5/19/10 THE ORCHARDS ARE IN FULL BLOOM

RIPPLES CREATE PATTERNS ON THE QUIET WATER
ORCHARD COUNTRY IN BLOOM
DWARFED APPLE TREES ON TRELLISES
A PROPERLY PRUNED OLD STANDARD APPLE TREE
AN ORCHARD IN BLOOM

Wednesday, 7:30 AM. 54.5 degrees, wind WNW, calm. The channel is patterned with ripples and the sky is cobalt blue. The barometer predicts mostly clear skies. There is a large bubble of high pressure over the lake which will keep low pressure at bay for at least a few days.
We put the top down on the Saab yesterday evening for the first time this spring and drove around orchard country, The apple trees are about in full bloom and the rows of flowering crab trees used as pollinators are striking. The older trees are pruned heavily to let sunlight reach the ripening the apples, to produce larger apples, and to make them easier to pick. The more modern method is to train dwarf apple trees on wire trellises. Our orchards use both methods. This coming weekend the orchards will be at their peak of beauty.