Thursday, July 3, 2014

A Country Drive with 'Good Fences'


Today I am linking with Good Fences @ The Run*A*Round Ranch Report
Thank you Theresa for hosting!


We've had a lovely stretch of sunny weather this week
(after a very stormy week of last),
so I thought you might like to come along
on a little country drive!



The sweet peas are blooming!
 These grow wild along the fence lines
this time of year. These are perennial sweet peas
and bloom in mostly purple, with variations in hues.



The fields are sporting tall grass now,
highlighted by dark evergreens.


We stop to pick a bouquet of daisies
but find them full of thrips.

We decide to leave them be!


It's so nice to see 'The Mountain' as we call Mt. Rainier here.

It can stay hidden by clouds for days at a time.


A close-up view.

You can find out more about this 14,411 ft. volcano,
Here

We are about 5 miles away from home now,
on our way to the market.


These rambling roses bloom with apparently
 little care along a hidden wire fence.

I love to think of who might have planted
them along the edge of the field
and if they knew how much pleasure
 they would bring passersby.


I just love this little farm.
It has been the same since we moved here
over 30 years ago, to start a new life.

We used to see an elderly man and woman
sitting together on their front porch.

Now it is just the elderly gentleman,
seen walking his little dog along the roadside.

It tugs at your heartstrings.

We stop at the market for fresh fruit and a few staples.



As we leave the market, we take another way home, passing this
 well-grazed pasture with a view of the Cascade range.

Eagles soar overhead.



Ancient fence posts along the same farm.


The cow barn sits below the rise.

My little mountain can be seen on the
far right just above the tree line,
with an elevation of 1200 ft.

This farm was the site of a surprise tornado
 a few summers ago that knocked down an old barn.
No life was lost, thank heavens.

Tornadoes are rare here, but not unheard of.
They are generally very small and short lived,
but can do a bit of damage and snap
off roofs and trees in a small area.


 We pass a cooperative farm
where members share in the organic
produce, flowers and herbs.


A closer look at some of the gardens.


The fireweed glows in the afternoon sunlight.

This tall plant grows in abundance here,
particularly favoring burned over areas at the site of forest fires,
hence the name. . .


It is known as Great Willow-herb in Canada
and Rosebay Willow-herb in Britain.

Fireweed honey has a distinctive spiced flavor
 and is very popular here.


The first cutting of hay.


We're almost home...

This pretty farm marks the beginning of my mountain road.


We pass this recently renovated little farm
with beautiful fencing
as we round a sharp bend and start to climb.


We enter thick forest...

as we travel up another steep hill.

We must have 4 wheel drive and studded tires
to climb this hill during winter storms.


We reach the driveway - almost home!
Can you see my faithful companions,
Whitey and Champ, escorting us home?


We arrive just as the hills turn gold with the setting sun.

This hill was logged a few years ago
 and for so long we were deprived of this beautiful phenomena...
until the newly planted trees grew large once more,
capturing the light.

It is always a delight,
as it only happens at certain times of the year
 when the sun moves past a little hill
blocking the late afternoon rays.


Fading light over the wilderness valley that lies beyond us.


Thank you for coming along on this country drive with me.
Let's go inside and have some tea.
We'll leave the darkening hills to the wild things for the night
while we stay nice and cozy inside,


xoxo

21 comments:

  1. Thank you, Dear Yannis, for the beautiful poetry- you are amazing and I feel so honored.
    Many blessings to you and wishing you a lovely summer! xo Karen

    ReplyDelete
  2. I truly enjoyed the "Country Drive" with you, Karen.
    Sweet peas and daisies are BEAUTIFUL♡♡♡ Mt. Rainier made me think the Mt. Fuji I've never seen with my own eyes yet p;) Such varieties of fences and I almost feel jealous with your beautiful neighborhood(^_^)v
    Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your gorgeous views of Mt Rainier! I love shots from your ride in the country..The farmland and flowers are beautiful! Lovely fence post, have a happy day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for taking us on that beautiful little tour! The sweet peas are so pretty, aren't they! They don't grow wild here, but I should remember to plant them in the spring. They're such a sweet and cheery little flower! Have a safe and fun Fourth.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Karen!
    Wow! Wasn't that poem by Yannis wonderful? Wow.
    All I can say after that is: may I try some of that fire weed honey when we go in for tea?
    Sweet and spicy -just like us, right?!
    PS Very much enjoyed the drive pix -especially the setting light on the trees. xx, m & jb

    ReplyDelete
  6. I loved driving the country roads with you, Karen, and seeing all the beauty along the way,mot and from. I'm ready for that cup of tea, now! Happy 4th to you and yours. xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Mom! Those views are why we never want to leave when we come to visit! The little yellow house on the corner of Spiketon turned out so darling. I love the black fence.
    I love you
    ~H~

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a beautiful drive!! So many lovely things to see on your journey home. xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. just love all the farm and fence views! the skies and tall grasses and wildflowers and spill-over roses... :)

    thanks (in advance) for linking in!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So very, very beautiful. Thank you for taking us along on this peaceful ride.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I enjoyed that drive, you live in a beautiful place so many wildflowers.
    Merle.......

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was in need of a beautiful drive today, Karen, thank you.
    You always take us on lovely drives and allow us the beauty that surrounds you.
    Taking a drive is one of my most favorite things to do. Here in Colorado, there are places to see right in our own back yards, you do not have to go far. :-)
    Have a beautiful week-end.
    Joy! Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for that peaceful drive with you Karen. It's just so pretty and beautiful the mountain! I hope you have a nice 4th of July and weekend.
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  14. You captured some beautiful views!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh Karen! Look at the golden view over your home! That is just so stunning! You really live in a magical place friend where the flowers run wild! That rambling rose is just perfectly beautiful as are the flowers on that farm! If I lived by you I would drive just to get lost in your setting! Wishing you and yours an outstanding holiday weekend! Nicole xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  16. How wonderful that you took us along with you on this drive. Lovely fences, flowers, grasses and skies.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love your country drives and all the beautiful scenes and vistas. You describe them so beautifully as well. Thank you for sharing the fences and farms and mountains with us. Have a wonderful July 4th weekend. Blessings, Pam

    ReplyDelete
  18. I tried to comment last night but I was having some issues with blogger. All seems well now. We actually had our very first monsoon storm for about two hours before I reconnected the computer and tried to get blogger up. It was exciting to see all that rain! :-) But I love the sweet peas and the rambling roses! All the pictures are lovely. It was nice to see your countryside, though I still think it's scary living in the shadow of that active volcano! :-) We all have our little environmental scariness issues (our lack of water!) Enjoyed the post!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Your pictures are gorgeous. Seeing "The Mountain" from different angles and with different foreground is amazing. Thanks for the ride!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Karen,

    I'm so happy I discovered your beautiful blog! Each post is such an adventure, from your own gorgeous garden, to the ones on your travels, excursions or short drives from home! Stunning photos of a spectacular landscape! Have a wonderful week!

    Your newest follower,
    Poppy

    ReplyDelete

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

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...