We recently took a quiet country drive around
the farmlands near our home
and thought you might want to come along!
It was a beautiful October day
and Mt. Rainier shimmered above
the Cascade Mountains
here in Washington State.
Many of the farms here were settled during the
and have been passed down
through the generations.
Most were dairy and cattle farms,
but during the Food Security Act of 1985
most of the Dairy Farms here in this
beautiful valley were shut down.
I remember those sad days.
Farmers couldn't make ends meet
and whole herds were sold off to slaughter.
Ah.....progress.....
Many of these beautiful farms have fallen to ruin,
but many have been reclaimed and re-purposed
with the younger generation diversifying
to include cattle, horse, sheep, goat
and crop farms.
There are laws in place to protect this area
from development.
Unfortunately, some areas have been re-zoned.
Fortunately, these are few.
So let's enjoy the beautiful countryside
and the hard work that these new young farmers
have done to preserve this beautiful heritage.
Here is a perfect example of a lovingly restored barn.
Don't you love the color?
This pretty farm is framed by tall, golden
Big Leaf Maple, dwarfing the
wonderful barns.
Some neatly laid boundary fences along
a gated entry.
A grouping of apple trees with some happy bovines
and a little surprise.....
A tree fort! In our younger days, my Mr. and I
would have jumped the fence and peeked inside....
But - that might be a bull guarding the premises
below...
From what I can see, there is a little balcony and
a glassed in look-out on top.
A child's dream.
This beauty hugs a hillside with a
berry patch nearby.
I could live with this view every day!
This Farmhouse style is prevalent here
for older homes.
I'm not sure what it is - Georgian?
It is square with porches and a pyramid style roof.
Anyone know?
Many young farmers are putting up these expansive greenhouses.
These look brand new - I wonder what they are going to grow?
Some pretty fencing to go with a very pretty horse farm.
An old railroad trestle, now abandoned,
at the edge of the farmlands.
We turn around and head for home.
As we travel towards our foothill home,
Mt. Rainier looms on the horizon.
Our home is somewhere along the lower hills
to the far right.
As we get closer,
the lovely autumn colors frame our view.
Ancient Cottonwoods dwarf all other trees to the right.
One last view as we turn to the right towards home.
We skirt along the foothills.
This beautiful maple caught my eye.
Some fun on a farmhouse porch.
More fun as we drive through town!
I hope you enjoyed our country drive, Dear Friends!
Thank you so much for coming along!
