Thunder Boomers

Horrendous thunder storm last night! It rolled in around 7:00 pm and all hell broke loose. The sky was as black as could be, there was continuous lightning and winds blowing at 60 miles per hour! It was hailing and raining so hard I couldn't even see across the yard. Fortunately I'd seen the warning early enough to bring all of my potted plants into the house - the hail would have destroyed them. It was hitting the windows so hard I thought they might break (I actually discovered the next morning that the hail had indeed broken one of my windows, although not badly. So far, epoxy is holding it's own). The two small trees in my backyard were bending almost in half, and swirling around from one direction to the other - I swear we were having a tornado...

This morning the sun was out with just a few clouds. If not for the debris all over the roads you might not have even known there had been a storm at all. Supposed to be more storms tonight, but not nearly as severe.

It's funny that, if there is severe weather anywhere else in the country it makes the news. But not in Montana - it's like we're not even part of the US. Well... that would be ok with me, let's cecede and become our own country!

Tools & Technologies

First event of the summer at Travelers' Rest State Park; visitors learned about traditional tools of the Salish Indians (stone hammers, basket making, toys, woven mats, etc; navigational tools of the Lewis & Clark Expedition; flint napping and stone tools; 20th century logging and foresty tools, and also local bird life, complete with a spotting scope to watch the comings and goings of a pair of nesting woodpeckers.

Kids had the opportunity to make Indian "parfleche" pouches (although theirs were made of of heavy paper instead of rawhide), and plaster casts of animal tracks.

There were presentations of bows, knives and scrapers made from the horns of Rocky Mountain sheep, and everyone had the opportunity to try their hand at the atlatl (a prehistoric spear thrower), which some first-timers did very well!

The weather gods were kind to us and we had beautiful, warm, sunny weather for our entire event. There was a private reception in the visitor center after the event, and just as the reception was ending and folks were heading out, a nasty looking thunderstorm rolled in to take their place. Good timing...

Next month's event will be "Cooking and Food", including a Dutch oven cook-off!

Here We Go Again...

Well... the sunshine was nice while it lasted, but "look yonder there comes the rain..." The wet weather has returned, but even though it's a bit cool outside, I have window or two open. Even wet, the fresh air feels and smells so good!

And I have to say that, even though I may complain about it, all of the rain has kept down the possibility of forest fires; and has produced an abundance of mushrooms and some of the most beautiful sunsets!

Driving home at around 9:00 last night I was headed straight into one of the most breathtaking sunsets I've ever seen. The clouds hung low over the mountains, with enough open sky between them to allow the brilliant white sun to shine through. The top of the symmetrical, pyramide shaped Chpaaqn Peak (pronounced "cha-POK-quin, formerly Squaw Peak), glowed in the setting sun, and the clouds around it lit up like the flames of a roaring fire. Chpaaqn is a Salish Indian place name that means "gray, treeless mountain top".

Today is so much more subdued, gray dreary sky all day long. The rain is supposed to let up by Friday, and I hope to get out on Friday afternoon for some wildflower photos. I'm also anxiously awaiting the Camas bloom at Packer Meadows (at the top of Lolo Pass on the Idaho/Montana border), but so far they haven't started blooming at all. In fact, up until just a couple of weeks ago, there was still some snow on the ground at the pass!

The birds are active at the feeders today, with quite a few Pine Siskins and fewer Goldfinches, although I still hear them singing when the sun is out. An immature Red-wing Blackbird has all but taken up residence on one of the feeders, and the Ring-neck Doves have been visiting with more frequency.

And a new bird at the feeders - a female Yellow-headed Blackbird!

No further sightings of the Sandhill Cranes in the hayfields behind my house.

SUNSHINE!!!

Absolutely beautiful day! I think probably the nicest day, weather wise, that we've had all year. Wow, three entire days without rain, what are we going to do with ourselves?

The bitterroots are in full bloom, but there are still plenty of buds yet to open.

Woke up before the sun, thanks to a dog that is smart enough to open doors and turn on lights, but cannot tell the difference between weekDAYS and weekENDS. Took the pups for a long walk down to the river, and visited a lone buffalo pastured nearby. There are others in the pasture but this young cow was the only one we could see. We didn't get too close, but she didn't seem disturbed at all by our presence. Watched us for a short while before resuming her grazing.


Lots of birds out this morning; Meadowlarks were singing everywhere, a Pheasant called here and there, Magpies, Chickadees, Robins, Finches, a Nuthatch or two, a pair of Cinnamon Teals on the creek, Red-wing Blackbirds calling and displaying among the cattails, a Sapsucker tapping on the tree above us, and a Great Blue Heron in a backwater pool just downstream. It's so peaceful this time of the morning - no loud music, roaring engines, kids trying to run us over with mini-bikes and four-wheelers on the "walking" path, just us and old Ma Nature. Ok, maybe my dog knew exactly what she was doing when she woke me up early this morning - thanks Kiz!

