Dwight Peck's farm photos

Farms of the Jura in winter

The Jura mountains run in a southwest-northeast direction along the border between France and Switzerland, from Geneva (Genève) to Basel (Bâle), holding at about 1300-1400 meters altitude (4350-4500 feet), and peaking in the range of 1650 meters (5450 feet). These photos of high alpage farms in winter are mainly from the southwestern end of that range, between the cities of Geneva and Vallorbe.

La Foirausaz

Sitting at 1336 meters above a narrow bowl along part of the Route de Montagne leading to the Pré de St- Livres. Late afternoon, 18 February 2001. The cliffs rising to the Monts-de-Bière loom in the background.

Foirausaz, a lovely setting, on 10 March 2007 in the nearly snowless winter of 2006-7, with the Monts-de-Bière on the horizon about 2 kilometres off to the northwest.

A view from the north, 10 March 2007. Etymologically speaking, it's deflating to note that the name La Foirausaz derives from "diarrhea".

It's true -- evidently the wet ground nearby was associated in early days with water-borne disease symptoms. Those of us who work in the business of promoting the virtues of wetlands for the human populations don't really like to talk about these matters.

Here's the derivation: "Patois fouairau, fouairausa, « foireux, qui a la diarrhée », vieux français foire, latin foria, « diarrhée », désigne par métaphore un terrain fangeux, humide, ou un cours d´eau boueux."
(http://henrysuter.ch/glossaires/topoF1.html#Fo1)

BUT so far we're still feeling pretty good, so we'll circumambulate the buildings and snap a few views with the sun on it . . .

. . . and try not to drink the water.

Mid-March 2007 -- but, snow-wise, it looks like late April in former years.

Earlier scenes

Approaching out of the forest from the west, during a late season snowstorm, 8 May 2004. Very beautiful on its little knoll.

Seen from the north on a snowy day, 8 May 2004.

From the east

A week later: Monts-de-Bière in the background, 15 May 2004

26 March 2005, seen from the south

. . . and from the west.

More recent views

The farm of La Foirausaz, 17 November 2013

Seen from the north, 17 November 2013

from SwitzerlandMobility (http://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en)

Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 14 March 2001, revised 4 May 2008, 27 November 2013, 12 January 2020.

Farms of the Jura in winter

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