August’s End

Coming to the end of the photos I had of our last cabin adventure really brought it home to me that the summer is about done.  Two of our children have their birthdays and the end of things.  Our oldest turned seventeen today…the end of the summer while our youngest ushers out the end of the year in December.  I usually find a way to feel kind of melancholy during these times…I think those that have kids understand exactly what I mean. The evenings have been rather spectacular.  I expect this is because as the season changes the light does different things at different times.  The late summer sunsets seem different to me…certainly earlier then they’ve been.  The awful drought and heat we’ve had means that most thunderheads are high and dry and the lightning is a threat that often carries through with lightning strike fires.  Knowing the danger this particular cloud looked ominous and rather like a blood dipped piece of fabric of some sort.  Our salamander does all he can to avoid the heat…can you spot him hiding in the hole he dug for himself?  We’ve lost several plants to the heat and aphids this year but still the pansies seem content and always bring a smile to my face.  Have you ever noticed that in tough times the more annoying of creatures seem to thrive?  This is especially true here.  The wasps have been giving the honey bees a run for their money by enjoying the nectar on the wild plants in the prairie.  Not all is dry and barren.  Some unusual flowers seem to be getting ready to burst from their pods…you know I’ll capture it when they do!  These pods are not only good sizedbut also plenteous and seemingly unaffected by the relentless heat and lack of rain…note the difference between the green plant and the dry brown background.  There have also been some little yellow flowers that don’t care about the drought one bit.  They weren’t very pretty at first and were actually quite sticky with some kind of sap before they bloomed but now they are quite delightful to see.  Just look at them thrive!  Our little pond has been doing well enough because it survives by leeching water from the nearby irrigation ditch.  We have a whole new crop of cat tails.  My little girl (no not the seventeen year old) enjoys breaking them off and saying they are scepters that ever queen needs to rule her kingdom.  There are so many scepters to choose from…which shall we pick for her majesty?  Some of the cat tails were showing signs of the march of the season…note the one puffing out.  The harsh sunlight has managed to bleach some of them.  I once again was drawn to the honey bees and realized I’ve got some work to do.  My daughter is having some friends over and a special meal..time to head back home.  Passing the delicate lavender colored blossoms once again.  Look this bloom is bugged!  I’ll leave you all with the last shot of the day before coming back inside.  Blessings to you!

End ‘O The Line

I’m actually sad to get to the end of the pictures I have for our last trip.  It’s been bone dry here still.  Last night we were headed to church and fire trucks came barreling down Main Street to deal with a fire not all that far from us.  I guess a propane tank on a RV blew up and even caught part of a house on fire…no surprise when it’s been a red flag warning for every day.  Our trip was so nice every day…better, more moderate temperatures and beautiful scenery everywhere.  We spent a lot of time feeding the ground hogs…really an entertaining past time!  Views such as this onemake me wish I had a place of my own like this that I could go to for longer periods of time.  I love the rusted metal and weathered wood on the gate here.  Interestingly enough there was a root cellar of some sort near the cabin.  I’m not really sure what was kept in therebut the sign on the door sure did make me wonder.  I love the old school look of the cabin.  Even the shutters on the window look like they come from a different era…I guess this shouldn’t surprise me since the cabin was built in the 30s.  I suspect this cabin has had a few upgrades over the yearsbut it still has a real sense of history to it.  Nature always framed a beautiful picture right out the front door of the cabin.  I know we’re all under the same sun but some places look extra amazing when the sun sets.  The old forest service cabin was looking a little rough on the outside.  Oh how I miss these views!  I miss being flooded with a sense of wonder no matter which direction I turned.  The view was always unique and it made our drives really exciting each time.  I love valliesand mountains alike.  I love being able to look near or far and always seem something wonderful.  Getting still close to sort out the individual things that bring the over all picture beauty is one of my favorite things to do.  Basic colors still jump out on these little flowers.  No flower does read like Indian Paintbrush!  Nice to see so much green in the countryside for a change! I will be back to pictures of things nearer to home next blog but fall is approaching…I wonder of the the weird weather will let it look like fall at this point…I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

On Down the Road

We visited several places that I don’t remember ever noticing before….it’s just this time we decided to stop instead of going on by.  This place was so full of things to see but still the common and often not so obvious things grabbed my eye.  Still you can’t just sit forever…there was other things to see.  The falls and river were near where the old road through the pass used to run.  Eventually we continued on down the road and returned to a beautiful sunset at the cabin we were staying in.  There’s not a thing in the world like observing the sun setting behind some mountains!  I admit it…there’s one irresistible call that can pull away from views such as this:  food cooked over an open fire !  One more look at the setting sun before going in for the night.  Only one more set of pictures to go before I close this series.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride thus far.