Saturday, November 5, 2016

Take a Walk With Me........


Hello, Dear Friends, our beautiful autumn is 
starting to wind down, with cooler days and nights, 
and leaves falling with every breeze. 

I took a walk on one of those glorious, sunny
days when the sun so obligingly shines
through the autumn leaves, 
creating kaleidoscopes of color. 

Come along with me and we will
see what is happening
in the autumn woods. 


Kai leads the way. 

He looks so tiny under the tall trees. 


Whitey Bear and Kai explore the undergrowth. 


Ramblin' Man shows perspective 
next to a 100 ft. tall Douglas Fir. 

Douglas Fir are the main species of 
our timber industry in WA state. 


A wild hazelnut is late to turn color,
adding golden tones to an
increasingly bare woodland.

Western sword fern grows nearby.


A young big-leaf maple glows among
leafless alder and black cottonwood.

Big-leaf maple is a very large tree
when mature, providing an important
food source for the creatures of the woodlands
with its numerous winged seeds.


A mature, 100 ft. tree will yield thousands of
of these winged seeds, which are relished by
these little guys..........


The tiny Douglas squirrel.


Ganoderma oregonese mushrooms grow on a dead
hemlock. Hemlock is a fast-growing, short-lived,
 evergreen that has been decimated by
infestations of beetles in my area.


This one recently died over the last few years.


Eventually this tree will become a 'snag',
 providing a food source for woodpeckers,
such as this Pileated woodpecker.


We have a healthy population of woodpeckers
here in our forest of living and dying trees.

The cavities they excavate provide housing
for smaller birds and animals, such
as chickadees and squirrels.



Someday the hemlock will look like this.....


Nature always works together.

Each species dependent upon the other.


My neighbor's horse - dependent upon kind owners
to provide a lovely home, warm blanket and green pastures.


Kai greets the neighbor's dog through the fence, an Icelandic sheepdog.


Isn't he cute?

He keeps his eye on me........

I'm sure he is wondering what I am holding up to my face!
The camera can be a scary thing........


Time to say goodbye.......


An uprooted, half eaten mushroom.


Tiny 'Fairy Bonnet' mushrooms which
are very common this time of year.
These do not appear to be palatable
and grow undisturbed in groups or 'troops'.


The drooping seed-head of a volunteer sunflower.


Maple among the tall spires of black cottonwood
and a young Douglas fir.


Soft, filtered light.

Holly grows on the right.


This young holly is just starting to fruit,
catching the fallen leaves in its spiny boughs.

Only female holly bear fruit.


The trunks of  mature big-leaf maples
host beautiful, soft green moss.


Maple and holly, side by side.


Showing perspective.....


This large holly was only 5 ft. high when
we were contemplating buying this property.

This is where we stopped and turned around to see.......


Mt. Rainier rising above the Cascade range.

We were smitten.

After 4 years of 'roughing it'
in a 32 ft. vintage travel trailer
attached to that very small shed,
with 4 small children,
we finally moved into our hand-built home.

You can read a little about our journey, Here.


Now the view from the holly is our home.


But we can peek over the roof......

A lone black cottonwood stands out in
a forest of Douglas fir.


A spotted towhee guards the garden bench.


The deep river valley below us.

Can you see the Stellar's Jay at the top of the tree on the left?



Keeping watch.........

You can see the dark trunks of the black cottonwood trees;
hence their name.


Time to go inside as the shadows lengthen.....



The young Japanese maple brightens the way.


The days are so short now.....


Kai in his favorite spot - keeping watch outside,
but able to look in at me.

A short hop through the pet-door brings him back inside :)


A male Anna's hummingbird enjoying a late afternoon sip on the deck.

This one has an unusual ring around his eyes.


The end of a beautiful, November day.


Thank you for coming along, Dear Friends!

xoxo

Today I am linking with:

Saturday's Critters

Won't you join the fun? 

32 comments:

  1. You have lots of beautiful scenes and critters there. How nice to be able to take a long walk in nature's beauty. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  2. Lovely pics and colors, Beatrice!

    How much do you have to pay the spotted towhee to guard that bench?

    ;-)

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  3. Stunning view - I can certainly understand why you were smitten! What a wonderful place to make a home - thank you for this autumn walk!

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  4. <3 Awwws...what can I say...just LOVELY <3 I would be happy to hike on those paths <3
    I've never seen hummingbird on nature :(

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  5. I always enjoy it when you take us around your garden and the amazing, well established things you have surrounding you. It's a shame when the trees die, but what nature does with them afterwards is also rewarding to witness. Have a wonderful Sunday xx

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  6. You took us on yet another beautiful stroll, one that I enjoyed immensely. You are certainly blessed with such amazing views, no wonder you wanted to build your home there, stunning.

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  7. I so enjoyed your beautiful series of autumn photos of the great place you live in this world. Love your two super white dogs, they are always great companions on walks and at home. Of course I´m thrilled to see a hummingbird as we don´t have them here.....
    Have a nice Sunday!

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  8. Hello, gorgeous post and images. I enjoyed the walk with you. The fall colors and trees are gorgeous. I love your furbabies and the birds. Cool shots of the Pileated Woodpecker. The Japanese Maple is lovely. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and the week ahead!

