Taking some time off

Gonna be outa here for a few days.  Hopefully find some good photo ops.  I will  astound you all---LOL

I going to miss CDP theme but I will be around in 'SPIRIT'.    Someone will get that.

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

It was a dark and dreary....................

.................day.
We had decided to go up to the North Cascades to photo shoot but the day turned cloudy and dark----we went any way.  The sun did peek out later in the day.
The clouds are descending.  That is part of the Skagit River

 See a bit of sun in the mountains

Linking to Sky Watch~~~~~HERE

Old time school

This old school--one of the first in the county---is now used as an art center at Christianson's Nursery in Mount Vernon,Wa.

Linking to Signs2~~~~HERE

Mish Mash

A variety of everyday stuff

Looking at the beautiful clouds

 A Veninium Bud--so sweet---one of my favorite flowers

 Carpenteria Californica

 Raindrops keep falling on my.....Lilies

 Venidium and my bench by the cutting garden

 Cowgirl Kylee is now rodeoing and working in Colorado---YeeHaw!

Little Hummers

I enjoy the antics of the Hummingbirds---Male and Female Rufous Hummers
Little female I think she is saying should I go for the nectar or real flower, hmmmmm

 Mr. Rufous says 'This is looking mighty good'

 'Gotta get way in there

These are my little treasures---Linking up with Tom's Tuesday Treasures~~~HERE

Stanwood

A picture of Stanwood from Pioneer Highway.  Up on the hill east of town.  Olympic mountains in the background

Saturday's Critters

Just an odd collection of animals from around here

 We have seen lots of Bunnies this year.  Fun to watch and they don't bother my flowers

 The sun was just perfect to capture this Momma and baby

 Another Momma and her baby---

 South Fork Alpaca Farm---aren't they cute

 Gold Mantled Ground Squirrel---so sweet

Linking to Eileen's Saturday's Critters~~~~~HERE

June 21---longest day of the year

.....The Sun is going down and day will turn into night and be the shortest night of the year

Happy Summer Solstice 
Linking to Sky Watch~~~~~HERE

 Palisades School District consists of one elementary school. Grades Kindergarten through 5th grade are taught in a two room school house with two additional portable classrooms on site. Palisades provides hot breakfast and lunch each day to the students. The school grounds are equipped with a playground set, swings,soccer field and a sports court  

There are 32 students

Linking to Signs 2~~~~~HERE

Butterfly

We have been having zillion Swallowtail Butterflies flitting around here for the past month or two.  They are beautiful and I posted some pics a few days ago.  Well here is one taken yesterday.  Lots of wild blackberries growing around here and Butterflies like them too.

 Western Tiger Swallowtail

A Treasure

MY Mother was my treasure.  She had a great influence on my life.  She left this mortal coil a few years back at the age of 95---still full of spunk and a wonderful clear mind.  She just decided it was time........

I found a picture of her and her sister---she was the youngest of 5 siblings.  So I have enclosed that image and several others of her.

 My Mother's name was Helen and here she is with her next up the line sister, Julianne.

 Here she is at age 8......and below age 16

Linking up with Tom's Tuesday's Treasures~~~~HERE

A barn

This barn is around the corner on the same road as my house.  I have never seen any activity or animals near it.  I have never met whoever owns it----questions????

Linking to Tom's Barn Collective~~~~~HERE

Western Tiger Swallowtail

I have seen so many Swallowtail Butterflies this year.  There are so many and they are everywhere.  One can walk right up to them and sing them a song and they listen.......
So here are a few that I saw.....

Little beauty on my Highbush Cranberry

I think I will enter this one at the Fair

 Looking good on the Blue Iris

 Loving the Dianthus

 Drinking in the aroma of the Pink Peony

 Sipping the sweetness of the California Poppy

Linking to Eileen's Saturday Critters~~~~~HERE

Concrete---explained

Yesterday I posted about the town of Concrete because I like their sign as "The center of the known Universe".  Today I will explain about the name and show some more images.
                         How the Town got it's Name
Early settlers came to the Baker River in 1871, originally calling the settlement on the west bank “Minnehaha.” In 1890, the townsite was platted by Magnus Miller, a post office was set up, and the name “Baker” was adopted. On the east bank of the river, the community that sprang up around the Washington Portland Cement Company (1905) was named “Cement City.” After the Superior Portland Cement Company plant (1908) was built in Baker, it was decided to merge the two towns, and in 1909, after much discussion, the new community settled on the name “Concrete.”

 As a town in the foothills of the North Cascades, we are surrounded by mountains, forests and rivers.  Within a hour’s drive there are two National Forests, two State Parks, one county park, one ORV park, one sno-park and we are not far from the Mt Baker Ski Resort. There are many places for camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, boating and horseback riding.

 St. Catherine 

Catholic Church

linking to sky watch~~~~~HERE

Concrete

I love this sign and to see more signs go~~~~~~HERE

 Concrete is Gateway to the North Cascades.  A wonderful town almost passed by .  Population 724