Thursday, June 25, 2015

Midsummer Drive with Good Fences


The fields are turning gold here on the plateau
near Mt. Rainier. 

Come along with me and we will take
a midsummer's drive through
the farmlands along the foothills
 of the Cascade Mountains here in Washington State. 


These horses look very happy in their beautiful pasture. 
Tall Douglas Fir reach for the sky. 


A new section of fencing lines the drive to this 
vintage farmhouse. 


Day lilies frame this beautiful entrance 
with stone walls and iron gate. 

These remind me of the beautiful spotted 
Tiger Lilies that seemed to grow at 
every farmhouse when I was a child
in New England. 


Along the roadways the wildflowers brighten 
the way. Here we see Fire weed, otherwise known
as Rose-Bay Willow Herb. 
These are called Fire weed here because
they often spring up across areas burned by wildfire. 


Some fields are full of daisies. 
These are so prolific that wildflower seed companies
cannot sell them to Washington State. 


Wild lilies grow alongside. 


Just give me wide open spaces.....
Remember the Dixie Chicks?
I loved that song. 


A neat fence borders a rustic barn. 
This barn with the rusty tin roof is used 
for country weddings. 

You can't see them very well, but the barn
is always planted with thick rows of 
seasonal flowers along the outside walls. 

There are two lovely cottages on the property
for the bride's and groom's families
and a long, winding road for horse drawn carriages.

I love to drive by and see the festivities. 
It's especially lovely at night with string lights
across the grounds.  


There is one major route that climbs the side
of the plateau from the valley below and
leads all the way to Mt. Rainier. 

When you get to the top of the hill, 
this is what you see. 


There is something about this little barnyard 
that makes me happy.

Maybe the big, full trees, or the golden fields. 


Assorted fences surround this farm. 
Pickets for the house and rails for the barn. 


A U-pick raspberry farm. 


Happy cows. 


Hello there! 


Time to head on home, 
past the yellow farmhouse
at the base of my little mountain. 

They raise specialty cattle here - 
small, black, with a large band of white
in the middle. 

Does anyone know what kind?

The road wraps around in a sharp turn
and a steep incline here. The hill 
prevents the sun from shining on the road
and in the winter it is terribly icy. 


Almost home - a dirt road at the end of civilization. 


The late afternoon sun lights up
 the field across from my gate. 

We have seen Elk, Deer, Cougar, and Bear here. 


Home sweet home as the setting sun
turns the hills to gold. 

Thank you for coming along with me, 
dear friends. 

I hope you enjoyed our midsummer drive! 

30 comments:

  1. Hello, I enjoyed the ride. You live in such a beautiful area, gorgeous views of Mt Rainier. And lovely country roads lined with pretty wildflowers and cute cows. Great post, enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!

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  2. I really enjoyed the ride. Everytime you show Mt. Rainier it makes me think of our time living in Seattle. So many years ago. Yes, I can help you with the name of those cows. They are Galloway Cows and originate in one of the British Isles but I can't remember now which one. Sorry.

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    1. Thank you so much, Latane, for telling me the breed! They really are pretty! I've never seen them before! Thank you for stopping by and sharing with us! I wish you still lived here! xo Karen

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  3. my neighbor has some of those cattle - dutch belted is his breed as they are dairy stock. their is belted galloway, too.

    my favorite shot was the horses and the mountain behind. beautiful!

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    1. I knew it would be you, Tex, that would tell me the name! Now I know - thank you for always sharing your incredible knowledge of birds and animals with us and for your wonderful visits! xo Karen

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  4. This was wonderful.

    Thank you for taking us along.

    FlowerLady

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  5. Dearest Karen, how I love going on a drive with you :) I am so amazed at your photos of Mt. Rainier....every time I see a picture of the mountain it looks different. You live in such a beautiful area, my friend, and it's a joy to have you share the beauty with us.

    Happy weekend! Hug!

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  6. My heart sang when I saw the picture of Mt. Rainier! I used to live in Tacoma when I was a child. We used to drive up to Mt. Rainier for a day trip. We would stop at a diner for a large slice of homemade pie and a cold glass of milk. Stop and feed the chipmunks peanuts. They always made me laugh because they tried to stuff as many peanuts in their mouths as they could! I have such wonderful memories of Mt. Rainier. Thank you....

