An afternoon at Conconully Lake

While "home" we drove up to visit some very good, long-time friends who now live and operate a beautiful B&B at Conconully. The day could not have been sweeter, perfect temperatures, expansive views as we drove past small farms dotting the landscape, to the lush green forests surrounding the lake itself, and into the warm and welcoming hugs of our friends.

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coreys Flowers

My son sowed these flowers with his hydroseeder many years back, I think it was as our cabin was just beginning to take shape. They were part of a "wildflowers" mix and seem to be the lone surviving species of the entire mix he planted... they seem to thrive under drought conditions, spreading their seed across the front lakeside portion of our property. They are hardy and lovely survivors and I LOVE them and the memories they bring back of that sweet carefree summer day he planted them.





Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. ~The Koran

Butterflies on the thistles...

I shot this picture just before my husband weedwacked the "noxious" weed (beautiful though it tis)....and watched sadly as the butterflies continued to return again and again to the wilting plant, laying on the warm ground.

Wish that I could allow these lovely to look at plants to thrive, but alas they would take over the property given a chance. We were surprised to see so many of them this summer, they were rare on our site in previous years. Must be the hotter and drier summer this year, the drought conditions. I can still recall "carefully" (the stems have sharp barbs!) picking handfuls of the pretty purple flowers to take home to my mum when I was but a wee little girl and her "seeming" delight at the gift.




Our hand-planted little trees are thriving despite the drier conditions this year. Well into their 6th summer, they tower above me already, having started at a mere 6 inches. This particular section of the property was "wide open" to our neighbors, hence our desire to create a natural privacy fence.



He who plants a tree plants a hope.~Lucy Larcom, "Plant a Tree"

MUSSELS FOR DINNER!

Nope, not likely...this is actually a picture in the Martha Stewart magazine I was perusing while relaxing on my dock early one afternoon. I sat there, cozy in my campchair, in peaceful bliss, water bottle at hand, magazine poised on my lap, for a few hours at least ...this magazine was followed by several more, all those I hadn't taken the time to enjoy in earlier weeks.

This is a view of the westside of the lake...all these bleached white tree stumps bear witness that at one time, I don't know how long ago, the waters edge was much further from shore than it is now, that this lake was somewhat narrower at some time.

This being another drought year...the second, or maybe third (?) year in a row for our area, this is the first time since we've owned this property that we actually have a real beach, a good 10 feet or more of it! I enjoy that, but do wonder, in this time of global climate change, what the future of our lake will be. Will it return to its "original" levels (when these stumps were living trees) or will it rise once again (2006 and earlier levels) to where we basically would jump off the bank right into the water!

We cannot command Nature except by obeying her. ~Francis Bacon

WE'RE HOME AGAIN!

Reassurance fills me as we slowly make our way along the single lane, old dirt road that leads to our cabin. Ottie's ancient truck with its well used, oh-so-capable snow plow, and his old bulldozer stand as proud bulworks of days past (and present) that some things get better with age. For oh so long now Ottie has been gatekeeper & I've come to believe he allows the gate onto our private properties to go un-oiled on purpose, emitting a long, slow, loud, hair-raising screech as it slowly swings open. The noise (think finger nails on a chalkboard X 100!) never fails to bring him instantly to his window or doorstoop to see who the intruders are! We couldn't ask for a nicer or more capable friend, he and his lovely wife Jean are always a sight for sore eyes everytime we come home.

As the sun began its descent that first early evening, my husband allowed himself some time of quiet, peaceful reflection...

...this being his immediate view. The sky was huge, the clouds soft and gossamer as they dissipated into delicate ghostlike (or "angel-like"?) shapes, high above... the lake virtually like glass.

Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. ~Hans Margolius

Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey. ~Tad Williams






There is this lovely generally quiet stretch of highway between the Sun Lakes area & Bridgeport, Washington that I love. The sky is huge, the valley wide...I always feel the need to stop the truck, get out and just breathe.

BONEYARD PROJECT - Walla Walla, WA

After a fun-filled weekend with our son, our lovely daughter in law, & two gorgeous grandchildren we crossed into Walla Walla, Washington. With a lazy 5 hr drive ahead of us to get to our cabin we decided first to drive around and check out a few local sites as we enjoyed our early morning Starbuck's lattes. AND in so doing we happened across this AMAZING home for sale, I loved it at first sight! The only roadblock I could see to making it my very own was the price tag...we were to discover the asking price is $1.65 million. Yikes.






The house sits on an acre, is 3018 sq ft and is made from all recycled materials. When I googled "Boneyard Project" the site took me through the process of building this wonderful home, with many pictures taken start to finish. The inside is amazing. Check it out sometime. The home is a project of Dirk Nelson and his Free Range Building Company, who are committed to the art of sustainable building.