Wednesday, June 15, 2016

A Country Drive with Good Fences


Hello Friends - come along with me as we take
a country drive, here along the foothills of the Cascade Mountains
of western Washington State near my home.


You can see that the buttercups are blooming 
in the lush, green fields ......little drops of sunshine!

Let's roll down the windows and breathe in the fresh air! 

All of my photos were taken while traveling about 35 mph. 
Ramblin' Man does not like to slow down for long......:)


Life in the slow lane! Actually, there is only one lane.....


Sometimes the air is not so fresh! :)
Happy cows....


And a horse or two. 


A sweet yellow farm tucked up against the hills. 


Mt. Rainier dominates the skyline as the clouds clear away. 


The grass is getting high in the hay fields.
Some of the Douglas Fir are centuries old. 

Douglas Fir is a major timber resource in
Washington State. 


Love the red tin roof on this favorite barn.  


This old silo has lost its roof. 
Do farmers use silage any more?


Sometimes I just want to trespass and run through the fields....

 I did that once, when I was a young girl -
running through the fields in a little white dress.
I got into the middle and realized I was
surrounded by literally, hundreds of large yellow and black field
spiders sitting on large webs in the tall grass.

I had run through them unawares!

It made no difference to me that they are harmless.
I get the shivers just thinking of it, even now.

There was a large rock nearby and I climbed on top and screamed a little bit. (ha ha)
Then, realizing I was all alone, except for my dog,
I had to make a plan.

Luckily, there was a large stick on the ground below me.
What were the odds? My guardian angel is always
looking out for me :)

I waved that stick in front of me as I made my way back.
It seemed much further than when I came!

Needless to say, I now resist the urge to trespass,
no matter how pretty the wildflowers.


Something to make you laugh :)

A rabbit hutch.


Chain-saw carvings of bears and eagles at the town park.



Miniature donkeys and a pretty white horse.


Colorful planes at the local, private air-strip.
On warm, summer evenings we can see them joy-riding
(joy-flying?) over the mountains.


One of the beautiful farms along the air strip.


You can see the grassy runway in the foreground.

The barn is actually an airplane hanger.


We pass this beautiful farmhouse as a few sprinkles hit the windshield.



An interesting, vacant building.

A grain hopper?


I love the row of white-trimmed windows
 along the side of this classic barn. 
Can you see the white pick-up driving down the lane?
There's not much traffic here. 

That's the way I like it. 


Quiet country roads...

the road to home. 


A simple, country life. 


Where 'drama' consists of coyotes singing,


or elk bugling....... 


Or the occasional bear or cougar sighting
 along the side of the road.

(Not here, but who knows?)


Where the pavement ends. 

Admittedly, a life not for everyone....

The welcoming committee - Whitey Bear, Peanut and Weenie Baby

But just right for me. 


Tucked away in a quiet grove. 


Home sweet home. 

Kai welcomes us home



A peaceful life after years of hard work. 


As the evening light turns the hills to gold, 


I bless the struggles and hardships that brought
me to this place of peace and beauty, 
to live out my days in heartfelt gratitude
for the lessons I've learned and the love I've shared. 

xoxo

Wishing you peace, love and joy
in this world that desperately needs it. 

xoxo

"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. 
Your willingness to put it into words
is all that is necessary."
-Margaret Cousins, writer and editor-


Today I am linking with:
Good Fences



Won't you join the fun?



38 comments:

  1. I love travel with you,

    Hugs from Spain

    Marina

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  2. A wonderful journey but the best bit is getting home! I expect the fields look even more yellow in real life as the camera seems to pick up the green colours rather than the others compared to the eye. x

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  3. I love going along on your country drives with you!! Always so lovely and great new places to go and things to see! Good to be home again too!

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  4. Home Sweet Home indeed and a lovely welcoming party of the fluffy kind, nothing better.
    I enjoyed my drive with you, all that fresh air and open countryside. Mt Rainer looks so majestic in the distance. Amazing views.
    Oooh you were brave to run back through the spiders, sounds like a nightmare!
    It always amazes me how talented men can be with a chainsaw.
    Loved the bunny hotel and all the different buildings, very different to hear in the UK.
    Have a wonderful day Karen :)

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  5. You certainly took us on a wonderful tour, you live in a very beautiful part of the world. Technology is amazing that we can see so much via computer these days.

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  6. My oh my....pristine, beautiful, serene, gorgeous, verdant...all rolled into one.

    Got a laugh from the motel!! [the rabbit hutch]

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  7. Hello, I enjoyed your country ride and your beautiful place. I loved seeing all the farms and barns. The bear carving is cool. I love the elk shot and reading your run through the field story. Wishing you a happy day and weekend ahead!

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  8. Karen, my sweet friend, thank you for this so wonderful country drive! You really live in such a beautiful region, I just love to drive arround with you!
    Your Welcome Commitee is sooooooooooo sweet :O)))
    Thank you for taking us with you to wonderful places again!
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend, filled with love and peace, my dear friend!
    Love and hugs, Claudia xo

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  9. Dearest Karen,
    Oh, don't we love our welcoming committee upon coming home? That feels so special and seeing our fur babies enjoy their paradise as much as we do is pure bliss!
    Your area is always looking very special and such a ride makes for many great photos alongside.
    Enjoy this hard earned heavenly spot.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  10. Such a lovely drive Karen, and what a beautiful part of the world. Just watching mount Ranier every day would stop me doing anything else. Great welcome home committee. Have a good week. B xx

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  11. That was certainly a beautiful drive, Karen. Your valley is a gorgeous place and the farms are particularly pretty. Mountain, sea and forest - we live in a gorgeous part of the world.

