The Turkey Buzzards are Back

Our neighbor to the east has a huge cottonwood tree that is over 100 years old.  It grows partway down in Creamery Hollow just to the east of their house.  The tree is so tall that when the air is perfectly still on the ground, there is a wind draft in the top of this tree. Sometimes in the summer, we can see eagles circling.
 We are in the path of migrating turkey buzzards, and they often stop over to rest and fly in huge circles in the sky.  I ran to get my camera, but was not quick enough, and only four are in evidence in this picture. (A camera with better telescopic lens would do a better job, but this one gives you the general idea.)  Our neighbor tells us that in the early mornings, the birds are sitting hunched over, (Snoopy vulture style), waiting for their feathers to dry out so that they can fly.  

Completion of Ron's Work for the Week

Ron's plan this week was to save the garden shed (19 years old) from disintegration - the cedar was looking very old and beaten up.  His plan was to use Olympic stain to preserve the wood.  He asked me about color - I suggested either a mossy green or a light tan.  Of course, Preston didn't have Olympic stain, so he went to Logan to get some - not cheap!  He came home and set to work on the hottest and most decrepit side (south).  The dried cedar was just swallowing up the paint, so he went uptown here to see if there was some sort of a primer compatible to the paint that he could use as an undercoat.  He was assured that a certain product would do just that, so he began to work on the support boards on the front of the building.  After a while, he came in and said that he was given the wrong information - and no, the Olympic stain won't go on over this new stuff.  Frustration!  The result is that now the shed looks European - In the village I lived in in Germany, we had the white buildings with the dark brown supporting timbers - very picturesque.   Now, all we need is a window with a window box of geraniums, and we'll be finished.  Just kidding.  The fact that Ron did all of this in 85+ degree weather tells of his dedication to getting the job done.  And, he must live right, because he finished yesterday morning, the stuff had all day to cure in the hot sun, and last night came the heavy rains - and its been raining ever since.

Big Sky Country

These pictures are from southern Montana - waaaay south of Butte.  Thought the history was interesting, and thought of Grandpa Wasden, and wondered how he went from Scipio to Butte to work in the mines in the 1890s.

Daylilies in Kelso

 Kemp picked some of the last blossoms from his daylily plants on the hillside behind his house.  They are still so beautiful.  The colors are so pure, and the blossoms huge.

And here's Bethany, blessed with a happy nature and a beautiful smile, willingly posing with some of the flowers.  Nice visit to Sonja, Kemp, Bethany, and Benjamin.

Mt. Hood

For once, when we drove along the Columbia River last month, we enjoyed a rare view of Mt. Hood.  Just before this picture, we went through the smoke from a small fire - thought we wouldn't see the mountain this time, but there it is!