than ever before.

A friend of mine who has owned a couple of ‘Berners’ told me that Mo would grow two pounds for every pound we fed her.  His estimate is close to target as we are now being careful to move any tempting food away from the edge of the countertop.

Don’t forget to see the piglets at next year’s Dutchess County Fair.

Photography: Justin Randall, Alicia Crisp, Jimmy Crisp

Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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