I am always surprised to look up and see this guy glaring down at me.
Yesterday I went to Wenatchee for a variety of errands and one of them took me to Hydro/Billingsly Park on the Columbia River. It is a place where my mom and her dog Kelly, walked every single day, rain or shine. My mom’s been gone now for more than six years now and her dog, Kelly who went to live with Ken before we all moved up here together, died in February. I needed to spread a few of Kelly’s ashes near the shore where she used to run with great abandon along the edge of the big river. I like to think of her and my mom together again – healthy and enjoying the crisp air of fall.
The park is a combination of manicured lawns and ball fields coupled with a sometimes tangled shoreline of the river.
Lots of beautiful fall colors among the non-native trees.
Why is one branch bright red while others are yellow?
Mom loved seeing the birds and learned many of them during the years she frequented the park. I saw this fairly tame group of Mallards and a Common Loon in winter plumage.
I was pretty obsessed with this leaf.
This photo of it, from my cell phone was my favorite
Leaves, like tears fallen from the trees
It’s SO nice to have an oven again. For more than four years since we have lived here, the oven in this house has always been touchy and didn’t always work and now that it has been replaced, just last week, I am tickled to be able to push the start button and know that I can cook using something other than a hot range (that won’t simmer) or a slow cooker! Yesterday I made a braised pork roast with ginger and garlic. Today I made some rolls and bread using local organic flour from Bluebird Grain Farms.
Dinner rolls in the oven. The dishwasher, that replaced the old one in February, is reflected in the window.
I’m out of practice. They varied in size and shape.
Almost perfectly golden. And trust me, they were wonderful.
And a small loaf of bread.
Can’t you just smell it? Nothing better than fresh bread from the oven.
Along the way, Luna and I stopped in the San Poil valley to visit Dixie and her people. It’s a beautiful valley and sparsely populated. Our friends live on an old ranch with about a mile of riverfront – excellent habitat for birds, bears, moose and other animals. We walked and walked while Luna and Dixie ran and jumped and rolled in the mud! After the agility trial where dogs don’t get to play with other dogs, Luna was entirely relieved to see her old pal Dixie and bounded out of the car when we arrived.
On July 20th, a huge storm known as a micro-burst hit this area and tore down thousands, if not millions of trees. You can read about it here. Power was out for a week or more. Everywhere you go, you can see the damage. One area I saw looked like it had been clear cut.
Now that the wet season has started, people are burning debris leftover from the storm
Old farm machinery
They have draft horses to pull this sleigh and also for farming and logging.
So much dog fun!
Dixie is a McNabb, similar in appearance to a smooth-coated border collie
Rope growing moss. How cool is that?
Canada Geese flew off the river
The front yard. Peregrine Falcons nest there. Rattlesnakes den in those rocks.
A well-constructed beaver dam
These trees are full of birds in the spring and summer. Pretty quiet now.
Very pretty place
More moss
The neighbors’ cabin does not have indoor plumbing.
As Luna and I travelled from Deer Park (north of Spokane) to home, we made some stops along the way. I always figure there is no point in travelling straight through in the most direct manner if you have some time to spare. After two days of agility trials, Luna was ready for some ground-sniffing walks without leashes. We both enjoyed the fresh air of autumn in the woods.
Happy Dog
Beautiful Ponderosa Pine trees
Love those undulating hills
These mushrooms almost looked good enough to eat but I’m not one to experiment
Golden Western Larch needles carpet the trail
This is a nice boardwalk over a wetland that is probably teeming with birds in the spring and summer. We only heard a few chickadees and siskens.
And a cool bird blind but no birds were in sight
I wonder how long ago this tree was cut down
Near the summit of Sherman Pass, it was quite cold and silent.
My Everyday Photos 