Hot Summer - Hot Colors~

The heat is here!  My least favorite time of year...  Below normal for rainfall, above normal for heat.  Trying to keep my plants alive in the timber is a full-time job now.  It seems every year I learn something new - when it comes to my gardening aspirations & what I can actually accomplish.

Lower end of the hill~

We tried a new preemergent, with the hope my weeding would be cut down along the marigolds on the south fence line.  It killed the entire row & Zinnia's too...  Thank heaven, Butch only used it there & not on the new row I planted along the timber.  I will have seeds for next season!  It also killed the smallest of my red germaniums planted in the flower beds up by the cabin.  The largest plants survived, to continue the legacy.

Second, the moles have been horrible!  When I put water on the red Clematis I'd planted by the utility pole, the ground just fell away from the roots of the little plant.  I can only hope I can keep it alive.  Of all the new Rhododendron  bushes I planted along the trail this spring, they've killed two.  Each day they are dug out of the ground, no matter how many times I put more soil around them.  Yesterday, I walked down the hill & my foot literally sunk 6" deep in one of their furrows.  It looks like I hired an excavator to go through the timber.    

Echinacea~

On the positive side, the Echinacea I planted last year, just ready to bloom the end of Aug. & then were run over by our own truck when it was hit,  are blooming profusely!  They look just beautiful around the light post at the front of the Cabin.  The Monarch's have found them!  I have a purple Clematis planted here too, it's just managing to hold it's own.

The Marsh~

I've finished the last of the signs for the posts!  I'm still waiting for one more glass cap.  I hope they'll hold up to the extremes of temperature here.

White blooming Phlox~

As the flowers Clara gave me this spring start to bloom, it's a surprise as to what colors they will be!  The first to bloom have been the white.  They brighten the shaded area & I'm enjoying them so much.

Hemerocallis fulva 'Kwanso'

Clara also spotted the double blooms of the daylily above, last season, among all the old-fashioned daylily's growing on the hill.   This spring I started transplanting them both along the creek & around the utility pole.

East End of the deck~

The house to our east has been under some type of re-construction for over a year - more off than on.  I was tired of looking at it, so Butch added diffusing panels to the end of the deck.  I appreciate the privacy & the relief from the strong east sun.  The Lantana's are one flower I plant every year now.  They manage to hold up to the heat all the way through to fall.

The Lowlands~

I planted red-daylily's around the signpost for the Lowlands.  It's the one place name I carried over from the Homestead.  While I was planting these, I ended up with chigger bites.  They are the most horrible bite ever.  You can't feel it when you're bitten, but once the itch hits - it lasts for days & days!  I had sprayed myself, but not well enough.  Now, I use both a wrist band & a Heavy coat of repellant!

Marigolds~

I'm going to have to be satisfied with plants I know will survive with minimal watering, once established.  Probably daylily's will be a mainstay, since I have plenty & know where to get more!  They survive the moles, bugs & lack of water.  I'm keeping the marigolds watered, they are thriving so far.  All the transplanted ferns are now flat to the ground, but I've been told they will come back stronger than ever next spring!

I don't expect to get Speedy out on the trail for a week or two at least.  It's so hot & watering is a full-time job.

Pierce Creek - Summertime!

Friday & the end of a hot, humid week.  After the rains of Wed. night & muggy but cooler weather yesterday - I finally thought of Pierce Creek Recreation Area as a possible ride destination.  I called Joyce - trails were open - so this morning I made the 35-mile drive from Glenwood.  After the out & back to pick up Farah - it was another 100-mile round-trip day.

Obstacle Course~

This was our second visit here & we took in the obstacle course on our way to the trails.  What a nice, well thought out course!  After the several courses we've used, this was the first time for a tunnel :-)  Farah hesitated - then walked right through.  The noodles gave her pause - as if she hasn't done noodles many times - but when I insisted - she huffed her way through those too.

On the dike~

With the memory of an Elephant, she remembered that she did Not like the sound of the outflow from the dam, but walked across like a lady.  We were the only ones there, I'd sprayed us both down from top to bottom, but it wasn't enough...

The beautiful lake~

The bugs were attacking in hoards - I pulled out my tiny pen size sprayer & did Farah's ears & my arms - but it hardly helped.  I knew it would be hot too, since most of the trails are out in the open.

Purple Bee Balm~

Here too the Bee Balm was blooming, so pretty against all the green.  All the trails we took had been freshly mowed - the only mud we found was in the low spots & only for a couple feet each time.  We headed for our favorite area, the timber & there found the footing mostly dry.  Dry enough to ride without tearing up the trails.  We spooked a Huge White Tail doe - she flagged her tail as she took off through the trees.

In the Timber~

Another quarter mile & a Huge Owl took flight just off to our side!  He was so big that he had a difficult time opening his wings for takeoff!

Stunning~

With the temperature in the upper 80's & humidity at close to 70% the heat index was between 98 & 103.  Farah was in a full sweat within the first couple miles.  I took my electrolytes & sipped out of my water bottle.

Echinacea & Black Eyed Susan's

I was surprised to see the Echinacea growing wild here!  I had planted it on the Homestead, but over the years the growing trees along the road shaded it out.  Now I'm looking forward to planting some here!  Once in a while a cloud would move over head & give us some brief relief from the sun.  We rode around the far edge of the lake & a huge fish jumped - scaring us both :-)

Great Blue Heron~

We'd spooked this guy on our way over, now coming back, here he was!  I did manage to get a decent picture, even with Farah shaking every 30-seconds due to the flying insects. 

Taking flight~

Just after I took his photo, he squawked at us!  I had no idea that they can make such a nasty, scratchy noise!  He was quick to take off for the willow on the far side of the lake.

From the SW corner~

We followed the perimeter fence again.  Farah trotted all the way across the dike, with only a slight hesitation at the outflow :-)  She remembered the trails better than I had & was anxious to get over to the area north of the campground.  Once on the grass - she hit her full trot & we trotted the entire loop with some galloping thrown in!

On the fast trails~

She was picking up speed & with some partially blind corners I asked her to slow a little, not knowing what other wildlife we might spook up.  I was surprised that she put out the effort as hot as it was.

Farah's driest face ever~

I stripped all her tack as fast as I could - so nice to have the working field hydrants, with hoses attached!  I hosed her off - soaked myself & then let her graze.

Farah in the sun, me in the shade~

Trees have been planted along the camping spot area - one is large enough to have some shade & on a day like this one - it was very welcome.  I drank a lot of water before loading Farah for the trip back home.

Today's route~

We covered a few trails that we'd missed last time & didn't take some that we had - that were out in the open.  It was so quiet out here today - you just can't help but love the area - I just wish it were closer.  With only 7,000 people in the entire county - Fremont - (780,000 in Snohomish County, WA) it's no wonder that there is an abundance of quiet in the country~