A Country Drive

Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you had 

a wonderful weekend! 

I had a stressful end to my week - my 

two dogs, Whitey Bear and Kai 

got sprayed by a skunk! 

Oh, yes they did! 

I'll spare you the details, but to make a long 

story short, it was a very stinky affair,

involving skunk remover shampoo, 

baths on the deck under a patio umbrella

in the rain and the dark, 

and a lingering odor that is gradually dissipating, 

but none too soon.  

There was no harm done to the skunk :)

Sigh........Life in the country! 

I was only too happy to get away

 this weekend for a long country drive

to my little grandson's house, to cheer me up. 

So come along with me and we will enjoy the 

better side of country life - beautiful scenery! 

As you can see by the dramatic skies, we've had a 

bit of rain and cool weather, but on Saturday, the skies 

were starting to clear. 

The fields and roadsides were full of beautiful 

wildflowers. Buttercups, daisies, foxglove, wild phlox

and roses. 

Usually, 14,411 ft. Mt. Rainier looms over the landscape, but 

today it was hidden by clouds. 

There were happy cows in lush green fields,

 and farmers on their tractors.

Old farmhouses nestled among the rolling hills and fences. 

I love the very large flowering tree (mulberry?) in the fenced yard

and the purple flowering ground-cover on the sloped bank. 

Perhaps a favorite place for grandchildren to play :) 

Who wouldn't want to explore these lovely fields with a basket for wildflowers? 

An old gas-station on a once bustling corner, 

remains to tell its tale. 

You can barely see the old gas-pump peeking through

the weeds. 

And what is this mysterious object anchored 

in the middle of an overgrown field? 

Perhaps the remains of a basket-ball court at a long ago

home-site? 

Only the daisies are left to whisper of the secrets held here. 

As we leave the farmland, we enter the mountain forests, 

bisected by high electrical lines carpeted with yellow Scotch broom. 

As a child, along with adventurous friends, we would 

explore the wild places through these dangerous access points, 

where guardian angels hovered over us unawares. 

I think of some of these 'adventures' we had,

 oblivious to the risks taken through innocence and curiosity. 

Small mountain towns filled with charming cottages 

make us yearn for simpler times. 

The side entrance.....

A modern 'cottage' with an equally charming garden. 

On the way home we pass through a modern mountain village. 

This one with a pedestrian bridge

leading to shops, a hospital, movie theater, etc. 

The long road home......it is 90 minutes each way. 

We follow the setting sun as it illuminates the old 

wood mill. 

This is a lonely, isolated road that I would never take alone. 

There are miles and miles of forest and this mill

 in the middle of nowhere is particularly creepy. 

The lowered sun illuminates grasses along a small pond. 

As we enter the farmland, we see a faint rainbow 

in the distance. 

A very lucky horse. 

Shall we search for the pot of gold? 

Oh, no, it's in a cow field! 

You go first.......:)

It was a wonderful ride! 

Thanks for coming along, Dear Friends! 

xoxo