Big Sky Country

That farm on the horizon is over 2 miles away!

I never knew what that meant.  I heard it a million times and thought, "How can the sky be bigger in one part of the country and not the other?"  Well, I'm hear to tell you-I get it now.  It is bigger.  Like you can reach out and touch it.  It surrounds you and makes you feel very small.

Just about to the top..over 1.5 miles from the start!

There are so many beautiful things to see, touch and smell in this lovely state of Montana.  We started our vacation at a little inn near Whitefish.  The weather was not very cooperative but we made the best of it.  We decided to check out the mountain top ski resort near town.  To our delight the ski lift was open and running so we decided, what the heck...It wasn't raining at the bottom and I could see clouds at what I thought was the top.  We hopped on and off we went, up, up and further up the hill. A little over a mile! The view was incredible!  As we neared the top I could see a cloud hovering near the summit and we went right into it and through it.  So exciting...and cold...and wet!  But WOW! I can now say I literally had my head in the clouds!!

Would do it 10 times over!

The next day we went out to the bison range south of Kalispell.  It's about a 20 mile loop inside the range on a narrow, windy, dirt and sometimes poop filled road.  Too cool!  You can really get a feel of what it must have been like 100 years ago before modern trappings.  It was so peaceful to stand in a grove of ponderosa pines an hear nothing but the sound of the wind through the boughs.  Nothing like the wind in the loblollies-it's much louder and more fearsome in the ponderosas! 

You can look to a neighboring hill and see a herd grazing.  It was such a pleasant drive to wind your way through the range.  The views were incredible and changed at every turn in the road.

Not just for Bison...







The sun cooperated for the most part that day.  One the way back we darted in and out of rain storms and as we approached Flathead Lake for the trip north back to Whitefish, I was getting rather put out that the weather was crappy.  We rounded yet another curve in the road and there in front of us was the most spectacular rainbow that I have been blessed to see.  As I was sliding down an embankment and slogging through the knee high weeds to get a better picture, I was reminded that you can't get a shot like this without the rain, so thank you Lord for providing this once in a lifetime opportunity!!

We tried to take in the sites at Glacier but the weather was against us.  Not to mention that the Road to the Sun was closed.  Not due to weather, but for maintenance.    I'm sure it is beautiful when the sun shines, but it wasn't too bad in the rain either!

It sure is different from Delaware!

What's in YOUR backyard?

mine...mine..MINE!!!

I guess I'm trying to squeeze out the last days of warmth and light of summer and have been spending my evenings (weather permitting) in the backyard.  While sitting out there listening to the neighbor kids playing or another neighbor cutting grass I noticed that there are some pretty interesting things in my backyard. Stuff I tend to overlook when I'm in the middle of weeding or trying to get Gidge to fetch the ball.

I have for years enticed hummingbirds to my yard by keeping the feeders clean and filled with fresh nectar.  This year the diligence paid off and I got a herd!  (I know that several birds are a flock, but these miniature buzzards have the feeding habits of hungry cows so to me they are a HERD!)There were always two at the feeder and as many as six at a time.  They provide quite a show with their bickering and chasing each other and get quite feisty when I had the audacity to let the feeder run out.

 

Gidgette enjoys the backyard also.  She likes being wherever you are whether it is 100 in the shade or not!  I think someone forgot to tell her that she is a dog!  Thank goodness she is cute because that is the only thing that has saved her bacon on more than one occasion.  Chasing the ball is all fun and games until it rolls close to where a neighbor cat has visited and then that little pea brain is off in another direction and the ball is long forgotten! 

I know she enjoys being in the yard almost as much as I do, but I can't trust her off a leash so she gets tied to the side view mirror on my car with her 30 ft training leash. That is all well and good but her sense of direction is somewhat skewed and she has an uncanny knack of wrapping herself around trees, chairs and bushes. cute...but TOTALLY clueless!

