Yellow Leaves

A few days ago, the other DrC wrote about the summer slipping away. Today was the first sign that that is indeed happening.

Who knows how much yellow will fill the forest by Labor Day? I'll guess we'll have to wait and see.

Given that summer is fading into fall, there are still puddles for the Canada Geese.

Yesterday we went for a drive in the Valley, and there were more than 100 geese in the pasture. They were "talking" to each other and having a grand time waddling thru the puddles.

The Twins

The twins are growing up. Their spots are lighter and I think their ears are bigger.

They hang out with their mom, but she lets them roam a bit more than she did earlier in the summer

This little one is playing "hide and seek" with me...but it's not working

They are miniature versions of their mom...about 3 feet tall and cute as all get out.

Lawn Ornaments

Every morning I walk a couple of miles at our RV park. For the last 2 months I've had the pleasure of walking with my brother, but alas he had to leave for home, so I'm on my own. That means I'm seeing different things, and what struck me today were all the strange lawn or yard ornaments  in the park.

The miner and his burro

A weird bird

Froggy going to market

Scotty

And lastly, this cute bespectacled bird. 

Life goes quickly, enjoy the little things.

Leftovers

As you know, I love to crochet, but I don't have a lot of good solutions for dealing with extra yarn. I have several large garbage size plastic bags filled with oddments that I hate to throw away. My solution is to make blankets with leftover yarn. I choose from two possible patterns: a rainbow ripple or a granny square. This time I chose to create 65 granny squares where no two are the same.

The easy part is crocheting the squares, what I'm doing now is "hard part one" which is blocking the squares so they are all the same size. This is a slow process as I can only do a few at a time.

When they are all blocked, I have one more row of "color" to put on the squares, (that's an easy job) then I'll sew them together (that's hard job two). A "normal" blanket takes me about 4-5 days to finish. This blanket will take about 4-5 months. When it is finished, it will be a color blast ... 

...similar to the one I made a couple of years ago. If you would like the new "masterpiece" let me know and I'll give it to you.  

Big Boy Collage

Just because I can...

State House

Since we were in Cheyenne, we decided to visit the State Capitol. A four year renovation of the building was completed in mid-July, so the "new" old state house is shiny and pretty.

The Renaissance Revival building was started in 1888, 2 years before Wyoming became a state.

The State Seal of Wyoming where Equal Rights is front and center. Jackson, WY was the first city in the US to have a woman serve as an elected official in every city office.

Beneath the dome is a stained glass window. You might notice 4 niches in the picture. When the capital was finished in 1890, there was not enough money left to place statues in them. When it was renovated, 4 statues were included in the budget. The new statues are called "The Four Sisters: Truth, Courage, Hope and Justice."

There are 2 identical grand staircases leading to the second floor where the House and Senate meet. The staircases had to be completely redone...so they found Amish carvers to re-create the original mahogany woodwork. If you look carefully you will see that one finial is different, because only God can be perfect. We looked for the finial, and could not find it.

The ceiling of the Senate chamber. Many years ago, the ceiling had been lowered and replaced with asbestos tiles. The architects were surprised to see the old stained glass windows had survived. The House chamber has a similar stained glass ceiling, as does the old Judiciary chamber.

The Senate and House chambers are similar, but the House is larger. 

We enjoyed our brief tour of the WY State House. 

Sidney to Cheyenne

Today we chased Big Boy from Sidney to Cheyenne. What a treat. We stopped 4 times to see it up close and personal. To feel the world shake. To hear the whistle deep in our bones. What an amazing huge train.

The train made it's last stop in Cheyenne, where it will be until December, when it makes a trip to California. In Cheyenne we visited the newly renovated state capital building. 

A good day!

4014--aka Big Boy

We arrived in Sidney, Nebraska before Big Boy came into town. We found a great place to park and we waited a little bit when folks started saying "I see the light" or "I hear the whistle." Then I saw the light and heard the whistle and Big Boy was steaming up the tracks into town. What a treat.

A Quest

We are on a quest to see a train ... and this train, the 533, is just a teaser. We are looking for the 4014, aka Big Boy, which is the largest steam engine ever made. Big Boy is coming home to Cheyenne, WY on August 8. Tonight Big Boy will be in Sidney, NE where we will be. Then we will follow the train to Cheyenne. Watch for pictures of a HUGE steam engine.

It's Called "Ungardening"

For almost 20 years I've been nurturing my "wild" landscape. This morning I read an article that calls it Ungardening. Who knew? I'm a trendsetter!

So, when people ask me if I've decided to let my garden go, I can tell them that I have an "ungarden" that is a haven for deer, birds, butterflies and other wonderful creatures. 

The Boys

As I look out from the back porch I see four young bucks. They hang out by my home every morning and I enjoy looking at these good looking bachelors.

