Ah, cool water

It's late July. That means heat. Lots of heat.

After a four-hour blueberry-picking marathon yesterday (I started in the morning, broke for lunch, and concluded in the afternoon), Older Daughter proposed a novel idea: To take a couple of lawn chairs and books, and go dangle our feet in a nearby river. I thought that sounded like a splendid idea, so off we went.

We found a spot and set up our chairs.

The river was very calm and beautiful, and the water was juuuust the right temperature: Cool, not cold.

I tried to photograph a fish (the dark shape in the center of the photo) in the lee of a rock, but the pic didn't turn out too well.

I had my camera out, trying to photograph a dragonfly (without much success)...

...when a bald eagle swooped by and landed on a sandbar some distance away.

It stayed on the shore for a good fifteen minutes. Once in a while it took a sip of water from the river, but otherwise it just sat there.

Finally it heaved itself into the air...

...and took off down the river.

We came home feeling enormously refreshed after the day's heat. Ah, cool water. What a concept.

Random pix

A flock of low-flying Canadian geese flew overhead and landed in our neighbor's pasture.

But a few moments later, they took off again. Why?

Because in a burst of high spirits, their horses chased them off.

Tea with a new friend.

Incoming squall.

A flock of pelicans overhead.

The river through the nearby town is still near flood stage. Here it overran the bank of a park.

Still, it's not as high as it was a couple years ago. You can see the high(er) water mark on the tree trunks.

Matilda grooms Polly, whose head is drooping with pleasure.

Walking Lydia on a windy day.

Nice views.

Saw this fellow checking his cell phone outside a grocery store and couldn't resist the urge to sneak a pic.

Random pix

Some early morning fog.

Arrow-leaf balsam root in bloom. These are big showy flowers that pop up all over the place this time of year.

The river in a nearby town is near flood level from a combination of heavy rain and melting snow pack in the mountains.

Compare this to the same dock I snapped last fall. The entire dock is underwater in the photo above -- only the tall poles are visible.

Beaver damage by the river's edge. These are BIG trees too, about two feet across. Methinks the beaver bit off more than he can chew in this case. Unfortunately he's killed a number of trees along this stretch of bank.

Our county hospital is undergoing an expansion and has a huge construction zone that has blocked off one street, including one of the entrances to the post office.

Last week when I went into the post office, I confess I stood absorbed for a couple of minutes and just watched the heavy equipment at work. When I came back out of the post office, I noted with amusement that some thoughtful soul had provided a convenient chair for those wanting to just sit and watch the construction.

More seeds in pots in the greenhouse.

I went to Spokane last Friday to do some (ug) clothes shopping. On the way I passed this idyllic scene.

The route takes me past a gorgeous vista of the Palouse.

I was shopping exclusively in thrift stores, of course. Here I saw some of the wackiest footwear imaginable. They looked positively tortuous, in fact. It always cracks me up to imagine wearing this kind of stuff around the farm.

Jet and her yearling steer calf Nebuchadnezzar share a salt block.

On the river

Last Wednesday, which is the day Younger Daughter and her friend Miss Calamity volunteer at the county animal shelter, Older Daughter and I spent a couple hours on a dock of the river.  (Older Daughter volunteers every other week, and this was her day off.)  It was just about the last expected warm and sunny day of the season, and the river was beautiful this time of year.  I got lots of writing done and Older Daughter had a new book from the library she devoured until some friends showed up.

As we headed into town, we passed under a train going over the trestle.

Speaking of trestles, the one crossing the river in town looked spiffy as it was reflected in the water.  The air is still a bit smokey from some recent field burning.

Climbing a log.  What is it about kids and logs?

Fall leaves on the water's edge.

Ripples on the water.

A logging truck crossing the bridge.  Logging is the mainstay for this community, as it is for many small Idaho towns.  It's taken a hard hit in this economy.

Walking with a friend.

An abandoned staircase to nowhere.