The Sandhill Cranes are back! Saw them in an open field behind my house as we headed back home. This photo is from the first time I spotted them on April 18, and at that time they were starting their courtship. They jumped up and down and bowed at each other. They may be a young pair because their "dance" didn't seem to elaborate as some are. I saw them three days in a row and haven't seen them since. Seeing them today I wondered if they'd had a chick but saw no evidence of one - of course that doesn't mean it isn't there... Today they seemed to be having a feast - there isn't much in the way of grains in that field right now, but there are lots of ground squirrels, which they will eat, along with insects and reptiles. Whatever it was, they were gobbling it up!


This afternoon the bird feeders are quite active with the usual visitors; Goldfinches,, House Finches, Pine Siskins, Starlings, a Blackbird or two, a Magpie and the little Downy Woodpecker. But today the Red Crossbills are back! Saw them about this time last year. Also hear some Waxwings in the neighboring trees but as of yet haven't seen them at the feeders. The Lazuli Buntings have not been back since I first saw them a few weeks ago.


Dinner tonight was a salad with the first harvest of FRESH lettuce and green onions from my garden - YUM!! It's so nice to be able to just step out the back door and pick what you want for dinner! Can't wait until the tomatoes and cukes are ready!!

Valentine's Day Dog Sledding

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Headed up to Lincoln with some friends for the "Race to the Sky", Montana's annual dog sled race, and hopefully a ride on a dog sled - something I've been wanting to do for years. The road through the Blackfoot Canyon was surprisingly dry and clear (thank goodness), and it was smooth sailing all the way to Lincoln.

Found a parking spot and trudged up to the top of a hill in knee-deep snow to get some photos of the six kids in the Junior race, then afterward found the folks who were offering the sled rides and signed up. I thought $30 was a reasonable price for what I thought was going to be about an hour ride (for something I would probably never get to do again). There were five sleds and three guides, and we were told that we would not only be riding in the sleds but would also have to opportunity to drive it! This was an adventure I had not expected, and it only added to my excitement and anticipation. Our guide told us there were three basic rules for driving a dog sled;

1. Don't let go of the sled

2. Don't let go of the sled

3. DON'T LET GO OF THE SLED!

If you do, the dogs will not stop and wait for you, and it will be a long walk back.

My friend Danette was to drive our sled first and part of her job as the driver was to hold the lead dog and keep the gang line straight as the other dogs were being hooked up. This was not an easy task, as Siberian Huskies are extremely strong, and do not like to stand still - or keep quiet. Every dog on every sled was barking and howling, as if trying to hurry us all up.

Finally they were all harnessed, the newly ordained "mushers' took their place on the runners of the sled with both feet on the brake, the tether was released, and we were off!

After going only a few hundred yards we had our first mishap. Our dogs cut a turn too tight and the sled ran up on a snowbank, the sled tipped over and I ended up in the snow. With the sled on its side there was no brake to stop the dogs and we hurried to right the sled. Once it was upright Danette jumped on the brake and I jumped back into the "basket".

Another 50 feet or so and the second mishap - a rabbit ran across the trail in front of the team ahead of us and the dogs gave chase. Fortunately Danette was able to hold our team and keep at least the sled on the trail. A few more minutes getting dogs calmed down and straightened out and we were off again.

As we sped along I took numerous photos - and the saying is true - if you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes. There were a few more mishaps (fortunately not ours), of other sleds tipping over, and at one point a tipover lost both passenger and driver. Luckily one of the guides caught the team or we may never have seen them again.

Halfway through our trip we stopped to trade places and I had the wheel - or rather - the sled. You have to lean to help keep the sled on the trail in the turns, and at a couple of points I was standing with both feet on the same runner facing sideways. Driving a dog sled really gives your arms a good workout! Plus the momentum in the turns sometimes made it a bit tricky to regain my balance as we straightened back out.

I would have to say that Danette had the tougher run - hers was all uphill, but at least I didn't tip her over...

Our ride lasted almost two hours - and what a rush! One of the best adventures yet and I would do this again in a heartbeat!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

When I woke up this morning, I couldn't tell what the weather was going to do. At first the sun was shining, then it got very dark, then the sun came out again. It actually turned into a pretty decent day; overcast with only occasional light sprinkles, and comfortably warm.

Obedience fun match this afternoon, and a good turnout, including six 4H dog handlers, two of them with ring experience. The others did quite well for their first time out. At some point during the dog show, a Great Blue Heron landed in the open field just a few hundred feet away, and wandered through the grass - hunting ground squirrels, which are plentiful there. Would have been a great photo op, but this was one of the rare occasions that I didn't have my camera with me, and kicking myself for it!

