Summer winding down?

My red delicious apple trees are loaded though they won't be ripe for another month or so.  There are probably over-loaded --I should have thinned them early in the season.

My Jonathan apple tree is producing a usable crop for the first time this year.  I look forward to pies from this tree's fruit.

The Concord grapes continue to ripen.  I can smell the sweet ripening grapes when I walk between these rows.

The Norton wine grapes are also turning purple and red as they ripen.

I have several of these large "birdhouse" gourds growing in the ornamental gourd patch.

There are also several cantaloupe growing in my melon patch.

Here a large future jack-o-lantern is growing among the pumpkin vines.  Its still green but will start turning orange soon.

The silks on the sweet corn are turning brown as the ears ripen.  These should be ready soon, if the raccoons don't beat me to them.

Cherry tomatoes continue to ripen in my tomato patch.  These only lasted a few seconds after the picture was taken.  These little tomatoes often don't make it into the house as I sample them as I work in the garden.

These Burpee Supersteak tomatoes are ripe and ready to pick.  We have enjoyed a lot of tomatoes over the last week and have had bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches for supper several nights -- a favorite summer treat.

I intended to plant sunflowers this year but never got around to it with the late wet Spring and the rush to get all of the vegetables planted.  However, I had two plants come up volunteer from last year's plants.  Here one of my bees gathers pollen from this large flower.

My bees continue to do well.  This is my "weak" hive that continues to thrive since raising a new queen.  Here there is capped brood (the tan covered comb) and uncapped brood (the white looking comb full of larva).

A frame with lots of capped brood, and a little honey on the ends.

Another frame full of capped brood.  This is a beautiful sight when I think that this hive was without a queen only six weeks ago.

There is some capped brood (the tan cells in the center) surrounded by pollen filled cells (the bright yellow and orange) and honey on both ends.

Here is a frame nearly full of pollen in its bright colors of orange and yellow.  Perhaps some of this comes from the big yellow flowers on my melons and gourds that the bees have been visiting over the past several weeks.

And last but not least, a frame full of capped honey from the ends of hte to