Barns, Barns, Barns

 Spring is coming to the farms

 Fields are being planted in front of the old barns

 One old farm is falling back into the earth - taken over by blackberries that will eventually pull all the buildings down

Barn Collective

More Barns

 Advertising signs used to be common on barns - we see very few of them anymore

 The hay barn next to the silo is beginning to lean

 Complete with sagging roof.  The small milk shed to the left was once an antique shop - the curtains still hang in the windows.

 Steps lead up the side of the barn to the hay loft.

 A hayfield almost hides the old barns

 Surrounded by a christmas tree farm and blueberry fields, just to the right of the photo - the old barn is now only used for storage.

Part of this barn has been repainted and it has a new roof.

Barn Collective

Birds and Butterflies

I got my first EVER photo of a butterfly recently - and now I have more.  I've never had one sit still long enough to get a good focus - and now they seem to be everywhere. 

 They really love the petunias

 This was taken through the living room window, and a lace curtain - I like the shadowy effect and the way the sun shines through the butterfly's wings.

 Red Garden Phlox is another favorite.

 The butterfly is snuggled down into the flower, it took a nap there for quite a long time.

 And the hummingbirds have been busy - female Rufous hummingbird

 And the male Rufous has glorious feather colors when the light is just at the right angle.

Saturday's Critters 

Summer Flowers

Our area is bursting with early summer flowers - here are some from our deck.

Allim are some of my favorite flowers - I like how they sway in the breeze - can you hear the bells ringing as they sway back and forth? 

 Pink Geraniums - no garden of mine is complete without them - I have three planters full of them

 Violas - the scent on a sunny day is unbelievable

 And Martha Washington Geraniums in a dark pink color after a bit of a rain storm

 Pretty yellow pansies - they brighten up the deck

 Petunias with Red Garden Phlox-Miss Mary

 And Irises in a neighbor's yard - every year I wait for them to bloom in all their beauty.

 And now we'll all go out to the Iris beds in Deming, WA - on the Mt. Baker Hiway.  They are planted each Autumn and when they bloom in the summer you can pick the tubers you want to purchase and you'll get a text or phone call to come and pick up your beauties for Autumn planting.

 We arrived at exactly the perfect day - all colors were in bloom and nothing was dying back yet.

 So many beautiful colors - and the names are on nearby stakes so you know what you are getting.

 A  White Crowned Sparrow lit on one of the iris blossoms and sang for us for several minutes.

 A song and pretty flowers - the perfect day!

 On the way home we passed a nearby farm and in the front yard their Oriental Poppies were glorious

 And at last - nearer home - my favorite flower truck - planted again this year with a nice variety of flowers - cheering travelers as they pass.