 

One thing about ole Gidge is that she has an uncanny knack for finding unusual things.  Usually dead, stinky things but she did fine something cool this time.  It showed up near the lilac bushes one day and she found it for me.  A few days later it was gone.

sunflower bud

Beside my herd of hummingbirds, I have finches that love the thistle in the feeders but they are also instrumental in disbursing the echinacea seeds and sunflower seeds.  The sunflowers also provide a nice perch for the hummers too!

This summer also produced a large number of dragon flies.  I saw several different varieties in the yard, but this one seemed the most camera friendly.  I'm not really sure what their purpose is, but they sure are neat to look at.

Spiders always amaze me. I'm sure if I had better sense, I'd be a bit more respectful of them than I am.  Last fall I stood at my kitchen window and watched in amazement as this little spider, no bigger than a pencil eraser, built a web from one side of the window to the other and completed it in a matter of minutes.  If I could only get the general contractor to move like that, I'd be in business!  Jim found this one hanging out in the shrubs out front.  He always hung on the back of the web (might have been the front, and I was on the back!).  I tried several times to get a good shot, but I think I ticked him off or he got eaten because he's gone now.

I love a bargain.  I purchased this butterfly bush at a flea market in PA.  I've wanted one for years and finally decided to get it despite the dire warnings from DNREC about it being an invasive.  They don't know how resourceful I can be with a pair of loping shears and a shovel!  I have yet to see a butterfly on the bush but these weird little bee buggy things seem to really enjoy it.  I'm sure next summer they will find it and I will be posting lovely photos of butterflies.  Like I always say...if you're gonna dream, dream BIG!

One constant in my yard is the clothes line.  I don't own a clothes dryer...as I tell all my incredulous friends when they moan about their electric bills being high because of the dryer...air is free and I aim to get my fair portion.  Nothing beats the smell of clothes hung on the line to dry and if I cart a bug or two into the house with the laundry, oh well, it gives Gidge something to chase around the house until it succumbs to her dog slobber. Not only is it economical and earth friendly to hang the clothes out-it also serves as a means of assessing the weather!  It is a good way to gauge how cold it really is in the winter.  If they freeze before I can get them on the line, yes, it is pretty cold, other wise-look alive and get to moving!  Fresh air is good for the soul and I haven't lost any body parts to frost bite yet!!

We also have many visitors in our yard.  Last week Jim told me that the neighbor's roosters came for a visit.  (Gotta love Sussex County!). I think they came to fertilize the lawn and to eat a few crickets.  We also get another regular visitor and her name is Gracie.  The world's most friendly boxer and thief.  She has carted off any forgotten toys of Gidge's and she nabbed one of my garden clogs off the step a few weeks ago too.  Dang dog!

Verbena after a rain shower

As long as the weather holds out, I'll enjoy my yard and all the little treasures that it holds.

2010 Delaware State Fair

Yes! Funnel Cake is a food group!!

It's hard to believe another Fair has come and gone.  As a child, the Fair was definitely a highlight of summer.  It was something we saved for and looked forward to for many weeks.  It was the proverbial carrot at the end of the stick for my parents as well...it was held over our heads to encourage our cooperation in getting chores done with the minimum amount of fuss.   I always felt that the Fair had a little something for everyone.  The midway for the kids, the crafts and canning things for Mom and Dad liked the animals and old cars.  That was back in the day when they had antique cars instead of antique tractors like they do now.  It was always hot and dusty even with all the wonderful upgrades that the Fair has made it is STILL HOT and DUSTY!  This year it was VERY hot!

Whisper in my ear...

When I started my job at the Fair, I thought I knew a lot about the Fair and how things work there.  HA!  I quickly learned about livestock people and exhibitors and vendors and the little quirks they all had.  Who knew?!  Even though I was there only for two Fairs, it was a GREAT experience that I would not trade for the world.  I made some very good friends and learned that like most organizations, there are always a core group of people that get things done and the Fair has a very dedicated core group of volunteers that really make the Fair what it is.

Quilt display in the Dover Building

I learned a lot about "territories" at the Fair.  As a patron, you had animals, exhibits and the Midway.   I learned that within these categories there are many subcategories with a clearly defined pecking order that was established long ago and still rules the day.  And heaven help the person that questions that "order". 

