Thursday, October 30, 2014

An Autumn Country Drive with Good Fences


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! 

xoxo

Linking with:Good Fences

32 comments:

  1. Wow, what an awesome post. So many pretty photos.. I love farmland, much more than cityscapes.. The red barns are my favorites and the views of Mt Rainier are gorgeous.. Have a great evening and weekend ahead!

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  2. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT a beautiful part of the country you are in there, Karen. Those pictures are just awesome...it makes me think of the song- America The Beautiful! I am so glad that a lot of the area has been protected from building by the zoning laws!

    I would LOVE to have seen that tree house up close How cool is that? Now...if you and hubby hadn't been CHICKENS ....well....anyway...no insult meant...lol I just wanted to see that treehouse!!!! What's a little bull between friends?

    Have a great night. I am polishing my broom for tomorrow- xo Diana

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    1. I know, Diana - we are chickens! I'm sure if you were along we could have used you for bull bait though.*grin* Always love your sweet sense of humor, my friend - the dog is looking at me strange as I laugh out loud! Hugs xo Karen

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  3. Wav! Beatrice! So lovely photos of autumn and nice fences! I enjoy all your photos!

    Hugs
    JetteMajken

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  4. really awesome farming country with gorgeous views and backdrops! beautiful fences all the way through!

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  5. Oh power to the new generation of farmers they have made that past generations proud by trying to keep these farms going. Beautiful photos of the most beautiful view this famer would love to see every day.;) hug B

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  6. I love those old farms! We like to drive through the country too. I especially like to look at the vegetable gardens:) That tree fort is really something! And so is that huge pumpkin. Wow!

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  7. That was fun to go with you on your drive, your countryside is so different to ours, I've never seen so many pumpkins in a field before.
    Merle............

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  8. Nothing i love more than these farms and the old farmhouses. What a wonderful drive and what an amazing pumpkin that is in the back of that pickup! Thank you for sharing these gorgeous views!

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  9. Dearest Karen,
    There are lots of fabulous views and lovely countryside! Loved that majestic maple tree most of all trees shown.
    Are those pumpkins still out in the field in that last photo? Maybe for Thanksgiving harvest...
    Sending you hugs, I too was on the road today, left at 9:15 AM for a visitation and funeral in the next city and than a doctor's appointment in the same city and back home by 3:15 PM... Tired!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  10. Dear Mariette,
    A trying day for you, my Dear - sending love and hugs! Thank you for stopping by - to answer - I think these might be for pies! xo Karen

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  11. Oh Karen, what a delightful drive through the country :) Your photos make me feel like I'm sitting right next to you in the car while looking at the beautiful scenery. The green barn is simply wonderful!

    Love and hugs to you!

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  12. Your posts are always filled with gorgeous photos. Mt. Rainier looks awesome and you found some great fences. Loved that little tree house in the apple tree and all those pumpkins on that porch.

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  13. Dear Karen,
    what a beautiful Country Drive! Thank you! I really loved it. it is such a wonderful area....all the Farms, the Fences and the Pumpkin field at the end.... great :O)
    Happy weekend to you,
    Love and hugs and blessings,
    Claudia xo

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  14. Many thAks for taking us along with you on the drive around your countryside. It is stunningly beautiful with beautiful fall colours and lots of fences. Loved the pumpkin field, barns blue skies etc etc.

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  15. Beautiful pics as always...I wish I could be there.
    Have a nice Friday

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  16. Karen, Thank you for taking is along on that drive through the beautiful countryside! The big square houses look like the same as the many German houses in our area. Big kitchen, central hallway upstairs. Enjoyed the beautiful barns.

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  17. What a perfect day for an autumn drive!!! Happy Halloween Karen :)

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  18. Oh, Karen! I just love these older style farms with all their character...they are like my poster on Willy Nilly Fri Five! Just Americana! Love the green barn SOOOO much! And the red one is gorgeous too. Just so sad about all the trials and hardships many farmers went through, and how so much of that is gone now. Your fences are great. The views of Mt. Ranier are, as always, amazing! Loved the treehouse in the apple tree. Oh my! That was great! And that HUGE pumpkin! Great post!

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  19. I can't believe how much wide open and unspoiled land you have. The tree house is so sweet and that has to be the biggest pumpkin I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing your drive with us.

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  20. Gorgeous scenery out your way. Love your photos!

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  21. Wow, you live in a really beautiful place

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  22. Oh what a lovely trip you took us with you...beautiful, so incredible beautiful! I love every picture...what a nature!
    Take care and have a nice weekend!
    Warmly,
    Titti

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  23. Palavras gentis podem ser curtas e fáceis de falar, mas seus ecos são
    verdadeiramente infinitos.
    (Madre Tereza de Calcutá)
    Lindas imagens...Deus é maravilhoso, amei todos os detalhes!
    Um abençoado inicio de mês!!!!
    Beijos Marie.

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  24. Olá, Karen!
    Vendo as lindas fotos da sua casa e da família em seu blog,
    fiquei até com vontade de conhecer pessoalmente esse lugar.
    A sua avó deve estar feliz, esteja ela onde estiver, pois vocês
    mantêm com muito amor tudo o que ela amou!
    Em meu blog falo muito de família, liberdade e pátria, razão porque
    gostei muito de vir até aqui. Voltarei sempre!
    Abraços e bom fim de semana!

    vitornani.blogspot.com

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  25. The autumn scenery is so beautiful. It looks like honey on the fields!
    What a wonderful ride I had with you
    all my best and a happy happy time
    Eliabeth

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  26. What a beautiful drive, It was lovely to go along with you. The house with all the pumpkins obviously has some very busy pumpkin carvers doesn't it, amazing though, and I have never seen anything like that before. xx

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  27. Impressive scenery--is this an area of WA that needs irrigation for crops? It looks very green.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! To answer your question - this is Western Washington - we are about 50 miles from Seattle, and everyone knows what Seattle is known for - rain! Lots and lots of rain. The Cascade mountains stop the weather systems from crossing over, so it is high desert in some areas east of the mountains, but not all. xo Karen

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  28. I loved my country drive with you - what a view you have from your house. Laughed at all those pumpkins, that's a huge effort!
    Wren x

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  29. What a wonderful and scenic country drive. The barn looks gorgeous, I like how its colour contrasts with the greens and blues. Loving that massive pumpkin!

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  30. What a beautiful drive! Stunning photos of a truly special area. It's so nice to see that some of these old farms are being rekindled and reloved. Many farms in this area are finished, and it's so sad to see the empty barns and the fields high with weeds rather than crops. The pumpkins on the porch look like a wild bunch! And love the prize winner of a pumpkin in the pick-up. Wendy x

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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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