The end of summer. How can it be? I am an autumn person through and through. If there were nine months of autumn and one month each of winter, spring, and summer I would be pretty happy with that. But this year, no one I know, myself included, feels ready to let summer go.
Given the many days of Burrito’s recovery (now thankfully healed and returned to his family), followed by the many days of hazardous, smoke-filled air (now thankfully cleared away), we are all beside ourselves with gratitude at the sense of ease, joy and freedom we’ve been having this week. The chimpanzees’ have continued to enjoy lunch forages on Young’s Hill and we’ve all been basking in the final gifts of summer, each of us sighing along with summer’s last breath:
Jody holds her reign as “Farmer Jo”:
Negra enjoying her lunch with a view:
Foxie:
Burrito:
Jamie:
Annie:
Diana mentioned on Saturday how we’ve been anxiously awaiting the chimpanzees’ grapes to ripen and have finally been able to harvest these beauties. Can you believe these gorgeous things?!
I went out to harvest some for dinner, but Annie, Jody and Burrito insisted they should be served immediately, garden to belly:
Everyone squeezed (politely, somehow) into the raceway (the chute that gives the chimpanzees access to Young’s Hill from the greenhouse) and lined up for their serving. Bunches of grapes aren’t the easiest things to serve through the caging so apologies for all the caging shots. But, their faces! A fleeting summertime gift.
Jo!! My favorite photo, look at her eyes! 🙂
Foxie:
Burrito’s tactic is just shoveling them in as fast as he can, naturally:
Missy and her sweet little runner’s legs:
(And fiddlesticks, I just realized that my photo of sweet Annie with her grape cluster didn’t take, and Negra chose to stay in her nest, though she did receive a few grapes via delivery).
Meanwhile, I could hear Willy B blowing raspberries from the other side of the grapevines, in the chute, where he and Honey B were anxiously waiting for their serving:
Honey B:
In the past couple of days that we’ve been harvesting the grapes we’ve learned that Mave in particular LOVES them. She chose to wait inside for hers and when I rounded the corner with them her hair was standing on end in sheer excitement (pilo-erect) making her glorious fluffy self even floofier! Here she is gazing adoringly at them:
Somehow the grape feast, being a hot ticket event, went off without a hitch. For the most part that is. Turns out the seven were not in a sharing mood and had a lot to say about the three partaking in the feast as well. That’s alright. I don’t like sharing, say, my cookies, so I get it. 😉
A bonus photo of Jamie enjoying her beloved boot book in her nest:
It’s been such a beautiful day. It’s nearly dark already and as I type this I hear geese flying overhead and the raspberry patch is a chorus of frog song – I suspect from the little guys I rescued and put in there earlier today. Betwixt and between. Wherever are you, and whichever season you happen to be saying farewell to in your part of the world in welcome of the next, I hope there’s beauty there. I’m convinced it’s there for all of us in one form or another. We just have to keep an eye and an ear out.
Laura B says
Ten happy campers. I bet it was tons of fun to watch various techniques for getting them all through the mesh. I love that they conned you into the “grapes now” campaign and that you happily changed your original plans.
Marcia says
I’m with you about Autumn and am also surprisingly loathe to see the end of summer this year. I love this post. It’s celebration of many gifts and it appears everyone is reveling in it. I’m happy for you all, knowing that Burrito is well, the smoke has cleared, the harvest is in… and those grapes! They’re beautiful and I’m sure taste as amazing as they look. Icing on the cake.
Dalyce Kowalski says
I just love this post!
Well I enjoy them all really – but this one was so enjoyable!
The grape fest was such fun – great pictures – thank you!
CeeCee says
Oh, I love the grape pic’s, So cute 🙂
Thank you !
Paula Griffith says
Mave is so very photogenic; ‘floofier’ is my new favorite word.
Kathleen says
Such a lovely post. I can’t bear that tomorrow is the equinox. I feel as if summer just went poof!
These photos are amazing, the focus in the eyes of Jody, Foxie, and Missy is razor sharp on those grapes. It’s so cool you grow grapes, is this the first year you’ve done this? It’s wonderful all the chimps are thrilled over their “garden to belly” grapes. And speaking of bellies, it looks as if Burrito needs to fatten up a wee bit. Oh what fun that will be for him. I giggled over the CA gang finding pleasure in their grapes, I feel Mave’s happiness!
Happy autumn!
(Was September 20th the 9th anniversary of the opening of Young’s Hill? I had made a note on my calendar.)
Katelyn says
Hi Kathleen,
A former volunteer planted those some years ago and while they’ve always produced, for whatever reason, I feel they really took off this year. But then I am also finding the simplest of things seem the most glorious these days. Burrito is enjoying his “fatten up” plan, but I think in part he just burns all those calories off with his next level playing of late. 🙂 And it is! You’re amazing – I had to look that one up! 😉 And nine years later it’s still full of wonder and adventure for them. <3
Linda C says
Kathleen, I feel like the whole year went poof!
Cheryl says
What a glorious, lovely entry into Autumn blog post. I was transported and transfixed through the entire reading. THANK YOU
Jan says
What a great post and pictures. I too love Autumn and its beautiful colours.
The close up photos of faces looking at their grapes are amazing and so beautiful.
It’s great you are able to grow your own great crop . I’m sure the gang think so too ! xx
Caroline says
I love the “serving from ground to table” and the look of absolute delight in their eyes is a delight for me as well. These are some of the best pics yet and I thank you for sharing them with us. My love to all the chimps, the cows, those beautiful cows, and to you and your team of Angels!
Stay well, and stay safe.
Respectfully yours,
Caroline
Marguerite says
What a wonderful post, yesterday!
Jeani Goodrich says
What a lovely post and pictures Katelyn. You drew a picture in my mind that is so beautiful. Combined with your photos I can see and hear everything is so vivid. I was so happy to see Burrito out again on Young’s Hill.
Linda C says
Another beautiful post, Katelyn!
Yay for grapes! After you’ve harvested them, do you tie them off?
Love all the pics…but my sweet Neggie almost looks like she’s losing her neck! Just the angle?
Linda C says
And The Boss should be happy….pear season is here!
Deanna says
One of my favorite posts and I love the sentiment at the end.