This week we have a majestic Ponderosa Pine in Bismark, North Dakota sent to us by the master of Affinity, Caine. It’s an intimate portrait of a big tree with big personality and it’s a fine addition to our catalog.
Thanks Caine.
Ponderosa Pine, © Caine, all rights reserved
Ponderosa Pine, © Caine, all rights reserved
Ponderosa Pine, © Caine, all rights reserved
Ponderosa Pine, © Caine, all rights reserved
An untaken path, ©voyager, all rights reserved
This path branches off from one of the main dirt trails that Jack and I use along the Thames River. It always looks inviting, but so far we haven’t explored it because Jack is allergic to grass. He might be just fine with it because, frankly, it looks like more weeds than grass, but I don’t want to take the chance just to satisfy my own curiosity. Maybe some day I’ll come without Jack and scope it out. I have so many questions.
Mud puddle, ©voyager, all rights reserved
It’s been raining here since last night and it’s that perfect kind of light but steady rain that soaks into the ground and stays around for a bit. Jack and I decided we’d go walking in the woods, hoping the canopy would keep us dry. It did not.
©voyager, all rights reserved
The wooden structure in the middle of the cornfield is both a landmark and a viewing platform that will become part of a corn maze in the fall. The floor of the platform is a bit over 3 meters high so you can see that the height of the corn is not far off that mark. It seems too early for the corn to be this tall, but staff at our local farmer’s market tell me that new varieties of corn mature more quickly. So quickly in fact that they already had local corn for sale. It doesn’t seem that long ago that you had to wait until late August for corn-on-the-cob. I wonder when that changed?
The signs in the field are also for fall festivities when they will be used as targets for a pumpkin cannon.
A fine set of pinecones, ©voyager, all rights reserved
It’s a bit warmer and a bit more humid today so Jack and I opted for a walk in our little wildflower forest, Trillium Woods. It was a good choice, too. We were shaded the whole way around and had the company of a very busy woodpecker pounding out a beat too fast to count. He was too far up to see properly so I can’t show you a photo, but he was so loud that the sound was bouncing off the trees and creating a sort of echo chamber that you could almost feel as a vibration. It was an interesting experience. Definitely physical and a bit exhilarating, but also a bit annoying and the short pauses the bird took were definitely a welcome break. Jack thought so too. I could see he was a bit anxious and every now and then he’d look up as if he was waiting for the sky to fall. All in all, an unexpected and different sort of adventure for Jack and I today.
Roadside thistle, taller than me, ©voyager, all rights reserved
It’s another beautiful day in Southwestern Ontario so Jack and I took to the country for our outing. We had a lovely slow walk looking at all the growing things and finding everything healthy and big for this time of year. The corn is my eye high and even the weeds reach over my head. I love it when the plants are big enough to make you feel small and a bit like Alice through the looking-glass.
Roadside Lilies, ©voyager, all rights reserved
Wild lilies, ©voyager, all rights reserved
These lilies grow wild in this area and right now is the height of their season. You see them everywhere, lining the roadside, filling the ditches and marking the edges of most every field. I love their bright colour and tall sturdy stems that allow them to sway in the breeze. I’ve tried to cut some to bring home in the past, but they don’t last so now I just admire them where they live.
We had a good rain last night and when it was over the humidity and high temps were gone. We slept with the windows open and this morning greeted us with a cloudless blue sky and a lovely breeze. It’s definitely an outside kind of day. I hope it is for you too.
Pittock Lake, ©voyager, all rights reserved
This week we have a trio of beautiful trees from Lofty who says: They are all much the same species of Eucalypt in a nearby region of dairy farms. The big solitary trees can’t reproduce easily as they are surrounded by large munchie beasts.
I think they’re each lovely all by themselves, but together Lofty’s clever titling makes them a humorous and thoughtful grouping.
Thanks, Lofty. Click for full size.
cemetree, ©Lofty, all rights reserved
magestree, ©, Lofty all rights reserved
senilitree, ©Lofty, all rights reserved
It’s a 32° day here with rain expected this evening and boy do we need it. It was supposed to rain all weekend, but we only had a bit of drizzle on Saturday so all the growing things are still thirsty. The heat today will only make that worse so I hope the weatherman has it right this time.
Note: Thanks to kestrel for correctly identifying this plant as False Solomon’s Seal.
False Solomon’s Seal, ©voyager, all rights reserved
Bonjour, mon cher…©voyager, all rights reserved
Every time I drive past this house I want to stop the car, get out and go sit down. Preferably with a book and a cold drink. Oh yes, and Jack.
Fanshaw pond, ©voyager, all rights reserved
The sunny skies in this photo didn’t last long. Rain clouds have moved in and it’s drizzling which is double good news. The first good news is that the growing things are finally getting a much-needed drink and the second good news is that the temperatures are staying in the mid-twenties.
False Spiraea, ©voyager, all rights reserved
The upcoming weekend promises to be hot and humid and neither Jack nor I do well in that kind of weather. We’ll probably need to get up early and hope for the best. Today is gorgeous, though, and we enjoyed a pleasant walk along the meadow path close to the Thames River. I’m pretty sure this plant is False Spiraea and it’s one of my favorites. I’m a fairly tactile person and I really love those fuzzy plants that invite you to touch them.