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Author Archives: Teri J Pieper

What Happened to June?

June 25 and what have I done this month? One hike. Two sets of visitors. Designed the cover for Ken’s soon-to-be-released CD. Walked my dogs. Two weddings that you can see here and here. Time flew by and now it’s nearly July.

We had one week of hot weather and then it returned to often windy and cloudy and even some good June rains. The grasses on our hill are taller than the dogs. Lupine continues to bloom along with the beautiful mariposa lilies that I cannot quit photographing. Bluebirds and swallows have fledged. A raven family spent a couple of weeks terrorizing the nesting birds. I do admire ravens but really I wish they did not eat eggs and other baby birds. Smokejumpers from the airport across the valley trained in the hot weather and in the windy weather.

Sunrise
dew drops on spider web
Tiny fawn
Raven breakfast
The vernal pond is still there
Eastern Kingbird
Sky
wild aster
Lupine and a dusting of new snow on the mountains across the way
Serviceberries
Currants
Dusky Grouse displaying to me and the dogs
Tree Swallow
Western Bluebird
Western Bluebird
Buckwheat
Mariposa
New growth on sage
Lupine and yarrow
tall grasses and yarrow
Lush grasses and dead trees
sunset

Goat Peak

On Saturday there was a lot of rain and I was able to finish up most of my work inside. Sunday I worked outside. And so that gave me a free day yesterday to go for a hike! What a relief to get out in the mountains again. Isn’t that what summer should be all about?

I guess today is the first day of summer and yesterday didn’t feel particularly summer-like, but on this hike, it is good to have a cool day. The trail climbs steeply, going pretty much straight up the north face of the mountain. It’s not a long hike – five miles round trip but for me it seems grueling even going down. My knees complained with every step on the downhill stretch.

But the views. They are terrific. And that’s fitting for the site of a historic lookout that continues to be staffed in the summer months. The trail also provides lots of opportunities to look at wildflowers early in hiking season. Later it will be dry and dusty. And there was lots of old snow to satisfy the dogs.

Rather dismal trailhead
That’s the mountain but you can’t see the lookout.
North Cascades
I enjoyed watching this bee on a flower that looks like groundsel.
Noisy Hairy Woodpecker. I wonder if she had a nest nearby.
Glacier lillies tell you that the snow just melted
Nice to see you on the trail Luna
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Finally past the steep part and now a view of the lookout
Mt Gardner. I was worried about the misty rain that moved around but never did get wet.
Looking down valley, more light rain
This took about ten tries.
Outhouse with a view
Crazy clouds
Penstemon
Larch
Buttercup.
Spring beauty and glacier lily
Buckwheat
How many kinds of plants are in this small patch of ground?
Forget me not
Clematis

For more information about this hike the WTA website.

2016 National Juried Photo Encaustic Exhibition

I am very pleased to announce that one of my encaustic pieces was accepted into the 2016 National Juried Photo Encaustic Exhibition at the Sage Gallery in Portland, Oregon! It was a very competitive field with over 500 entries and only 27 selected for the show. If you are in the Portland area this month, I hope you can find time to see the show.

morninglight

Montana Ghost Town

We left the Big Hole Battlefield and stopped at Jackson (home of Bubba the nearly fifteen year old basset hound at Rose’s Cantina) before our final destination – Bannack.

Bannack was Montana’s first territorial capital and the site of Montana’s first major gold strike. You just imagine its wild and woolly history. It is now a well-preserved ghost town along Grasshopper Creek with over sixty buildings to explore. Being a holiday weekend we found the parking lot to be quite full. However it never seemed crowded while we strolled through the town and poked around in the old buildings. Many visitors brought dogs. Not us. Mary and I took many photos and Ken enjoyed learning to pan for gold along with a bunch of kids. Volunteers were leading tours and demonstrating gold mining and performing music of the era.

This looks like a map
Grasshopper Creek
This dog dressed up for the occasion
This dog jumped in the creek
Church
Probably cold in the winter
School
School downstairs. Masons’ meeting room upstairs is still used.

 

 

Big Hole Battlefield

In Montana, we stayed with friends in the Bitterroot Valley. They welcomed us with good food and hot showers! Sky and I got to do one day of agility (where she earned her first NADAC title) and the next day Mary took us on a big field trip! Our first stop was the Big Hole Battlefield National Historic Park.

Big Hole is the site of the biggest battle between the Nez Perce Indians and the US government. It is a sad and beautiful place. The Indians, native to the areas of SE Washington and Idaho, had camped there to regroup in a camas meadow along the stream before traveling to Canada where they hoped to escape. An attack in the wee hours of the morning left many dead. After burying their family members, the people continued to try to get to Canada but they were caught at Bear Paw and forced to reservations in Oklahoma. Later their Chief, Joseph, and some of his followers were sent to the Colville reservation in north central Washington where he died and was buried in Nespelem.

Prairie smoke, Geum sp.
Prairie smoke, Geum sp.
Tipi poles mark the sites of the original tipis where the Indians were camped.
Some of the tipis have the names of the occupants
Camas, a staple of their diet
Lots and lots of ground squirrels