It's hard to get their pictures as they are skittish. 

I tell them to stay in my yard during the hunting season so they will be safe. 

I hope they listen to me.

Twins

I saw these cute twins today. First time I've seen two fawns together. What a treat!

Golden

Last night we had a golden sunset. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Still Standing

You've seen this ... a barn or shed that is defying gravity. The wind blows, the rain falls, and yet the shed stands. I've always wondered about the stories this shed could tell. If only I could read between the planks and decipher why?

Wildflower Log for July

The wildflowers are blooming like crazy. My front yard is a delightful mix of colors ranging from white to pink to lavender to yellow. Where to begin.

 The asters arrived on the 10th of July, so fall will arrive on time this year. Last year the asters appeared the last day of June, and we had an early fall.

The Indian Paintbrush are still blooming. As the summer progresses, the burnt orange bloom gets longer. As an aside, for several years, the flower was renamed "Wyoming Paintbrush" but last year, the name was changed back to the original. 

The lupines are going to seed. If you look at the picture, you will see tiny pods, which will burst open in a couple of weeks and spread their tiny pea-type seeds for next year.

The 3 spot lily just appeared. It's a delicate shade of lavender with 3 dark purple spots. I love this little flower.

The tiny harebells are "ringing" in the background looking ever so graceful and delicate.

While the salsify is making a bold statement getting ready to parachute seeds for next year. 

RV Steps

Last year I bought a set of RV steps from a couple who were leaving our park. They were only $15, and I thought it was going to be a good deal. The steps sat outside during the winter and by the time we started to work on them this summer, they were a little worse for wear. Winter in Wyoming is not easy.

That's when I discovered that the steps needed to be modified to fit our trailer. We modified the steps to fit our RV. We scraped off a ton of flaking and peeling paint, primed it, and painted it to match the trailer.

It's a good addition to the trailer. 

Natural Lattice

At first glance, this looks like a bunch of trees by a fence...but look closely

The trees are entwined with the fence slats, making a natural lattice. 

Bambi

Finally — I saw a fawn today...the first one of the season for me. The other DrC saw one the other day. This little critter was in the backyard where the young bucks have been hanging out. Today the bucks were gone but Bambi showed up. Bambi is a welcome visitor.

Hiding

Can you see one of “my boys” hiding in the woods? This picture is the closest I’ve been able to get to any of the 4 bucks that are visiting my home this summer. From what I can see, the four of them are not doing much during the day but laying around the outside of my house. They have several places they go to and as soon as they think there is any danger from one of them,  they move to another one. It’s been interesting to watch their antlers grow a bit more each day.

Classic

We saw this beauty on the 4th of July...a classic Thunderbird of the early years. I was convinced it was a 1956 but Eddie thought it was a 1955. We inspected it and came to the conclusion that indeed it was a 1956. Then we looked in the back window and saw a sign resting on the catch-all...it’s a 1957. This car is 62 years old and she is still wonderful. Our only concern was the color...neither of us remember celery and white Thunderbirds. I’m guessing Ford did not make a lot of this color.

Morning Dew

Sometimes when there are low level clouds in the valley

we’ll have a major dewfall. The daisies were incredible

along with the sticky geraniums.

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This geranium is a close relative to the houseplant, unlike the Bicknell geranium I posted the other day.

Independence Day Idaho Falls Style

Yesterday we marked a milestone...the 51st anniversary of our first date. And to celebrate we drove to Idaho Falls to view the 3rd largest fireworks display in the nation. What an event! Folks from the Rocky Mountain states flood into town to watch the spectacle. IF (as it’s called) is ready for the crowds and while it a good party, it’s very orderly.

Every year, Idaho Falls tries to create a better display than they created the year before. This year was no exception. The colors, the booms, the whole atmosphere was a celebration of America. It was a special treat. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

I took over 150 pictures, but I will not display them all. Here are 2 collages showing how we celebrated our anniversary and the 243rd birthday of the United States of America!

Of Flax, Poppies and Wild Geraniums

There are 3 beautiful blooms out right now; two are wild and one is not. Two are quiet and one is loud. The first is flax. The delicate bluish-purple petals of this wildflower always gaze at the sun, When the flax is blooming, summer has definitely arrived.

The second is a domesticated poppy. It is a huge flower with brilliant red petals and a vibrant black center. 

 The poppies fill our little world with bright raucous color. Over the years, this hearty garden flower has spread it’s seeds to decorate all aspects of the landscape.

The last flower of the week is the Bicknell or wild geranium. It’s a soft pink flower that blooms only at the beginning of summer. There is rarely more than one flower on the bush. It is not the geranium you see in window flower boxes. It’s pale, not loud, and rare.

I’ve seen only 3 wild geraniums this summer. Unlike flax and poppies, these are illusive blooms.