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  12. Such lovely surroundings where you live. All the wonders of nature are within a very short drive and your home is a beautiful sanctuary!!

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  13. I'd be staring at Mt. Rainier every day, too. It's a beacon of true, natural beauty.

    I'm always taken by the fresh, lush beauty of your part of the world. It's so pastoral and peaceful. Your home is lovely and your welcoming committee brings a smile to my face every time you post a picture. :-)

    Marilyn (in Dallas)

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  14. So beautiful, Karen! I need a little peace this morning...thank you for sharing your wonderful views!

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  15. Karen, you have me craving a trip to these very places! Love your photos taken on the fly!

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  16. Karen, thank you for the peaceful trip today. It was just what I needed! You live in a beautiful area.
    Karen in Virginia

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  17. How absolutely peaceful and beautiful! You are blessed to live where you do.

    Thank you for sharing this little drive in the country.

    FlowerLady

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  18. What a wonderful post KArenadn I loved coming with you on this drive. Loved the tall fir trees, the beautiful buttercup meadows, the blue skies, the many animals and beautiful farms with their house adn barns.

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  19. Hi Karen, I love your drives through the country! Those are gorgeous barns and I love that mountain! The dogs are so cute and I love that farmhouse!
    The story of the spiders is really scary. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
    Julie

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  20. my connection is so bad i could not get many of the photos to load but i laughed at your spider story. thanks karen.

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  21. Always good to go on a country drive with you.
    You take much better photos out of the car window than me.
    A field of spiders, not my cup of tea.
    Merle..................

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  22. I must say these drives of yours are just breathtaking. So many gorgeous scenes. Lots of great fences too. The story about the spiders made me laugh.

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  23. LOve these sweet little journeys with you Friend. ;) The picturesque landscapes, charming barns, beautiful fields and that majestic mountain. I'm always in awe of that amazing mountain.

    But that story about the spiders - well it gave me the goosies!! Aaaacckk!!! That would give me nightmares for a while. Lol

    Home is always best, though, isn't it? Blessings. xoxo

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  24. Oh, what a lovely and charming drive, my friend. I so enjoyed going along with you {{smiles}} And I am always amazed by the beauty that surrounds you...you are richly blessed to live in such a wonderful area.

    Have a great weekend. Hugs!

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  25. Wonderful, serene views, dear Karen, and what a peaceful haven your home is!
    Thank you for sharing! xx

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  26. Hi dear Karen !! Que lindo post .. Una bella granja .. Espero que tengas un buen fin de semana juntó a los tuyos
    Cariños

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  27. sunday driving on the back roads...is there anything better?? why yes, yes there is, the beautiful view of those mountains and fields, you are surrounded by beauty!!!

    i so enjoyed your closing thoughts!! have a joy filled weekend!!!

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  28. Great photos! Love the story about the spiders... I'm not a fan still today, lol. My dad would never kill one if I found one in the house, he loves all things nature and would capture it and let it go, lol Have a great weekend!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  29. What a golden drive, through the wildlife meadows (even with the nightmare spider memories!) and beautiful lifestyle well earned, with the best welcome home - the wagging tails of the reception committee.
    Have a gorgeous weekend.
    Wren x

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  30. I enjoyed your post Karen, your photo's are lovely to look at.
    Home sweet home ...
    Home is where the heart is ...

    Your closing word are most apt!

    "Wishing you peace, love and joy
    in this world that desperately needs it."

    I wish you a wonderful and peaceful weekend

    All the best Jan

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  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry about the delete. I really should remember to read before I push the publish button :)

      Breathtaking scenery and fantastic photos. Thank you for sharing this part of your world. The story about the spiders made me smile. I had a similar incident when I ran through a spiders nest when I was a little girl. They were all over me and I screamed all the way home - lol!

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  32. Karen, love taking the country roads with you, I really do. I'm sipping on my coffee this Saturday morning, and enjoying your pictures so much. I really liked the picture of the green house in the distance. Such a striking color for a house in the country. I can just see you running through the fields in your white dress when you were a young girl. What a picture that would make. Such a cute story about your dog and the stick that you saw on the ground. This is a charming farmhouse with all the flowers in the front yard. And the appreciate quote is very special. I think I will write that one down.

    This is a wonderful post today, Karen. Yes, let us roll down the windows and breath in the fresh air!

    ~Sheri

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  33. I certainly enjoyed the ride along! It was really a beautiful drive. You live in a pretty part of the Pacific NW. Your home is so lovely too. Your story was icky...I bet that one stays quite vivid in your memory.Have a nice weekend.

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  34. Dear Karen,

    I loved coming along for the ride with you and the countryside is gorgeous. As for you running through the fields in your little white dress, sounds perfect, the spiders though would have been scary.
    Home sweet home, is so true and loved seeing the welcoming committee waiting for you and the pretty pink hollyhocks.
    Happy Sunday
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  35. Oh Karen...the spider story made me laugh! Too funny. I bet you checked yourself a dozen times to make sure you didn't have any hitch hikers when you got out of that field! :-) Wonderful photos! always love your drives...such a wide span of views!

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  36. I enjoyed the drive. The wide open feel of the place is wonderful.
    Amalia
    xo

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  37. I really enjoyed this country drive in the western Washington State, then the welcoming home by the dogs and your peaceful home behind the trees. I came here via other blogs and love it. I will be back and be your new follower.
    Greetings from Holland,
    Janneke

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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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