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Stops Along the Way

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.

 

At Home Yesterday

After several days on the road, it was nice to wake up in my own bed. It was a glorious morning – cold, crisp and clear. Views from the porch were outstanding.

Looking down valley before the sun came up

 

This fellow arrived with the sunrise. He was on the trail of some does.

 

One of the does had been bedded down next to the bee hive. He could smell her.

 

Soon the big buck was gone but the scene remained.

 

Today is much colder with a bracing wind and a threat of snow.

Off and Running

Luna and I are at Loon Lake to attend a canine agility trial. We are total novices at this. Yesterday we had a pleasant drive across eastern Washington birding in various spots.

Through the fog across the plateau

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Are we there yet?

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Lots of fuzzy caterpillars at reardan ponds

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The historic Davenport cemetary can be a birding hotspot. Not yesterday

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Historic Loom Lake school

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Tired after playing ball

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Loon Lake

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Budhas hand? New to me in the produce aisle at Deer Park

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Fall Colors

Recently when I was complaining about the dreariness of the weather, a friend pointed out the lush colors of the season enhanced by the light and the moisture. She compared them to colors from the days of Fuji film – my favorite when I was shooting film – and she was right. During this season I can always see something to photograph and it’s challenging to get me to stop. Here are a few images from around our place.

Peony leaves

 

Sweet pea

 

Kohlrabi leaf

 

Dried sunflower still standing

 

Sunflower leaf

 

Bearded iris leaf

 

Maple leaves

 

Siberian iris leaves

 

Asters

 

The deer have eaten most of the aster flowers

 

Echinacea (cone flower) dried on the stem

 

Echinacea still blooming

 

More red leaves

 

Johnny jump up

 

Bearded iris pod

 

 

Homemade Caviar

Oh my gosh – what a thing to even consider. Ken has brought home steelhead with skeins of eggs in them before and we always admired their beauty and wondered about eating them. They are a feast for the eyes – that’s for sure. I had been looking for a recipe to make them into caviar and found this one at Hunter|Angler|Gardener|Cook. It was surprisingly easy and took little time. I find it to be a little too salty and maybe it’s an acquired taste; I certainly didn’t like anchovies when I first tried them but now a Casesar dressing is tasteless without them. And a little bit of the caviar goes a long ways. The texture is wonderful – firm and then pop, and you get a little bit of the briny essential flavor of fish. It’s certainly something I’ll try again if Ken brings home more steelhead roe.

 

 

I waited for better light but it wasn’t coming

 

The tiny little silver spoon could use some polish.

 

A delicacy