I remembered some very sage advice from my former boss, "Pick your battles". That has turned out to be the very best advice I have ever been given! I learned that these people have a method to their madness and even though I was certain I could improve things, it truly was best to go about any proposed changes with the utmost care and tact.   I try not to show favoritism toward any particular area of the Fair, but I have a very special place in my heart for all those wonderful people that make the Dover Building such a great portion of the Fair.  To me it captures a little bit of all that is good about a Fair.   There are hand crafts, arts 'n crafts, childrens displays, culinary, flowers, and fruit, farm and apiary.  Each has their own little area in the building that they lovingly decorate and create a showcase for all the people who exhibit.   

'round 'n 'round we go....

Look at that Henny...we dun GOOD!

if only you could have smelled this yummy cotton candy!

 There is so much more I could write about the Fair but it would take more words than this blog can hold to adequately thank all the hard working volunteers and wonderful staff at the Delaware State Fair, so it's best to keep it kinda short and add more photos this time!!

my bovine beauty

Summer bounty

Aaaah...Summertime.  Such an interesting time of year.  I won't say favorite time of year, because for me, it definitely is NOT!  I don't enjoy the hot, humid summers of Delmarva, but I do enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a summer on the Shore. I decided to try to illustrate some of those summer senses in this post. 

In conversations with many of my Delaware friends, I discovered that they had never heard of the watermelon bus.  When I tried to explain the watermelon bus, they looked at me like I had two heads, so I decided to brave the heat and haul my butt out of bed early and get out and try to take pictures of the bus so that my friends can confirm that I am NOT crazy...well, at least not crazy on this issue!  Yes, it really was 93 toasty degrees by 9 am.  Just for the record, I was up way before 9am taking photos!

The buses line up early at the Laurel Farmers' Auction.  Crews meet here to ride out to the fields to pick the melons.  They are brought back in these buses as well as other modes of transportation for the auction.  Over 2 million melons are sold at this location each season.  Whew!  That's a lot of melons no matter who is counting 'em!  After taking pictures of the buses I decided to head west toward Sharptown to see what was shakin' out on that side of town.  Not a whole lot, but the buses were rolling into the fields for the next load.  Acre upon acre...glad I was not picking them.  It reminded me of the times that I was sent to pick the melons on the farm along with my nephews.  It seems there was more fighting then there was picking many days but through it all we got 'er done!

 

I did stop to take shots along the way.  There were a few roadside stands selling those luscious home growns!  I also got to see the cropduster leaving from the Laurel airstrip.  It was nice to see him up and at 'em before he could wake me up!  I know they do an important job and no one enjoys the fruit of their labors more than I do, but WHY do they always have to do the fields next to my house on Saturday mornings?!   

One of my favorite sounds and smells of summer is the sound of a rain storm racing across a cornfield and one of the best smells in the world is the scent of rain.  In our neck of the woods rain has been hard to come by lately.  When it starts to get dry, the area farmers use irrigation systems to water the crops.  It's not as good as rain, but it's a pretty close second.  And by the look of the chick in this truck it felt pretty good too!

Expanding your horizons

Kids...to me, one of the ultimate challenges in photo taking.  They're short, they're noisy, they're quick and move way too fast for this ole gal and they often times have sticky fingers that are magnetized to a clean shirt. I knew I had to break out of my rut of taking photos of inanimate objects or at least objects that didn't move in unpredictable patterns!  I enlisted the help of my good friend Jen who not only has a two children of her own, she was babysitting for her baby niece on Friday.  Jen is such a good sport and I knew I would be comfortable in her home with her kids taking pictures so I decided to take the plunge and see what I could get.

Chloe is your typical two year old, full of "me do myself" and can clearly enunciate the word "no".  She has quite a vocabulary for a two year old and like most two year olds knows exactly when to use some of those words to the chagrin of her parents.  About two seconds after taking this picture, she tripped over something and caught the edge of the baseboard.  The girl has strong lungs and quite a flair for the dramatic.  After kisses and retrieval of her bankey all was well and she was back to rippin' it up!

