Before Fall Fades

 Just days, maybe even hours remain of the height of our fall splendor.  If the wind blows like it did yesterday morning, we may lose a good portion of the brilliance sooner rather than later.  

So, as always, it seems in North Idaho, we hurry to utilize and catch what we can of remarkable weather while we can.  

That was my goal yesterday afternoon, following a morning of weed eating along my pasture fence lines.  Our bonus weather has provided some great opportunities for tidying up before winter comes on, and I've enjoyed taking advantage of it.  Feeling a great sense of accomplishment, I took my camera and set off for an afternoon of snapping images.  

And, they abounded wherever I drove.  Jack Filipowski's Herefords were enjoying an afternoon of warmth and relaxation and Del Bader's bird houses provided some great contrast with the gold and green hues in the background.  

Turning on to Center Valley Road, I saw horses ahead.  The riders were Roxane Conrad and her friend Rose, a familiar face at Finan McDonalds.  Ambivalence struck.  I should be riding my horse too, but the goal of this day was to catch as much splendor as possible with my camera.  

So, I snapped some shots of Roxane, visited briefly and went on my way. 

My way eventually took me to Caribou Creek Road off from the Upper Pack River Road.  I turned off the main road to a side route which wound up the hillside through a mixture of deep greens and golds of evergreens and larch. 

Eventually I arrived on the south side of a mountain, providing me a vast view of "down in the 'smokey' valley" toward Sandpoint and the lake. Smoke from fall burning projects below clouded the view, however.

Then, it was time to turn around, so I drove just a ways to a wide spot and immediately spotted a mama moose and her calf just a few feet away.  Thinking about other moose encounters with my car out in the woods, I spent little time turning around, taking a couple of photos in the process.  

Mama and baby were in the shade, though, so the pictures aren't that great.  I stopped a couple of times on the way down the mountain, got out and just stood there beholding the fleeting beauty of another gorgeous fall.  

When I arrived home, Amos and his brother Quinn had put up most of the rafters for the new deck roof.  Half of the fun of my afternoon drive was going away so I could come back and enjoy the progress on the deck.  

The other half----capturing all those photos----did not disappoint. Ah, fall!