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  7. Stunning pictures, as always! I can't even imagine how glorious it must be to be surrounded by such beauty 24/7. Viewing the pastoral countryside lowers my blood pressure a few points each time you post pictures. :-)

    Mt. Rainier is such a looming, majestic presence. I love seeing it from difference angles and vantage points.

    The view from your deck is awesome! :-)

    Marilyn (in Dallas)

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  8. Oh, Karen...it is so beautiful there! I loved every minute of these amazing views! So beautiful! Loved the fences, barns, trees and wildflowers. And of course, Mt. Rainier! Such an amazing drive...you always give us so much when you do these drives, and the views are always different! Love it!

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  9. Dearest Karen,
    Your midsummer drive was so beautiful, we both did watch your photos and also about your new baby Kai. Hope things are going well and that Kai will feel the love of his new furever home.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  10. That is one massive mountain. Shnikes. ("A non-cursing expression of amazement to surprise." So hard to find these days.)

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  11. Beautiful scenery and gorgeous wild flowers and great fences.

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  12. Wow have you seen a lot of wildlife Karen! Your photos today are just out of this world! That first photo is like a magical scene out of a fairytale! And the U pick raspberries would be so outstanding to stop at! Wishing you many more stunning days ahead friend! Nicole xo

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  13. Gorgeous scenery on your roads there Karen. I always enjoy the drives you take us on with the farms, fences, flowers and Ranier. The wedding barn looks like a great spot for a wedding and indeed would look very pretty at dusk with the lights. Thanks for the great drive! Blessings.
    Pam

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  14. Gorgeous drive, love the clear pictures of the mountain from all different angles, lovely farms and how wonderful to see so much wild flowers along the road!

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  15. Thank you for taking us along on that beautiful drive. You have such beautiful surroundings and I know how much you appreciate the land!!

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  16. A beautiful drive. I didn't know the other name for rose bay willow herb! I am counting that as my new thing I learned today! I hope that you are OK. Hugs to you. xx

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  17. I love these drives together. Fields, farms, fences - charm charm charm!! And I still just catch my breath at the sight of that mountain!
    Happy weekend sweet Lady. Xoxo

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  18. What a beautiful ride along! The views are breathtaking and I also think the barns have an extra charming feel to them.Reminds me of being a little girl and visiting my gramma and grandpas house! Thanks for sharing, love and joy g

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  19. Karen, I just love going on rides with you in the country. Everything is full of summer beauty. When I saw a glimpse of Mt. Rainier I smiled because my husband and son have been wanting to climb mountains lately. They just hiked one recently, and will do another next week. I love this field of daisies. It's always a treat to see the area where you live.

    Have a wonderful week ahead.

    ~Sheri

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  20. I never tire of tagging along with you on your drives, Karen. I certainly enjoy the beauty and views along the way. I might get stuck, however, if I had the time, picking raspberries at the raspberry patch. Thanks for the scenic tour!

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  21. I so love going on your drives through your photos. So many amazing sights. Loving the view of Mt. Rainier in (all) your shots. Lovely farms/fences and beautiful flowers. It was just a pleasure to stop by.

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  22. What a lovely drive!! Never take this place for granted, you live in a spectacular area. Wonderful shots of Mt. Rainier. I've never seen the black & white cows ... they look like large striped pigs in the field. Thanks for sharing your little tour ;)
    Wendy

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  23. Mt. Rainier makes a magnificent backdrop in your photos. The scenery is gorgeous and the flowers are too. You also have a gorgeous view from your home. Great photos!

    Thank you very much for leaving a cheery message for my father-in-law. He has enjoyed reading all the very kind comments from you all. He remains in hospital but we are hopeful that he will be going home next week.

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  24. The view from your window always amazes me ... changing every season and from morning to evening! And Mt- Rainier in all it's majesty agains the blue skies ... and the landscapes with wild lilies and happy cows - Your post is uplifting and filled with sunshine, Karen!

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  25. That was a lovely drive. I was surprised by Mount Rainier still so white when all our pictures suggest you have a great summer. Mount Rainier is here to remember us that winter will come back.

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  26. These pictures are beautiful! I really enjoyed following along! I love that song wide open spaces by the Dixie Chicks too... miss their music :-) Thank you for the get well wishes, I haven't been this sick in a long time. Have a great day!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  27. This is just beautiful (as always). I am not really "visiting" today but wanted to say thank you for visiting and leaving me such a sweet comment about our friend, Tom. Blessings- xo Diana

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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