A Foggy Day at the Farm
My Bedford, New York farm looks so eerie shrouded in a blanket of thick fog.
As many of you know, I live in close proximity to the Cross River Reservoir, where patches of fog are quite common. Fog is essentially made up of condensed water droplets - a result of the air being cooled to the point where it can no longer hold all the water vapor it contains. Yesterday started off cold and rainy with extremely icy road conditions. As the day progressed, it also became very foggy - in fact, the fog seemed to get heavier through the afternoon and into the evening. The low visibility made it difficult for driving or even walking in some areas.
Here are some photos of the dense fog at the farm, enjoy.
-
- By afternoon, the fog was so thick, one could barely see the trees around the farm. The giant dark green stand of tall white pines is visible here, but the trees behind it are all blocked by the fog.
-
- The view through this grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, looks mysterious in such thick fog. Fog can form in two ways: either by cooling the air to its dew point or by evaporation and mixing – this happens often when the earth radiates heat at night or in the early morning.
-
- Looking into the peafowl pen, many of my peacocks and peahens are perched on their favorite tree – they don’t seem phased by the fog at all.
-
- Here’s a look across the paddock to one of two linden tree allees. This one runs from the old corn crib all the way down to the vegetable garden. I am so pleased with how well these trees have grown since we planted them.
-
- This is a view looking up through a section of the same linden tree allee. At the end is the carriage road to my home – hard to see, but it’s there.
-
- This is the carriage road to my Winter House. The beautiful bald cypress trees are on the left and my long pergola is on the right. All the boxwood hedges and shrubs are now covered in protective burlap.
-
- This is the garden behind my Tenant House. All the garden beds are now put to bed for the season. My charming Basket House is seen nestled among the bald cypress trees.
-
- And here is the Pin Oak Allee. Again, it is so hard to see past the stand of trees. The fog is thick everywhere. The foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland, Canada. It gets more than 200-days of fog per year.
-
- This view is from one end of the pool. I placed the pool in this location, so one could see the gorgeous vistas, but on this winter fog-filled day, even the tallest of trees are hard to see.
-
- This is one of the most popular vantage points at the farm – the foot of the carriage road leading to the woodlands and hayfields. In this photo, it’s difficult to see where the road leads, making it quite mysterious and even ghostly.
-
- Down the road is this view of the lower hayfield and the weeping willows. Can you see the willows? Some describe fog to be “as thick as pea soup”. This was originally used to describe the dingy yellow smog from burning soft coal common in Europe. Such fogs occurred in London until the Clean Air Act of 1956.
-
- The fog appeared to cover every area. The thicker the fog, the longer it takes to dissipate. This view is just outside what I call my Contemporary House, where there are several old apple trees original to the farm.
-
- This view is just past the apple trees looking down the hayfield from the other end – and yes, there is an expansive field out there.
-
- To the left is my small pond – hard to see the reflecting water with all the fog.
-
- Fog reduces visibility to less than one-kilometer, or six-tenths of a mile. It can really impair driving or even walking. Here’s a look over the old stone wall and through the woodland.
-
- This is the back hayfield. This is a giant open space, but hard to see across the landscape.
-
- At one end of the back hayfield is my giant sycamore tree, the symbol of my farm. This tree is among the largest of the trees on the property. If you look closely, there is also a screech owl house on one side of the tree – I wonder if there are any occupants inside.
-
- Don’t confuse fog with mist – mist is actually easier to see through. Visibility is at least one-kilometer with mist. Visibility below this is fog.
-
- Fog also covers the run-in paddock for my horses. On the right, one can see the run-in shed. Some areas, including parts of northern New England, the Appalachians, and the Pacific Northwest are more prone to fog.
-
- Hours later as the sun begins to set, a soft pink tint could be seen through the clouds. The fog remained thick through the night. And today, we’re expecting sun and clouds with temperatures in the mid-30s. How much fog do you get where you live? Share your comments below.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
