Hi Everyone!!!  How have you all been enjoying your Summer so far?  I can't believe it's almost September already.  The Summer season sure does fly by quickly!!!  It's been kind of a rainy one this year, especially during our weekends unfortunately.  It's been great weather for our local produce though.  My Mom has been super excited about the local squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, peaches, blueberries...the list goes on.  We buy most of our local produce at Windy Brow Farms in Fredon.  My parents have been very much enjoying the peaches from the farm this year, as they do every year.  We treat ourselves weekly to the homemade ice cream made at Windy Brow too and what a treat it is!!!  Mom and Dad get me my own little dish now and I enjoy it immensely!!!!

Hi Everyone!!!  Hope you all have had the most wonderful start to 2018!!!  The month of January has gone by so very fast; to think we're already a twelfth of the way through 2018 already is a little unbelievable.  My January has passed by with more of the same fun pastimes I've grown to love.  Lots of playtime, some of it on snow-covered turf, which is especially fun.  I think we'd all agree that this January's weather has been a little erratic with snow one day and then spring-like temps within a few days after the snowfall.  I was pretty upset when this last snowfall we had was melted away.  Thankfully, we always have some longer standing piles from where my Dad has shoveled the snow from the deck and I played in those until even they succumbed to the warm weekend weather we've been seeing.

Hey Sussex County, ever wonder how to beat the heat without breaking the bank? Well here’s some great news, there's a fun way to do that! There are a handful of great outdoor places that allow you to rent kayaks, canoes, rafts, and more. Rather than having to buy all of the gear, for a small fee you can rent it without worrying about lugging everything around.

Hi Everyone!  I'm back again to tell you about some of the exciting things I've been up to the last couple of weeks. I've been enjoying my first summer very much. I've been going for lots more hikes on the local trails. Either my Mom or Dad (and on really great mornings both of them!) take me for a walk at Kittatinny Valley State Park every weekday before we all head off to work.  The only thing I don't like about my walks is that I always get sprayed with stuff to keep the ticks away from me.  My Mom and Dad go on and on a lot about how bad the ticks are this year and I can't go outside for one second without getting sprayed.  We all have been using the Wondercide Natural Flea & Tick Spray with cedar oil that Dad got at Amy's Animals in the Wantage Plaza and I have to admit that even though it's annoying to be sprayed all of the time, the spray does work really well in keeping the ticks away.

On the weekends we've been out and about for more hikes and also to buy strawberries and flowers at the Sussex County Strawberry Farm in Andover. The strawberries were absolutely fantastic this year! We're now looking forward to more bounty from our favorite farms as the fruits and veggies ripen through the summer months.  We have also gotten a lot of great flowers at Andersen Farms in Wantage.  My Mom really likes to plant flowers and this has been a really great year for her flowery fun.  I really like to sniff the flowers and occassionally I'll pluck a bloom or two off when Mom isn't looking.

The official start of winter and the holidays are just around the corner, but it's never too late in the year to get out and enjoy the beautiful walking trails our county has to offer. There's great joy to be had in a walk in the spring, when the beautiful trees of Sussex County begin to unfurl their green splendor.  It's also wonderful to walk amongst these trees as they radiate the majestic colors of fall.  However, there's also great pleasure to be had in a crisp, cool walk on a clear winter day, when you can see ever bigger and endless spans of a bright blue sky above.  

There are so many wonderful trails to blaze and treks worth taking in Sussex County and its surrounding areas.  Whether you're looking for more ways to get some exercise, or get more quality family time or maybe you just want to get out into the fresh air more, the trails in and around Sussex County provide plenty of great options for accomplishing these things! Given that Sussex County is a little short of areas for sidewalk strolling, trailways are a great place to walk, bike, etc. without having to worry about road traffic.