Saturday, our second day at the cottage in Campton dawned heavily overcast, destined to be a rainy day. Not showers, but full rain. Before the rain began, though, Byron wanted to show us his pumpkin patch so we trotted along after him over to the main house and the gardens where he grows potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes -- and this year, pumpkins as well. He and Donna are the most enterprising people we have ever known.

Byron, like his father, is an excellent gardener. He's curious about everything. Last year he wanted to grow hops thinking it might turn out to be a profitable side-business. He gave me one to take home last June and though I planted it with high hopes nothing came of it. His, however, seemed to thrive and grew mightily over the props he planted them in front of. They seemed to overwinter badly, though, and today nothing is left of them.

Their two little goats are in fine fettle. They've had a succession of rabbits and the latest one is adorable, white, tiny and with the most beautiful eyes. He's also not frightened of anything, allowing Jackie and Jillie to sniff him, and he returned the compliment with full confidence. The newborn chicks we had seen in June are now juveniles, about half the full size they will eventually grow to, and reputed to be excellent egg layers.

Soon after our little jaunt and heavy conversations about the important things in life, we returned to the cottage to shower, have breakfast, and plan our activities for the day. And then the rain began, the heavy clouds just opened up and it poured incessantly. Clearly, any outdoor activity would be restricted until the rain wore itself out. And we had no intention of remaining indoors, sulking in the cottage, rather than remaining active. So we decided it was as good a day as any to head out to Antique Alley, a long hour-and-a-half drive from where we were situated.

We saw mist rising from the mountains and the valleys below, even in the rain. The rain relented from time to time, going from really heavy to relatively light. We anticipated that the further south in the state we drove, the likelier it would be that the rain would either be lighter or would have stopped by the time we arrived at our destination. And as things turned out, the rain petered out before our arrival, the skies remaining heavily loaded with grey clouds.

We visited several group shops selling all manner of items from curiosities to antiques. We're always curious about what the market holds in old paintings, and over the  years have been able to acquire 19th century oils and watercolours, from still-lifes to landscapes to portraits, all of which we enjoy living with. For the past ten years antique shops have been steadily closing to be replaced with shops selling 'collectibles', and the chance that we'd come across genuinely good offerings has decreased immeasurably. The only really good group shop is more distant than we were willing to go. The quality of the merchandise they sell is matched by the prices they exact.

So we moseyed about, talked at some length with some of the people in the shops, most of whom we got to know over the years. And then left, to return to the cottage. We encountered more rain as we returned, but then the rain began to peter out and we decided that before reaching the cottage we'd make a stop to have a short hike in the surrounding forest. Jackie and Jillie are so patient, so well behaved, so companionable, we feel guilty any time they're deprived by untoward circumstances, of a good, energetic opportunity to enjoy a forest trail.

We always keep our hiking boots in the truck, so on our arrival prepared for an unexpected hike. Dusk was closing in rapidly, as it does in mountainous terrain. And by the time we entered the forest interior it was quite dusky and getting darker by the minute. We chose a trail that was mostly flat, not a hiking challenge, while still offering the opportunity for a good stretch of our legs. It was different, being on a forest trail in looming darkness. By the time we'd gone as far as we meant to under the circumstances and turned back to retrace our steps back to the trailhead, it was really quite dark. We had no problems making our way through the forest, though, and were grateful for the opportunity to do just that. A nice conclusion to a day when weather restricted our choices.