Some days a person has to look harder to find the beauty.
Tag Archives: home
It’s the peak of summer now with hot days and hills covered in tall dry grass. Everyday we don’t have a wildfire, we are grateful. I rarely take my camera out on days like this but today I did and I found lots of beauty in the everyday scenes around here.
Dry yarrow and grass
Dry lupine seed pods
Luna
Sky
Snowberry has berries as well as flowers
Rose hips
Curly grass
She found her old ratty tennis ball
Fireweed
Tall buckwheat
Snow buckwheat
Wheat grass
Bitterbrush with webs
Crabapples at home
Dill in the garden
The holiday season was a blur of events and meals and non-stop entertainment. A week into the new year and I am beginning to feel ‘normal’ again. So far the snow in the valley is less than normal but the groomed trails are in good shape for skate skiing and classic skiing. The Loup even opened up for New Years. Here’s hoping for more snow and winter fun in the Methow.
Aspens
Methow River at Big Valley
Balsamroot
This is Cedar. He is seven months old.
Cedar aspires to be the branch manager
Dead ponderosa pine
Yarrow
The Road Home
Lots of birds have successfully nested on our hillside this year – American Robins, Say’s Phoebes, Western and Mountain Bluebirds, House Wrens, Tree and Violet-green Swallows, Bullock’s Orioles and more. The biggest highlight has been our Nice Nests kestrel box hosting its first successful nest of American Kestrels. Four birds were raised and got out of the box and were standing around on branches up until a few days ago. That is the branchling stage. Now they are out doing flying and hunting lessons. I hope they stay here and work on our rodent population. And I hope they return next year. We have another kestrel box that hasn’t been used yet!
The wild currants are ripe
Serviceberries
Kestrel nest box
All four baby kestrels
Western Bluebird with a Bullock’s Oriole flying by
Western Bluebird
Calliope Hummingbird
Bullock’s Oriole
Two baby kestrels take in the last light of the day
Western Meadowlark
Our valley has been inundated with wildfire smoke off and on for over forty days. This week is particularly bad with an inversion trapping all of the smoke and holding it down throughout the day and night with no relief. A person, or a dog I suppose, should be wearing a mask whenever she ventures out in it. Otherwise, she ought to just stay inside and be grateful for air conditioning and a tightly built house.
Dogs don’t understand this and they want/need a walk each day. Here are a few images from this morning’s walk.
New yarrow flower
Most yarrow is dry and crispy yellow
Snowberry
My Everyday Photos 