Colorful

The past few days have given us some spectacular morning and evening colors. The ones above were from a morning walk. The magic all happened as I walked back towards home. I'd hiked out to an area where I could see across the top of the ridge but the view was rather...um. Bleh.

When I got to the mailbox the skies lit up with those great crepuscular rays of morning light over the cornfield.

Another stunning evening sky gave us some amazing colors. 
Home sweet home ... colors in the sky above us.

The trees are rapidly changing colors. Getting a scenic shot is really quite hard in these woods and hills without travelling to the river or a bluff.

Green and Gold Hickory leaves:

Maple leaves along the driveway:

I'm hoping to get out to one of the county parks this afternoon.

Below is a photo of Jersey Valley which had an earthen dam to provide flood control and a man made lake which provided us with hiking, fishing, and kayaking, picnics, and swimming. The dam was destroyed in 2018 and apparently they will not replace it once again as it is too costly.

The County is working on rebuilding the trails that were also destroyed.

I do recall in years past that this was my go to spot at sunrise or late in the day. This is a photo from 2014 when the lake still had water.

I'm aching to get out and enjoy some fall beauty if it comes around. However. I'm okay with what Mother Nature will provide for us.

Orange and not orange...

My porch is surrounded by nasturtiums and a pumpkin vine!

I tried to get them to climb a stick, but that didn't work well. Next year I think I might shape something out of chicken wire and a tomato cage to see if I can make them grow up that!

I really do love the way they try to take over. 

The plants actually grew on a chair after I coaxed the vines.

I will miss this riot of orange and green after the frost hits.

Here is an old barrel with a skeleton goat and one of the pumpkins that got chewed on. Since the other ones grew up nice, I may toss this one back in the pasture for the red headed mules to munch on.

I do adore the warty pumpkins, they have so much character!

And the stars of the oranges are the Nasturtiums.

These old time orange ones really shine and do so well. I've tried other colors and they aren't as prolific as these seem to be.

And not Orange.

Lil' Richard out in the morning light near the old oak.

This was another hot hot day. The humidity was pretty intense in the morning but that evaporated quickly.

I didn't get out in the woods to hunt up those maple trees across the field. For whatever reason, it seemed like grabbing a blanket and sitting under the pines in the shade with Charlie was a better choice late this afternoon. The breezes were soothing and cool under the trees.

So we just enjoyed the quiet time.

Tonight is a full moon with a partial eclipse happening! I hope to be able to stay awake for that!

AND...I missed a wonderful display of the Aurora Borealis last night. 

 

Meanwhile...

It is August and that means the daylight each day changes quickly. 

August through November are the three months of the year where I can't seem to sit still. The weather is changing, the hours of daylight are changing.

I begin to chase the changes in the forest like I do with early spring. 

As the heavy growth of gooseberry bushes begin to drop leaves and other plants in the undergrowth begin to drop seeds and wilt, I find moving through parts of the forest easier.

This morning I got a fog notice on the weather app. I knew it would be foggy in the valleys because it cooled off so much overnight. I hoped the fog would drift up through the forest.

Off I went as soon as the sun began to peek through the trees. It was humid but not really foggy.

Our busy road:

On the way back home I took a different way and...

.... found some Indian Pipes 
aka Ghost Plants or the Scientific name:
Monotropa Uniflora .

I think these are some of the coolest plants that can be found in a forest.

Boy was I pleased to see that the high humidity, even though the fog dissipated quickly. It provided a beautiful morning atmosphere.

My favorite maple tree in the woods northeast of us.

The sights were pretty amazing as was the light.

I also stopped and took an opportunity to do something that has been on my mind since I got those little dragons.

An idea came to mind when I was looking at my collection of rocks. My son gave me a really cool rock years ago.  To me it looked liked a petrified egg.

I'm pretty sure ... well, this has to be...

I mean...

what else could it be...

but 

a Dragon Egg?

However....

I think someone else must be interested in it!

I spotted two Rock Monsters!

Glaciator and Sulfrix to be exact! 

Oh No!

Silly me. How I do love to play.

I think I should keep an eye out for Princess Sara and her Knight to see if they will come to the rescue in the Big Wild Forest.

😉

Whispers of Love ~~~

A Botanical Symphony that fills the forest with harmony~~~~

I took advantage of hubby sleeping in late on Wednesday and went for a morning forest jaunt. I was just amazed by the colors and the light.

Maple trees in morning light:

Gooseberry bushes blooming:

Apple Trees doing their beautiful thing:

Mayapples or as we called them May Poles:

Tulips in the yard:

Stunning Trillium on Hay Valley Trail:

Bellwort on Hay Valley Trail:

Truly, I cannot get enough photos of these Virginia Pinks before they disappear!
In the pine forest at Hay Valley Trail:

There were hundreds of Trout Lilies plants, but I only found one that was blossoming!

Hay Valley Trail:

[Other things that are going on at our farm? Not much. 

I built another two summer lots for both the little stud pony and the mules so I can do a bit less mowing. I spent all morning working on fencing and then took the afternoon to work on cleaning up the little flower gardens.

I brushed all the critters with a shedding blade until my arms fell off.]

It is the weekend now so I may take a day just to chill out!

Mornings

I used to hate getting up in the morning. I used to have trouble sleeping from the rotating and the odd shifts I used to work.

It took me years to get into a good sleep habit. Well, I think it is a good sleep habit. Now I go to bed about the same time each night and wake up at 5AM with no alarm clock.

I'm getting used to the chilly mornings also. My insulated coveralls are generally right next to the porch door along with my hat and gloves. What easier way to take a sunrise walk than to have those items laid out right next to the door?

Below, the moon and the western sky above our cottage. You can see Mica the grey elderly mule standing and watching to see if I head to the shed.

I was surprised yesterday morning by the intense colors that came through the forest while Charlie and I walked up the driveway. It was like the ridge was on fire!

The intensity of the 'red' color was incredible. The bark on the trees along the western edge of the road were literally red colored. I took photos, but the images turned out so red and bizarre, I didn't save them.

This morning's sky was much more subtle and I had fun trying to place that one lone corn stalk properly in the photo. It took me several tries. Charlie was happy to wander the corn field and seek out deer and other critter smells.

I like this time of day. I have it to myself. There are no phone calls, no doctor appointments, or requests from the other half. 

It is my selfish time to sip coffee or take a walk or simply watch the day start. 

I do love the subtle colors of dawn too. I think sometimes too many people concentrate on the vivid dawns and sunsets, and let the subtle and gentle colors go unnoticed.

Charlie thinks mornings are for sniffing and doing dog business. He gave me a grumpy look once I headed back towards home. On the way to the ridge he ran ahead of me. 
On the way home he dragged his feet and walked behind me.

I get it Charlie, I like the mornings too!

Sunday Stills #26 ~ Light

Funny how this was on my mind when I went out to exchange SD cards on my Trail Cameras.

The low afternoon light was rather fun and it set the moss glowing on the downed logs.

I had some trolls in my pockets. I mean, doesn't everyone? I wanted to try and get some sun-flare or backlit shots of them.

This morning I walked past my kitchen trunk and saw this....

Light or lack of light

Star trails:

This shot was more messy as I was pointed right at the milky way...

Me walking through a photo with my headlamp while watching the skies for an Aurora Borealis. [Taken with the Infrared converted camera and no filter]

And last. I was trying to do a 'Stars' selfie with a head lamp.
It didn't turn out as I turned slightly because I heard a noise during the 25 second  exposure.... I like it anyway because it speaks to me of all the fun I had last night.

Light. I love it and also those days with a lack of light.

Sunday Stills #26