Friday, May 10, 2013

Country Scenes


On my way home from visiting my friend Ginger, I took this beautiful, scenic road. I couldn't help but stop and take a few pictures. 

It was a beautiful Spring day and the buttercups were blooming in the fields. 


When I come around the corner and there is Mt. Rainier in front of me, it still takes my breath away after all these years. 


I wonder if these cows know how lucky they are?


This little farm looks out on that magnificent view. 


So does this one. 

The fields are so green this time of year and the trees are all leafed out. 

I want to run through this field. 

But I know that would probably land me in some deep *@#! so I'm content to just admire. 

Those two tall Douglas Fir trees are probably over 200 years old. 


It's such a nice drive I have to force myself to keep my eyes on the road. 


This lovely farm has a newer home with many flowering trees and shrubs. 


We have a perfect climate for Rhododendron and Azalea in beautiful, vibrant colors and every farmhouse has their own collection. 


This hillside farm had a colorful collection of beehives set in a field of clover. 


Even the wetlands are showing off their springtime finest. 

Here is a little colony of Yellow Flag Iris. 


Across the country lane, this little pond hosts some contented Mallards feeding in the shallows. 


A small orchard is being kept bug free by a flock of happy chickens. 


And what country drive would be complete without an old truck sighting? 

The summer I was 14, my Dad drove me to my Aunt's house to babysit every morning in an old restored truck like this. 
It wouldn't go faster than 35 mph, so we took the back roads through the farms and forests of rural Massachusetts. 
He only drove it in the summertime, but he loved that old truck. 
It reminded him of his childhood, growing up on a farm. 

And I loved spending those precious summer mornings with him, both of us on our way to early morning jobs, breathing in the fresh morning air and enjoying the fields and farms full of new-born animals and the occasional wildlife sightings. 
One morning we saw a whole family of silver fox cross the road in front of us. 

He told me stories of his childhood on the farm during those summer mornings. 
Old trucks always bring back those wonderful memories for me. 


I take a side street and this is what I find. A tiny log cabin hidden among the trees. 


And an old sway back barn, unsteadily standing tall. 


But it is getting late in the afternoon and I must be heading for home. 


So I turn my own little truck around (I am my Father's daughter!) and head back towards my foothills home. 


If you look really, really hard you can see it. (Just kidding). 

If you look past the cow and then move a little bit to the left, in the first, faint line of blue hills, that is where you will find me. 

I hope you enjoyed coming along on my little journey.

I wish you clear blue skies and buttercups, too! 

20 comments:

  1. It is a lovely part of the country you are truly lucky to have all that beautiful countryside to look at and drive around in.
    Merle.............

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  2. Thank you very much for sharing these wonderful landscapes!!!
    Hugs

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  3. Hello Karen
    Thank you for taking us on this beautiful journey. Mountains in the background / nice green geese with bovine animal, beautiful rhododendrons mm Wishing you and your a good weekend :) Hugs Hanne Bente

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  4. What a lovely, lovely drive! I know what you mean--I always get excited when I see Mt Taranaki from a different angle or around a corner.

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  5. Gosh, what lovely photos! I was so excited to see those beautiful beehives! And the chicken too of course :) Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.

    Happy Mother's Day!

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  6. just heavenly! the 3rd photo and the 2nd to last... wow... be still my heart! such gorgeous views!

    love the old truck - and the stories of your father. :)

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  7. I can so relate with your feelings about Mt. Rainier. It amazes me each time I see it. Still.

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  8. Always a pleasure to ride along with you!!

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  9. What a lovely and peaceful drive this must have been :)

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  10. Thank you Karen, This was a Breathtaking trip.. Such beauty you have captured with your photographs, What a wonderful part of the world you live in.. full of nature's beauty... Hugs May x x x

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  11. Dearest Karen,
    The way those country lanes weave through your gorgeous spring surroundings, your memories weave an even tighter tapestry of LIFE. That's the best of all; great memories that shaped us and made us what we are now. Thanks to our Parents for giving us this vision!
    Happy Mother's Day.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  12. Oh your memories of your Dad made me so happy I have similar memories of my Dad.hugs.
    I always feel so calm and relaxed and I have to admit very happy after leaving here. Thank you for that. Happy Mother's Day. Hug B

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  13. Thank you for taking us on your ride Karen. The fields around you look lovely with those wild irises and buttercups.

    Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

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  14. What a wonderful wandering tour - love the old truck - and of course the mountain - always the mountain. Mt. Baker was out yesterday and we had some fabulous views of it on the way home from Birch Bay. I noted one spot where I want to come back and get some photos on a bright blue sky day.

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  15. Wow ~ Such varied beautiful photos ~ Love the pond and the ducks ~ Great shots for Top Shot ^_^

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  16. This looks like a perfect short road trip. The Washington mountain views are incomparable! (I have a view of the Olympics - love it!)

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  17. Mt. Rainier always leaves me breathless after seeing it almost daily my whole life... thanks for sharing on WTS...

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  18. I do love it when you take us on these little journeys Karen! The beehives struck me with their lovely pastel colours and of course Mt Rainier, how lucky!! Have a wonderful weekend. Chel x

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  19. I always enjoy your gorgeous pictures. You are truly blessed to be surrounded by such beauty. Thanks for sharing the memories with your dad.

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  20. I always love your groupings and writing, you are a good writer.

    I find the problem (not necessarily bad) with stopping on the country roads to take photos, is that you can easily turn a 1 hour drive into 3 or 4.

    Although we did not have an old car I loved driving the old back roads with my Dad. the stories he would tell about old Portland and his childhood. Those are memories that will live with me forever. I hope the stories I tell my adult daughters mean as much to them as Dads meant to me.

    Happy Mothers day

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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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