Fall Color

Fall is a treat which tickles our senses: the smell of the wet leaves crunching under our feet and the stimulating colors of orange, yellow and brilliant red.  The air is fresh and slightly crisps with gentle wind ushering in the next season.  Things slow down after summer's.  The hot days are behind us and the garden has frozen; now is the time to take deep breaths and savor the colors around us.

Fall always carries just a ting of sadness.  It is short lived and ends abruptly in a flurry of wind and cold.  The trees stand stark with their colors striped. The ground is littered with the faded colors that were so vivid only a few days earlier.  Soon the ground will be covered in a blanket of white and the leaves will be a memory.

There is a need to be immersed in the glories of fall.  It is as if we need to absorb the colors and crispness of the season to carry us through to spring.

 

 

 

Pictures taken along the Logan River--Logan, Utah

Travel is the Window to the World

Travel is the window to the world.  So what window I have  opened lately--New York--The Big Apple--the mega city--- Times Square and Broadway the strip of the east.  Vegas taxi drivers and New York City taxi drivers all attended the same school.  It is called the School of Honk and Keep Moving.  It lacks in some areas of all around education; such as language, honest answers and communication skills. It is mainly a hands on program.where the main emphasis of focus is merging into or in front of traffic, braking for red lights, squeezing into a small parking space to unload passengers, hefting bags from the trunk and extending their hand toward you in one motion.

New York hums and moves continuously --a city full of people shifting positions and locations smoothly and effortlessly.  It all comes through years of practice and acceptance of the life style.
They find comfort in the crowds and noise--it is where they belong.  New Yorkers find nothing strange about walking to Central Park with chickens in a dog stroller so they can play. I do!  My mind instantly went to the condition of the stroller after chickens have spent even  a few minutes in it.  Where do these chickens live?  Can you keep them in an apartment or on a terrace? 

A large population of the most talented people in the world live in NYC;  perhaps too much talent in one spot.  I marvel at their ability to get up in front of hundreds of people and share it.  As a watcher I get lost in the performance which flows seamlessly unaware of the years of struggle and work it has taken to stand on the stage.  LUCKY ME I was in the audience letting them entertain me.went fast

Three days went fast, but it was enough.  Next time if there is a next time I'm going to Brooklyn.  You have to venture out and see it all--there is much more! 

Watch out for those yellow things.  They eat you alive.

       
    Bubble Blower in Central Park.  The kids went nuts chasing and popping the huge bubbles.

Empire State Building

   sleeping it off in Central Park

   bridge in Central Park--just pretty to look at

 

 

 

Fall Comes

The fall colors are just starting in Jackson Hole.  Soft yellows mingle with the fading green and the air is slightly brisk.  This is the perfect biking weather.  A light jacket feels good and is just enough to cut the early morning chill.  Starting from Teton Village and riding to Wilson is not a long ride, probably 15 mile trip.  Sometimes a designate bike trail is a real treat---  no cars, smooth riding, and picture perfect scenery.

Some how everything seems better with a little exercise---a slice of cheese, a fresh loaf of French bread and a cold drink.  What more could you ask for? Seems to me this all makes for a perfect day.

 

120 Years Old

How do you celebrate a 120st birthday?  With a BIG party.  The Hartman Farm in Parma turned 120 this week.  It has been in the family four generations and is healthy, active, and thriving.  Through love, tender care, good business practices and the ability to make changes as farming entered the world of technology, the Hartman family has been able to maintain and sustain their heritage.  Bill and John Hartman along with their wives and two sons are the 21st century care takes.  Well done Hartman family--all four generations.

Not only can they farm, but they can throw a great party.  The doors of the onion warehouse were thrown open and to accommodate the huge crowd of well wishers.  This is the only farm I know of that as a color scheme--teal blue and white.  The work trucks and semis are all painted in these colors.  The warehouse turned into a party house with teal table clothes on dozens of tables with center pieces taken from the fields--onions and various other plants in jars with purple ribbons tied around them.  Great food and live music, people visiting while moving from table to table, rearranging chairs to make room for another person and laughter, made for a good time.

In today's world where we focus so much on the bad, it was refreshing to see so many friends and family come together to celebrate.  Thanks Hartmans' for a good evening. 

The best view of the farm is from the back deck of the house.

Onion field beside the house

    From the fields

Let the fun begin

friends sharing the evening and each other's company

Bill Hartman on left

Bill's wife  Kathy  (my neice)

Saving Gas

After days of extreme wind, rain and cool temps the sun finally came out today.  Along with the sun came an insane need to get out.  I had the brilliant idea to ride the bikes to Fred Meyer for ingredients to make a salad.  Of course my other half didn't hesitate or miss a beat making the decision to go.   Biff was instantly ready to head out without even checking the temperature. Sometimes it is hard to play with a person who never gets cold, doesn't care if wind blows in his ears or will ride against a gale force wind.

I managed to stall him until the outside air reached 54 degrees. We always know that leaving our house and heading toward town, we will ride into the wind.  Today was no different.  As you peddle, you keep telling yourself that it will be an easy ride home because the wind will be at your back. 

Never having done a shopping trip on bikes we were testing the waters---how much could my basket hold.  The ride was easy and pleasant considering there are few sidewalks and no bike lanes.  The biggest obstacle was dodging broken bottles.  We made it across the major intersection without getting hit.  The secret is to pretend you are a smart car and peddle fast.

We came home with just over $16.00 in groceries.  The bread wasn't squashed and the milk made the ride on Nolan's rack strapped down with a bungee cord.  The trip was a success, free and fun.

Can you believe you are looking at $16.54 ?  It is a good thing we used no gas on the journey.

    

Market Lake

A late spring storm at Market Lake wild life refuge offered spectaular skies and giant thunder heads.
This is always an interesting area in all seasons.  We started visiting Market Lake when our kids were small.  The marshes host a variety of ducks and water fowl as well as sand hill cranes.  Thursday when we drove out to make a visit the geese had their babies out and about along with the malards and their broods.

Things cycle in Mother Nature and the musket rats are no longer part of the wildlife.  No more mounded houses made of reeds grace the water.  When we first started making periodic trips to Market Lake they were scattered throughout the marsh and musk rats could be seen swimming back and forth from the bank to their houses.  Now ducks, geese, koots, hawks red winged blackbirds, yellow headed blackbirds and cranes are the main residents.

Later in the summer brown headed cattails will line the water's edge.  The reeds will turn from gold to green. 

The trill of the red winged blackbirds bounced from one bird to another.

Hanging In

 

I have avoided my blog for weeks.  I have been hesitant to write because things have been rather mundane, or perhaps that is to say things have been normanl. It is a normal Idaho spring--wind, wind, wind and more wind.  My main objective has been to formulate a plan of escape.  In spite of the time this blog has been neglected, it was not due to an attempt to carry out my escape plan.  I came to the conculsion that I had no place to go and was trapped here.  I kept telling myself--- this too will pass.  Somehow the phrase offered little solace  because the passing has been extremely slow. One morning I will wake up and it will be summer with maybe less wind and perhaps temps above 55.  I am optimistic and will keep repeating to myself--this too will pass.  Hope springs eternal.