Fall Colors Between the Raindrops

I have taken quite a few autumn pictures. I am just getting around to posting them! They are from the first of September through the 17th. We have had raining cats and dogs and then brilliant sunshine. These are sunshine days! 

Watching the neighbor dogs bark from across the lake. 

 I liked this picture. It is a golden eye sleeping on the lake. They are one of the few ducks that sleep in the middle of the lake during most kinds of weather. Rain or shine!!

This day was stunning, though. September 10.

I like the twists in this tree. You can almost see the far tree looking surprised around the larger tree's twist! (eyes and a nose)

 I took the burls on this tree from different angles. This one struck me as prettier with the popping color of the red rose hips.

 Gorgeous sunset from the house.

 Purple skies always make me smile!

The Monday of the digging, I stayed out of the way of the men and hunted for a few raindrop pictures. It had poured on Sunday, yet Monday had dawned warm and lovely. 

 Reflections of fall in a liquid kaleidoscope!

 These guys make me laugh. They are so funny. I keep wondering if it is the same ones up there. In one afternoon you can hear them and watch them as they circle and circle and squawk and circle and decide who is in front of where. I have said they are practicing migrating with the newcomers. These are Sandhill Cranes. You can see their long legs and necks in one of the photos-I took several, but decided to only post two!

Hopefully, they will get their act together and fly south. After all the rain, you can see new snow on the mountains. Termination Dust. Winter is definitely around the corner. 

Another Pit of Despair

There has been on ongoing problem with the septic lines in this house and one of the persons who came out to look them in June suggested there was a break. So, the man who dug up the yard last fall to fix the problem, came back. Jerry's tractor arrived over the weekend and he arrived with a helper on Monday. I was a bit annoyed cuz I had to move more rocks and garden than I had hoped, but it all worked out. 

 Carefully tying off the phone cord that runs directly over the septic line and down the drive in a meandering line.

 They did not find a break. They did discover the pipe wasn't at the right elevation/angle/ whatever. Jerry wanted to cut open the pipe and when they did, it was odd. They found it was full of sediment and some rocks and sand. Not much else. So, Johnny cleaned it out with the garden hose.

 They left to get a different fitting and attached it on their return. I was told to use the water to flush the system out. Jerry's not sure where the rocks and sand are coming from, (there was a small section of the drive that wasn't dug up this year or last year), but when Johnny sluiced the hose through, Jerry heard water in the pipe on the other end. I did not call anyone to camera the pipes.

On Tuesday, Jerry and Johnny filled in the hole. For some reason he had more hole than dirt, so Jerry had to find dirt from elsewhere in the yard. 

The lighter colored sandy soil is now dark from the rain. I wonder if it will lighten when it dries out?

 Unfortunately, in the movement of the soil, Jerry accidentally clipped the overhead power line. Homer Electric Association was called and they arrived promptly. They two linemen were informative and helpful.

 In this picture you can see the loop that was tugged free and a bit where the line the man's taping was clipped. We were fortunate. The loop looked bad and it appeared nothing at all was damaged! PTL!

 This was pretty cool, the man on the ground used a long extension pole to unhook the power from the house. Much easier, safer, and faster than climbing up the pole!

 The man in the basket twisted the lines back together til they look almost like they'd never been touched.

 The man on the ground opened up the breaker box and discovered all was still tight. The place where the power lines go into the house wasn't damaged either. The lineman in the air said it still looked secure. Which was good. I certainly wasn't going to climb up there to fix it Although, I probably could have hired Johnny if I needed to!!!

All in all, it was a long couple of days. Jerry's pretty sure everything is ok, but I"m betting the pipes still have problems. I'm going to have Peninsula Pumping out to hard vac them out every few months til something else can be done. I was going to replant all the flowers I dug up near the house and put the rocks back, but I'll leave it sort of plain and put the plants and decor elsewhere for the time being!

Snipe!!!

