Railcar Graffiti

Koty had to go in to town for bloodwork on Friday. He's having a growth removed from his gum and his teeth cleaned. Afterwards we went over to the Kootenai Trail and walked along the Tobacco River. The trail begins in the trainyard.

What follows are a few of the box cars we found on the siding with graffiti painted on them. Some fairly creative stuff.

As always I marvel at the creative urge that seems to abound in human nature.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

CHOPPING WOOD & RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

This week, much to Koty's disappointment, was spent mostly working in the forest cleaning up and chopping wood.

ONE LOAD DONE 100 TO GO

I must say, except for all the fallen trees, the forest is particularly beautiful this spring. The grass is more green and lush than in some past springs. Over the years I have noticed that the forest has it's own rhythm. It's hard to put into words what I observe but it's kind of like the forest has a wardrobe and every spring it chooses which costume to put on. The differences are subtle to be sure but they are there.

WHITE DAISIES

One thing is for sure the wildflowers are out in force. When I stop my sawing and chopping and just look and listen I never fail to be amazed at my good fortune. I am completely surrounded by beauty and it touches me everyday.

WILDROSE

The predominant wildflower where I live is the wild rose. I think there is nothing more pleasing to the senses than the aroma of rose. Every June, on one special morning, it seems the majority of roses decide to bloom at once. On this morning, when I go out on my deck it's as though my entire world is engulfed in rose perfume. It is the most amazing experience. I really look forward to this day each year.

COLUMBIAN GROUND SQUIRREL

My old pals the ground squirrels are back with a vengeance. The little buggers reproduce like rabbits and really tear things up. They are much like prairie dogs in that regard. And, to add insult to injury they sit up and chirp (laugh) at me like this one was doing. Looks like I'll have to start up my trapping operation.

TOBACCO RIVER

Where I live there is no such thing as mail delivery so one must go to town to fetch it. This is somewhat of a source of annoyance as the box is mostly full of junk. And, I am a source of annoyance to the post office because I don't clean it out nearly often enough.

Anyway, this week we combined a walk along the Tobacco River with our postal duty. The river is flowing bank to bank, as high as I have ever seen it. The trail starts near the old railhead and goes all the way to Rexford. The trail is called the Kootenai Trail and it's a very lovely walk along the river and through green pastures.

KOOTENAI TRAIL

The trail starts at the end of the railroad line. These days not a lot goes on in the rail yard. Mostly just shipments of Canadian timber headed south. But, every bit of unused track is stuffed with idle rail cars. Several of the cars have now been decorated with grafitti. It always amazes me, the amount of artistic talent that goes to waste. These pictures I thought were quite good/interesting/colorful so I include a few examples.

RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

RAIL CAR GRAFITTI

That pretty much sums up our week. Hope yours was a good one too. And, remember to stop and smell those roses. Many of the best things in life really are free.

©KINSEY BARNARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Houston We Have Lift Off!

It's not for nothing the favorite refrain around here is "If you don't like the weather just hold your horses and wait a few minutes". Last Wednesday it snowed all day! Now we have sunny skies and 75 degrees. It must be for real this time cuz the wildflowers are starting to bloom! But, the farmers are complaining cuz their grass ain't been growing. Looks like we are just going to skip spring altogether this year and just go for summer! BUY or just get a better look



The little critters are starting to come out in force, like this tiny chipmunk we saw on one of our hikes through the woods. BUY or just get a better look



In the little village of Eureka we have this place called the Historical Village. There all kinds of historical displays, old buildings, cabins, equipment etc. Mom has a particular fascination for this old rail car. There isn't much rail traffic anymore since the logging business has gone the way of the Dodo bird. Mostly just lumber from Canada headed south. BUY or just get a better look.


On another hike we stumbled on this little pond with a waterfall coming down into it. The water in this pond was so green it was amazing. I don't know what causes that but it sure is pretty. Oh, gotta tell you a funny story. On this particular hike mom found a big blue/green egg in the trail. She thought it might be a grouse egg. Whatever it was it was really pretty. It was cold as a stone so there wasn't going to be any birdy from that one. Anyway, mom put the thing in her breast pocket and no sooner did she do that then it started to rain. In order to protect her camera she slung it across her chest and under her arm. In doing so she smashed the egg. She's still trying to get the smell off the camera! Every time she puts the camera to her face to take a photo she gets a good whiff! LOL! BUY or just get a better look



Last but by no means least we snuck back into British Columbia and Kikomun Park. Spring was in the air here too. Lotsa of life in the lakes, there are about a half dozen of them. This photo is of a female mallard preening herself. The logs in the water were just covered with painted turtles and we saw loads ducks and ducklings. We still think this is an exceptionally nice park. If you're ever up this way and looking for a place to camp this park is a winner!

That was our week! Hope yours was a winner too!

©Kinsey Barnard