She's climber too...seems to find Mom's back very comfy!  She is smart enough to recognize me, but she's also smart enough to know that I'm not frequent of a visitor and I think kids know when you don't have kids and they either try to run wild over you or clamp on to Mommy's leg.  I think if I had stayed longer she would have been on my back!

Amazing Grace...

She was a willing and for the most part pleasant subject.  This was her first overnighter without Mom and Dad and she was in Aunt Jen's very capable hands.  Little does she know all the wild and wonderful things that Aunt Jen will be able to teach her in the years to come!  I took this shot standing over her as she was fighting sleep and the original shot was much larger.  I think by cropping it down to this size gives it the feel I was looking for...she reminds me of the Gerber Baby Food baby!

As sweet as her face is, I was still in awe of all those little parts that make up a baby...little button nose, little rosebud mouth, little tiny ears, little yummy fingers and fat, soft baby toes.   I got some nice shots of the hands and the feet, but I was clearly invading her space when I tried to get the ears, nose and mouth.  Perhaps when she is older.  It was quite comical to watch her as I unpacked my camera.  Jen had her laying on a blanket on the floor and she rolled over and saw me on the sofa getting out my camera and I swear she started mugging right away!  I forgot she is quite the popular gal with her own FB page!

It is always a wonder to me how someone so tiny and seemingly helpless has the power to wrap your heart around that little finger!

Sultry Summer Evening

I guess I didn't get enough of the hot weather during the office picnic. Wow was it hot! So after sweltering in Camden for 4 hours I get the brilliant idea to travel to Hoopers Island, MD. I think I was hankerin' for some serious seafood which I was told by a very reliable source that it could be found at Old Salty's. It did not disappoint. I've eaten many crabcakes in my day from the delicious to the mundane to some that should have been ashamed to call themselves crabcakes. Old Salty's are the BEST so far. Yes, it's a long way from no where but I find that part of it's charm. We sat by the window waiting for our supper, watching an approaching thunderstorm. I was so torn-sit and enjoy the most succulent crabcake ever or grab the camera and try to capture some of mother nature's handy work. My stomach won! By the time we finished our supper and headed out we felt those first lucious, fat drops of a summer rainstorm. Undaunted, we headed south into the "teeth" of the storm. I'm very glad the road had guardrails because this storm had arrived at high tide and there is very little room for any extra water anywhere on the island. I felt as if I were driving on a washboard that was getting sloshed from both sides. So very exciting though! I saw this lovely piece of driftwood wedged into the guardrail but Jim threw a fit when I wanted to stop and get it for the garden.

We continued south until we arrived at a little church that I remembered from a prior visit, I parked for a bit and I decided to take this opportunity to mux around with depth of field settings on the camera. (plus every time I lowered the window for a shot, I got drenched! ) I first focused on the rain splats on the windshield then I changed up and focused on the loblollies in the distance. It's neat to see the same view from two different perspectives...kinda like life! Never assume you think you know what the other person is seeing!

I was hoping to get some sunset shots, but the weather did not cooperate. That lovely storm brought it's pesky, immature friends and it continued to shower off and on until dusk. I was lucky enough to get what I consider to be one of my better shots of an overturned boat. I drove by this crab packing house and something told me to stop. I got out of the car to take pictures of some crab baskets that I thought were kind of interesting but as I went to get back in the car, this great old boat caught by eye. It was flipped upside down and was at the edge of a parking lot, as if abandoned. I was intrigued by the reflection in the puddle and the bright green grass in the background. I would have taken more shots but low places that hold water bring lots o' skeeters and I didn't want to be their supper!

After snapping those shots I walked a little further down towards the dock area where all the real boats sleep. Water was sloshing over the pilings and I could not resist standing in it and letting it lap around my ankles. I love looking at those boats all lined up and I wondered if they owners had had a successful catch that day, and I thanked those watermen for the fruit of their labor. It is not an easy life and not a lot of reward for such hard work. Many are descendants of the first settlers on the island so I guess the way of life is in their blood. I'm glad there are places like Hoopers Island still near by, where life is a little slower, the work a little harder and the sights and sounds are second to none.