More Autumn Gifts

Just a short time remains, and most of what we see in these photos will be lying on the ground or all shriveled up and colorless.  

For now, however, the splendor continues.  I've always liked that farm near Grouse Creek Road before the road descends down to the bridge crossing the creek.  

In fact, that place with its neat silo or the farm east of Clark Fork, owned by the Vogels would be my dream home--- both sitting back from the road, expansive field in front and protected by mountains behind.  

Seems like a pretty idyllic life to me.  I'm betting the people who live in these two iconic Bonner County settings probably agree.

Saturday, Bill, Kiwi, Foster and I enjoyed a trip to Grouse Creek, and I snapped this photo as we passed by.

This trip took us to the North Fork of Grouse Creek.  We hiked a gated trail for 1.8 miles before reaching the creek, hidden in the foliage and babbling over big boulders through a bottomless culvert.

Bill explained to me that the culvert is designed for such places so that fish won't have a problem entering and that they can swim through a more natural setting while the culvert does its work above. 

The walk was perfect, especially for my just healed left knee----no extreme inclines or declines, and it provided a pleasant escape.  We came out of the North Fork area via Elmira. The drive is lovely, especially with the fall colors. 

Yesterday, I started picking apples from our big tree in the north lawn.  I had to use a ladder from the get-go because other critters have pretty much cleans off the bottom layer of fruit. At least we haven't seen any giraffes in the neighborhood, so we still have a healthy supply of the apples.

I used these apples for cooking, for jelly and for horse treats.  Usually a couple of buckets, filled with the smaller apples sits out in the barn to be doled out in Lily and Lefty's grain buckets when they start staying in their stalls for the winter.

The apples used to be tiny, but with what pruning I can do each year, the majority are about double in size from the good ol' days when we first moved to the Lovestead. 

Since the beastly hot weather has subsided, some of my deck flowers have come back to provide one more splash of color before winter.  I'm dreading the day when flowers in the big baskets along the deck succumb to frost.  For now, they're gorgeous. 

The majority of the photos below those around the Lovestead were taken on a dump run yesterday.  I've seen a marsh just off the highway several times while making the trip from Samuels back to our house.

Yesterday, I turned off and took the railroad side road.  I was amazed at the wealth of beauty that somewhat hidden area right under our highway noses holds.  

Hard to believe, but breath-taking is the only way to describe the activity and the artistic images in that relatively small plot of land.  Black birds were flitting here and there among the cattails while with the first hint of the intruder with a camera, ducks quacked launched off the water in unison.  

It was truly a sight to behold and a photographer's dream.  I doubt that the place is that pretty all year long.  For now with the vast array of fall colors and interesting foliage, it's an autumn paradise, so slightly removed from a busy train track and the noisy highway above. 

This interlude from a normal dump run turned into a visually satisfying discovery for me and my camera.  

Who knows what today holds because it's looking just as pretty as yesterday.  Lovin' the possibilities!

Happy Tuesday.