Early Morning Batsto Village, New Jersey

I may have posted before about Batsto in the New Jersey's pinelands but usually I am there because of a festival.  So this time it was just for the beautiful scenes and sounds of nature.  I think it was back in the 70's that there were many resident farm animals but now there are none including horses that pulled a stage coach. We were content to enjoy the Canadian geese, a few sparrows, rabbits,  the ruby-throated hummingbirds that were lured with sugar water and in the walking trails a few squirrels stirred.  Many visitors see it as a good opportunity to spend time walking around with their dog.   There were a few friendly rangers around and one at the nature center was making sure there was enough syrup for the hummingbirds. 

 

I always knew there were trails in the pinelands but I did not know that you could take off on a hike right there from the grounds of the Batsto Village.

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 Back in the forties people actually rented and lived in these historic homes.

 After the magnolia tree blooms this is what you will find on the tree and later a seed pod forms.  This one is the southern magnolia but there is a less showy magnolia tree in these woods as well.

 

Batsto Country Living Fair 2015---Dogs, Cars, Crafts, and more...

  My friend and I had to decide on which festival to attend.  Should we go to the Batsto Country Living Fair or to the Cranberry Festival in Chatsworth, NJ.?  We had heard that the Cranberry Festival was as big as ever with very many commercial vendors as you might see at a flea market and very crowded, so it was onto Batsto with a couple stops at yard sales.   

This two year old is not a dog:

 

Fashionable male looking over walking sticks:

Such compassion from this little girl.  I think she knows

 it is a doll but she can not let the "sad little boy" go:

 

Unique handbag made from an armdillo:

Handmade brooms for 25 dollars each. 

 Made from locally grown 

reeds that are specially suited for their purpose: