Blissful summer swansong

Is this Ohio? Are we at the ranch? No. This is Grobice, the gateway between Jakubowizna, to the right, and the DK (national road) 50, to the left. Today, the last day of dawn-to-dusk sunshine, with few clouds in the sky, enticed me for two local walks to catch the klimat.

Below: all that's missing is a mountain range, suggested by those wispy clouds along the horizon. This farm track runs parallel to the road leading to my działka, and is still unasphalted - long may it stay this way. It gets muddy in the autumn; local farmers throw bricks and building rubble into the deeper ruts and puddles so that their vehicles don't get bogged down.

Below: this is the road to my działka, which is asphalted - thank goodness! And still warm enough to wander around without a jacket.

Left: it may be early afternoon, but the sun cannot peek over the tops of the tall trees. At solar noon today, the elevation of the sun was 44° whereas in at the summer solstice it is 61.2°. This is just around the corner from the road above.

Below: orchards are ripening, although I am slightly worried about the calibre of the apples - they look a bit small to me, small because of a dry spring and dry summer, there has been less groundwater for the trees to draw up. Only the most commercial orchards are irrigated; fruit from the older ones - like this one, grown more naturally, is destined for industrial purposes (jabłko przemysłowe) - apple juice, processed apple etc; apple-growers are paid far less for these than for supermarket-grade table apples.

Below: looking across harvested fields towards the DK50. Note the line of acoustic screens between the road (still Warsaw's de facto southern ring road and busy east-west transit route, despite the opening last autumn of the S2 tunnel under Ursynów) and Sułkowice beyond.

Left: "Is that a Nikkor 70-300mm zoom lens in your right cargo pocket and a Nikkor 35mm f1.8 prime lens in your left cargo pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" The sun is now casting long evening shadows as I stroll into town (well Chynów actually), though it's not yet half past five.

Meanwhile, on the tracks, never-ending work continues. The road bridge carrying the DK50 over the Warsaw-Radom railway line is complete, but earthworks shoring up the embankments on either side of the viaduct are underway; a new cable is being laid alongside the east side of the tracks; drainage work is going on around Chynów station (which hopefully will prevent the road outside getting flooded every time there's a heavier shower); and some signalling work has necessitated the closure of the 'down' line north of Chynów. Below: a Radom-bound train swings onto the 'down' line as it departs from Chynów station; behind it, a Warsaw-bound train is waiting for the Radom train to clear the 'up' line. Until 16 September, the 'up' platform will serve both directions.

This time six years ago:
Endless summer in Jeziorki

This time seven years ago:
In search of proper corn on the cob

This time eight years ago:
Classic machinery

This time nine years ago:
S2/S79 opens partially (not yet reaching Puławska)

This time 13 years ago:
Recycling time rolls round again