Sky Watch

This sky is seen through the irrigation sprinkler in a potato field on Fir Island in skagit Valley.

To participate in Sky Watch go here: http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/

Picture #2 My choice

I entered picture #2 and the majority of you all liked Picture #1. Oh oh I hope I did OK.

Another fair pictuure.

So yesterday I posted a photo that I entered in the Stanwood Fair.Out of the Ga-zillion pictures I took this year I narrowed it down to these two. which one do you think I entered? We didn't have any winter snow but we had late spring snow. These pics were taken in April 2008. Taken at my house. You can see the barn in the pond. These are in color just the world was black and white. which one? 1 or 2

Country Fair Time

August 1-3 is the Stanwood-Camano community Fair. I entered two pictures to be shown. Last year I entered 3 and got 2 blues and one red. I was happy.
These are Kylee's boots sitting in the foyer by the front door (where else would a kid kick off her boots) with the sun shining on them. This is one pic I am entering. Kylee will be riding on /sunday at the Western Games.

The pic looks better bigger so click on it. dirt and all will show up.
These boots were made for using. MB

Guard Dog------Tuesday July 29th

Here is Bingo watching my flowers so no one will walk off with them. See him looking everywhere. Good Dog!!

Here's to you

Maria in Vienna awarded me this nice award and I have to give it to 7 blogfriends. Well it is hard to choose and maybe you don't like putting awards on your blog. I can understand that so if I award you and you don't want to picture it---that is fine with me. I just enjoy your blog. So I will name 7 names and if anyone of my readers would like to add it be my guest. MB
EG at http://east gwillimburywow.blogspot.com
Kelly at wwwGenevadailyphoto.blogspot.com
Jim at www.terrelldailyphoto.blogspot.com
Crittoria at www.oxfordhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.com
Raf at www.porttownsenddailyphoto.blogspot.com
Coca at www.cocabixinhos.blogspot.com
George at www.kissmmeedailyphoto.blogspot.com
Now your turn to pass it on.

Raindrops keep falling on

my flower heads.........
And the rain keeps falling. It has stopped for awhile but is supposed to continue and believe it or not I do enjoy a nice summer rain and so do the flowers.
1&2. Lavatera enjoying a drink
3. My very first tomato (I guess I do need some sun to make it grow)
4. Pink snaps

Good Luck Lady Bug

Coccinellid is a family of Beetles also known as Ladybirds and Lady Beetles.
when I worked in the greenhouse we sold many packets of Ladybugs that went into gardens for aphid control--that is if they would stay in your yard.

Practice practice practice

This old gent lives down the road and every september goes to Montana to a huge Norwegian Fjord Horse meet. So he practises with his horse and cart. Isn't that a beautiful cart with wooden wheels--not to mention how beautiful his NF horse is.
And they all look alike (the horse that is).
I heard him come up the dirt road so I ran to the front door and took the pic through the trees and then I ran out to the driveway and asked if I could take his picture and the old gent just kept on going so I said (mostly to myself) 'ok then I'll take it anyway'. He never heard a word. MB

In the Pink for Sky Watch Friday

Taken very early morning from my deck. Mt. Rainier (el. 14,481) in all her glory.

To participate in Sky Watch go to http://skyley.blogspot.com

Poppy love........

...and they called it poppy love........
I went to visit my mother on Whidbey Island and she had her puppy in her garden and I do love all puppies......and poppies too.

Moses Coulee--Eastern Washington

The state of Washington is divided by the Cascade Mountains. West side wet--east side dry. This area of Eastern Washington is amazing and beautiful in its own way.

1. Look at the great basalt
2. Nice ranch
3. Look at how another event formed the middle of this wall. Like a giant ball of lava rolled through
4. An overview of a small part of the coulee

Great roadtrip

I had a great roadtrip today (Sunday). Probably put over 500 miles on the car. A friend and I went to Eastern Washington to Moses Coulee and Dry Falls--more about that later. Saw some beautiful and amazing sights, but this one just made me LAUGH!!Yep! That they are, boys, that they are. MB

Lunch time

I found this Crab Spider lying in wait on my Sea Holly (Eryngium amethystinum)

Click on pic for a close up.

Mountain Moth

I came out of a little store up in the mountains and on the cement was this Moth. Of course I had my camera handy and took a picture. It looks like it is laying eggs. It looked dead though so I touched it and zam look what happened next. It showed it's colors.
I believe this is a Cerisy's Sphinx (Smerinthus cerisyi) belonging to the Sophinx Moth family.

Glowing Moon

Huge full moon coming over the trees at 8:00 PM PST
The man in the moon seems quite surprised.
To participate in Sky Watch Friday check out http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Ranch Horses

On the ranch in ritzville they do all the cattle work on horseback. It takes a certain type of horse--one that is steady and has lots of cow sense.
1. This is Jack--he is all muscles and very nice
2. These two are Magnum and Paint.
I think they have around 14 horses to use.

15th Annual

Ritzville Blues Fest. Ritzville closes off a couple of blocks in town, puts up an outdoor stage and everyone jams.
1. Dikki Du & the Zydeco Crewe
2. The rockin' Jake Band
3. Some the Bikes
4. Tambourine Man
5. Night-time stage

I came back!

Did I want to? Yes and NO! It was good to get away though. I went to Ritzville to visit my oldest daughter and her family and to go the Ritzville Blues Fest. Good time, great music. Blues Fest is always the second Sarturday of July. 100 degree weather. Lots people, lotsa fun, lotsa bikers. The State of Washington is cut in half by the Cascades Mts. So on the west side you have the Pacific Ocean, Puget sounf, lots of rain and lots of green. On the East side the climate is drier, fewer trees, less water, although the Mighty Columbia River cuts through it on the way out to the ocean. There is even a desert. Ritzville sits in an area called the Channeled Scablands. (go look that up) and certaintly has it's own beauty. Thank goodness for small creeks and irrigation.
1. The Ranch
2. Scablands
3. A few cows
4. flowers in the desert-- enough talk!!
Tomorrow more stuff and Bluesfest.

Leaving on a jet plane

No, I'm not going anywhere on a jet plane but I will be away from my computer for about 5 days. So I will leave you all with a Sky Watch Friday pic and one for today. Yep, that's me leaving town. MB

To participate in SWF check out www.womtig.blogspot.com thank you

The West Coast Boys

This was taken at Padilla Bay. I have counted 45 Great blue Heron here at one time and probably missed a bunch. Not today only a few. The tide is going out and more will show up when the tide is totally out. This is near Samish Island which has one of the largest Great Blue rookeries in Western wa.

Marshmallow harvest

Haying just down my road. this type of haying is called hay-lage. Haylage is simply forage that is baled at a higher moisture content than dry hay and then stored in a sealed plastic wrap. Because of the high moisture level and air-tight environment, the forage ferments and is preservd by acid production during fermantation. This method has certain advantages and disadvantages over other forage harvesting and preservation systems.

Red Bunny Tails

This pretty grass is Pennisetum messiacum. It is very pretty growing in a red container on my back steps.

My pones

Here are my little overgrown Minis. Bucky and Tuffy. See tuffy is talking to me. That is Kelly in the back. I call Kelly big Thunder. There are 3 more big horses wandering around too.

Small Town Parade

July 4th Parade in Stanwood, Wa. USA
First pic: This is what's it's all about
Second pic:One of several Model A's and T's
Third pic: 1935 fire truck full of boy Scouts
Fourth pic:Everyone ended up at The Stanwood museum the original house of the towns founder. OD Pearson. At the Museum there were funtime activities going on.