At around 6:30 a brief but intense thunderstorm rolled through - first serious one of the summer. The first crack of thunder was so strong it shook the house! I do love a good thunderstorm - if only we could have them without the lightning....

Light steady rain falling for the past hour or so, and all of the windows in the house are open. I do love the rain but I'm sure getting tired of it and wish for some sunny days to go out and shoot (photos). Although as of today I still have not had to water my lawn, so I guess I have to look at the glass as being half full.

Springtime in the Rockies

A beautiful spring day! Plenty of sunshine, a few clouds and a light breeze - couldn't be more perfect.

Went for a morning walk down to the creek, all of the rain has really soaked the ground - even the overflow channels are full. It's been very cool and rainy for the past several weeks, but the temperatures have begun to warm up the past few days, and as a result the mosquitoes are unbelievably thick!

Bluebirds and Tree Swallows have taken over the nesting boxes. Bluebirds are very territorial, but I never realized how much so until this morning when I saw the male take on two Starlings twice his size and drive them from a puddle beneath the bird house where they were trying to take a drink.


The Blue Flax is beginning to bloom, along with the Bitterroots and a few Buttercups. The Lupine are sprouting quickly but no flower spikes as of yet. The wet weather has delayed the blooming season considerably, although it will be great for mushrooms and other fungi. Found some nice shelf fungus on an old, dead cottonwood trunk.


The cottonwoods were alive with birds! Western Tanagers, Yellow Warblers, Lazuli Buntings, Robins, Red-eyed Vireos, Evening Grosbeaks, Goldfinches, unidentifiable Warblers, Chickadees, Dippers and a Spotted Sandpiper, along with the rattle of a Kingfisher or two. Their songs echoed through the trees in the still morning air, and I just sat on a log alongside the trail and listened...

The creek is running high and fast. I sat on the bank and watched an Osprey circle overhead, then to my amazement, it dove feet first straight into the water. It came up with a fish that quite possibly outweighed it!


As I headed back a fox pup ran across the trail in front of me! I don't know which one of us was more startled, and it stopped and stared at me for just a moment, then dashed off into the trees. It looked to be only a couple of months old so there must be a den nearby, as its much too young to venture very far from home.

Spent the afternoon just relaxing in the yard with the dogs. All in all a very enjoyable day.

TGIF!

Why is it that the four day work weeks that begin with a holiday, always feel longer than the five day work weeks?

This weather is getting monotonous. After a light, steady rain all afternoon, we had a burst of a storm - the wind was blowing hard and for 15 minutes the rain was coming down in buckets! It is now 7:00 pm and the sky to the east is just as dark and ominous as can be, but from the west the sun is shining.

The Goldfinches, House Finches and Pine Siskins are having a feeding frenzy, gobbling up the seed before the next storm rolls through.

Tomorrow is supposed to be decent, and I'm just itching to get out and take some photographs.

Bitterroots in Bloom

Finally, the bitterroots are blooming! They won't bloom when the sun isn't shining, and there hasn't been much sun lately. I was starting to think they would die back before sharing their beautiful flowers.

I know we really need the moisture, but I'm getting so very tired of this rain - I need SUNSHINE! Summer will be over before it even has a chance to start...

It actually did clear up this afternoon and we had a very pleasant evening. All of the doors and windows in the house were open, the Goldfinches were singing from every tree in the yard and there was a nice, gentle breeze blowing that aired out a stuffy house. Cooling off quite a bit, now that the sun has gone down, and the robins are singing their evening song.

Memorial Day 2010

Up early this Memorial Day, and put up my new flag, in honor of those men and women in our armed forces.

Took the dogs for a long walk to the hill overlooking the river. Lots of birds out and about; Meadowlarks, Red-wing Blackbirds, Pheasant, Doves, Goldfinches and Tree Swallows were the most prominent. I'd much rather hear the birds singing that noisy neighbors, loud stereos and roaring engines.


Back at the house and working on the computer, and a large greenish-yellow bird landed at the feeders. At first I though the Crossbills were back, but then noticed the bright yellow "eyebrow", which the Crossbills don't have. After looking it up in the Sibley's I found it was actrually an Evening Grossbeak. Not a new bird for me, but new at the feeders, and now that I've identified it, I'm seeing them everywhere!



At 12:15 another new bird - a Lazuli Bunting! Beautiful little birds, have never seen them at the feeders before. Three males and two females, probably nesting nearby, and went straight for the black niger thistle seed, although they also gobbled up the sunflower seeds.


Starting to sprinkle, supposed to be thunderstorms this afternoon - the air smells so fresh!