Hawks, Eagles and Canada Geese

Red Tail Hawk - our most common hawk

  

Sitting in a tree - looking for lunch

Or high atop a utility pole

Always a delight to spot one

 And not far away - a Bald Eagle - another pole sitter

 And Canada Geese - won't be long until they flock up to fly south for the winter

 They practice their formations in the water - teaching the young ones - getting them ready for the trip south.

Late Summer Flowers

Some summer favorites

 A single Hollyhock is such a treat in the summer!!!

 And a field of Sunflowers in a city lot

Apples Are Ripening

As we take drives we are seeing more and more apples that are about ripe - the Gravensteins are already being harvested - can others be far behind?

 Trees are loaded with apples this year.

 This little tree is doing its best

 The apples look good!

 Soon there will be apples for sale at roadside stands and in picking orchards

 Time to gather apples

 And make some pies

And some apple butter

Our daughter has a big Gravenstein apple tree and she has already picked and processed hundreds of apples.  We are the lucky recipients of two apple crisps and a pint of delicious apple butter. 

What is your favorite apple recipe?

Water Lilies

A nearby pond has the prettiest patch of Water Lilies - we like to stop by the pond on the way home - sometimes we see ducks - sometimes we see herons - and sometimes we see Water Lilies.

 I hope some day to see a bird walking on the Lily Pads.

Horses

Beautiful horses in fields

I've never seen such a speckled horse before - and there were two of them in the same field.

Rose Hedge

What is prettier in the summer than a hedge just bursting with roses?

And the scent was fabulous!

Two Herons and A Kingfisher

We have many Great Blue Heron rookeries in this area.  It is always a thrill to see them.  This one was far out on the sandbar in Birch Bay State Park.

A Belted Kingfisher on a very windy day - Willy's Lake 

  

 And a Green Heron - looking for lunch at the boat launch in Blaine.

  

Success!

Scenery

A lovely old barn

And cattle in a field of buttercups.

This is summer for sure in Western Washington!

Summer Wild Flowers

Wild flowers abound this time of the year - here are two of my favorites.

 Fireweed is everywhere - I want some growing in my yard - I think it grows thick enough and fast enough that there would be some left to bloom after the deer graze through - at least that is my hope.

 Such a pretty flower - it is the first flowers to bloom after a wild fire - or after logging.  The seeds are light and fluffy and float on the wind.

Another is wild Sweet Peas - they grow in masses alongside country roads - the biggest wave of them we ever saw was almost a mile long - they are amazing.

 

A nice backdrop for waves of Sweet Peas.

 Pinks and purples.  I planted some seeds in pots on our deck this year - when they go to seed I will save the seeds and hopefully get some that will survive the deer who visit our yard regularly.

What wildflowers bloom in your area?  When we lived in Burney California there were Bachelor's Button growing in wild masses.  Our kids would pick pretty bouquets of them on their way home for lunch.