This bird exists, is unusual, and incredibly camouflaged for being popular as a previously hunted game bird. Today, it is hunted as part of a game. Many people don't realise this bird is real. During Boy Scouts, Tony tried to convince one of his scouting friends it was. It didn't matter, the younger woodsy soul insisted on taking new scouts out for jaunts in the Tillamook forest seeking a made up creature. On the All About Birds site I learned some very cool things about these little guys. Not only are their eyes set so far back they can almost see in back of their head, they have amazing long bills which have flexible tips. I spent a very long time up here in Alaska hearing an odd noise during night hours I could not identify. Finally, one spring morning, I discovered the noise in flight during daylight and after more detective work, discovered what it was. It was the snipe making a winnowing noise with the tail. Odd, but true! I wasn't sure I'd get to see one up close, they are fast little guys!! However, I did!

One afternoon, in late August, I went to look at the lake after getting back from town. No reason, I just did. I spied a really odd looking bird on shore and grabbed my camera. I took dozens of photos of this not a piper, quietly sneaking down the bank. I even snapped photos while it was bathing! Unfortunately, I think I got too close. It hopped up on the pallet, over the other side, and vanished. I was incredibly thankful to see it for as long as I did. I grabbed my bird app and book and was surprised. I was accidentally on a real snipe hunt with a lens and camera chip. I hope you enjoy looking at this fun small brown streaked bird with the super long bill and fairly long legs  known as a Wilson's Snipe.

It is always a thrill for me to discover an identity of a bird. Even more so when it is one I've wondered about and wanted to see for years! I'd probably have good luck actually going out where they tend to hang, but I think I am doing ok here in North Kenai at the house. 

All Things Bright and Beautiful

I'm not feeling very good today. So, instead of being in church and doing errands, I'm sitting in front of the window looking out at a shining greenish lake. Fluttering golden leaves are dancing from their summer berths to anchor wherever they might for the winter season. Some are in the lake, others the ground, more are inside evergreens and bared deciduous branches of other kinds of trees. Fireweed are shaking their down coats , sending seeds aloft to land where they might grow into a towering flowering herb. Colors are changing fast from summer to fall, winter's stark beauty isn't far off. Babies are growing up and I was fortunate enough to see a few of them the last day or two. 

It isn't often I see these. Spruce hen used to be much more common on walks to and from the bus stop. This family made me laugh when I spied them on the drive. 

 First this one crossed to the other side. Later, the others followed. They aren't so little anymore!!!

I was excited to see these two Sunday morning. I'm pretty sure this is the baby who tripped over the Dish cables hidden in the moss and brush. Some of my photos aren't very clear, but I was pretty thrilled!!! 

 She is RIGHT at the end of the sidewalk next to the house. She was looking at me and I was making darn certain to stay inside the door. I wasn't sure if she was going to step on the concrete! Thankfully, the young one distracted her from the odder threat of me. Kids tend to do that no matter what the species!!! You can see a little leg beyond her head-

 If you look at the photo, you can see on the edge of the right the corner of the house! I guess fireweed and leaves were too dry for the youngster, it almost looks too big to nurse!

 They both wandered in to the mowed part of the yard and I had to speak sternly when the youngster started munching on mom's lilac! (those photos didn't turn out!)

 They didn't stick around too long, but it was beautiful to see them!! I did see the younger bull on Saturday. He was hidden and then left. I hope he comes back, it looked as if one of his antlers was broken! I think the larger bull was taken down. I heard a gunshot the other day and although it is bow season til the first....

One afternoon I ran off to the lake. I saw this incredible masterpiece and paddled away so I could show how camouflaged it was. 

 I also found this beauty on a birch. I was hoping to capture one in flight over the grasses, it wasn't efficient!

Going back in time. This was Saturday the 17th, the day the Swan Lake fire blew up. When we were driving back, the sky was incredibly eerie! 

I look at this world of our and am thankful. Today our sky is cloudy, but no smoke in scent or visibility. Other portions of the peninsula aren't so fortunate. It's chilly in the shade, the thermometer is in the sunshine and reads it is getting up to the 70's. However, the house is not! I'm looking forward to seeing what else might show up around me as summer draws to an end.