You wouldn't know it from the rain today and yesterday, but the weather @ Sheep-to-Shawl on Saturday and Sunday was pretty stellar. Big crowds and big sunshine. Here's a couple of photographic examples of the festivities, courtesy of image guru Bryan Haeffele.

If you took some shots and they exist on the Web, leave a comment and a link below.

Do you really need 20 reasons to come to Sheep-to-Shawl at Philipsburg Manor this weekend? Well, we've got them. Specifically, 19 newborn lambs - including a set of rare triplets! - and a baby calf named Marigold.

The triplets and Marigold (and mother cow Maebell) are on display in these wonderful images taken by Maeve Montalvo, a farmer at Philipsburg Manor.

I'm pretty sure the triplets don't yet have names. Any suggestions?

Sheep-to-Shawl takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10-6. Click here for a schedule of events.

Oh, and shhhhh, don't tell anyone, BUT, if you use the promo code BAA when you buy tickets online, you'll get $3 off kids' tickets. That's a 50% savings. That's a recession buster, buster.

Great weather and compelling performances were on tap at Philipsburg Manor's Green Corn Festival, which took place over the holiday weekend, Saturday-Monday.

Hands-on activities and Native American storytelling, crafts, singing, and dancing made for a splendid day out and a break from the BBQ circuit.

The Journal News came by, too. Check out the coverage here.

Been looking for an excuse to visit Montgomery Place? Need something "special" to motivate you to make the trip to Annandale? Well, now you've got one.  Montgomery Place is one of the sites featured in the ninth annual Hudson River Valley Ramble planned for weekends in September. MP gets to show off its garden stuff on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 11 a.m.

Walk with Landscape Director Sarah Price through the glorious gardens that grace this former country seat of the Livingston Family. Sarah and her team have been meticulously restoring the estate using planting plans original to the property. You can see the fruits of their labor - circa early 20th century gardens that range from lush perennial, annual and herb beds to the naturalistic "Rough Garden" and the "Ellipse" with a reflecting water lily pool (shown above).

Ramble organizers say that by visiting MP you will gain a view into the colors, fragrances, and designs popular during America's estate garden era. I heartily agree!

The walk is pretty easy, and the tour will cover roughly a half mile. If you can't make it on Sept. 13, you are welcome to visit MP any other Saturday or Sunday through October. Options include a self-guided audio tour of the estate.

The Ramble is sponsored annually by the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Hudson River Valley Greenway, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Estuary Program.

MP's Ramble tour is one of 202 events taking place from Saratoga County all the way to NYC. (For a complete listing of events, click here.

More than 100,000 people participated in the 2007 Ramble -- though presumably not all at the same time and place. Cause that would have been a lot of people rambling on, and you would have noticed that.

HVBlogger has just learned of some interesting new additions to the more than 60 children's book authors and illustrators who will be taking part in Celebrate Children's Book Day at Washington Irving's Sunnyside on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Joining an already impressive roster of expected attendees will be Brian Selznick. He is the author/illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, for which he won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for 2008.

The Caldecott is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. It was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Together with the Newbery Medal, it is the most prestigious American children's book award.

Two other late-breaking additions to Book Day are Howard Whitehouse, author of The Island of Mad Scientists, and Maria Carluccio, author/illustrator of The Sounds Around Town. Both will be participating in the event for the first time.

It's definitely going to be a can't-miss event for children's book fans.