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  9. Hi Karen: Thanks for taking us along. You can feel the wildness of your area as you explore. We have Pileated Woodpeckers visit here, too. from across the road where there are lots of dead trees. They are fascinating to watch. Loved your photos.

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  10. Patience in nature or patience in home building can be very rewarding. Loved your nature walk this morning!

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  11. What a gorgeous walk it was, dear Karen!
    Especially for us that love old trees and ferns and little dogs and mountains and clouds and autumn colours... :)
    The neighbour's dog does look cute. It seems to me that animals (especially the wild ones) find a camera somehow suspicious.
    Have a lovely Sunday! xx

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  12. Your Autumn is looking beautiful, I can almost smell it!
    Fabulous skies! Now you and your lovely dogs can be cosy indoors...
    Thank you ....Happy Sunday!

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  13. Lovely fall colors and that is a cute squirrel!!

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  14. Thank you for the tour of the beautiful scenery you get to enjoy, it's wonderful that you get to see how certain trees and bushes have grown over the years, remembering how they were at the start. I'm going to have to read your story on building your home, I bet it's quite interesting. Especially with raising 4 small children in a small space, I bet they loved having the great outdoors to explore.

    Thanks for stopping in on my blog, very interesting that you have family connections to Nova Scotia. It's a small world.

    Have a wonderful week, Kelly.

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  15. It's always fun to go on walks with you. We never know what exactly we will see!

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  16. Dearest Karen,
    to take a walk with you is always such a treat, a delightsome moment to spend absorbed in the wonderful Nature of the place you're living in ... something like a piece of paradise, thank you dearie, for such a precious gift !

    Hope you're having the best of weekends
    I'm sending hugs & ever much love to you

    xoxo Dany

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  17. Karen, thanks for this wonderful walk!!
    love

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  18. That tree with the mushrooms is so interesting, Karen. I hope the mushrooms don't damage the trees. The woodpecker is such a funny bird. They look a bit different than the ones here. This is a cute picture of Kai saying hello to the neighbor's dog. Oh, the Fairy Bonnet mushrooms really DO look like the mushrooms in the fairy books. :) That is a pretty picture of the maple tree with the soft green moss, and the Japanese maple is beautiful. Oh, there's my beloved hummingbird. Thanks for getting a picture of him. They are so special to me.

    What a lovely walk around your woods, Karen.

    ~Sheri

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  19. Fun walk thanks for letting me join you!

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  20. How blessed you are to be able to take beautiful walks like that. There is nothing like that here in tropical s.e. FL. :-)

    Thank you for taking us on this walks with you.

    FlowerLady

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  21. My oh my ... what a truly lovely walk I've just enjoyed.

    Your last photo and the colour of the sky is stunning ... definitely it is the end of a beautiful, November day.

    May the coming new week be a good one for you.

    All the best Jan

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  22. You have scenery like mine here in Oregon. Thanks for the "walk."

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  23. I am so thrilled that you are in your house. How exciting is that!!!! I bet you hardly know what to do with open space after being in a confined space with little kids for that length of time. Good for you, your persistence and dedication paid off and you will never take your home for granted.

    Your views are just spectacular and what a wonderful natural place for your kids to grow up. How far are you from town? xo Diana

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    1. Hi Diana, thank you for taking a walk with me! It was wonderful to have my children grow up surrounded by nature.....to answer your question - we live 2 miles from our tiny, historic logging town, but to shop we have to travel a bit - about 10 miles for groceries and Home Depot :) and about 45 minutes to the nearest mall, depending on traffic. We live at the end of the road before the National Forest around Mt. Rainier, so nothing beyond.....Sending hugs xo Karen

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  24. How wonderful to step outside your house and walk in those lovely woods! And that view! I love it. Every time you post about your garden and woods, I learn something new. Thank you for sharing, Karen, and have a wonderful week!

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  25. Pretty area!! Wonderful, beautiful, refreshing walk...thanks for taking us along.

    My favorites are your fur babies, the perspective shot of the douglas fir, the mountain in the backdrop and the pileated woodpecker [jealous of that one since I have to drive nearly 200 miles to see one, YET to see one in real time]

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  26. I love when you take us on walks. Your photography and attention to detail is perfection. Honestly, I feel like I am walking along beside you.

    Also, thank you for identifying the trees, mushrooms, wildlife etc., and how they all fit in the eco-system. You are a wonderful steward of the land!

    Marilyn (in Dallas)

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  27. Was so fun to take your walk with you, such a beautiful area to take a walk. The neighbors dog is too cute, we can't get good pictures of our dog because as soon as the camera goes up to your face she turns and walks away. Isn't it amazing how the different animals help each other out by just going about their daily routines. sure have a lot of different mushrooms, looks like a perfect day out!

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  28. Loved every minute Karen....
    Fabulous pictures and story...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  29. How beautiful your woods are, Karen. It is always a delight to walk with you through your glorious landscape.

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  30. I could not love these walks with you more dear Friend. My eyes are filled with the beauty, but you mostly fill my soul with your sweet woodland knowledge and fun comments. Thanks for always taking me along. ;)

    God is good and sure creates some amazing things - and a balance to it all. Got to love that, huh?

    Blessings dear Karen. xoxo

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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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