Hanging the kayaks - Watching the robins

Sunday July 3, 2011

Today I decided to finally get the cleats screwed into the posts so that I could hang my kayaks. I have rigged up a system whereby I can raise and lower the kayaks by myself. Works pretty slick if I do say so myself.

My kayak hoisting system

The weather has finally warmed up but this morning, from out of the blue, it cooled off and along came a storm. It left in it's wake the biggest, in term of breadth rainbow, I have ever seen!

Summer Rainbow

Later in the afternoon the sun came out and it warmed right up. I took the opportunity to go out and chop some wood. I didn't last very long as the day was too beautiful not to just wander around and drink it all in.

When I returned to the house I thought I should take a few pictures of my resident robins. They are so clever the way they choose their spots to build nests.

Robin's nest with chick built on the head of a hoe. Took that hoe out of commission for awhile. Not complaining though. I'm no fan of hoeing and weeding.

Three robin chicks in their nest built in the rain gutter. Very clever of this mother she built the nest under the eave at the high end so the nest would not get wet from above or from under. Animals are so much smarter than people realize. I am always in wonder of them.

Mother sitting on a fence post opposite the gutter screaming her head off at me. Pardon me momma.

By around seven o'clock it was time to wrap it up for the day. It stays light until past ten these days but I sure don't have what it takes to go until dark.

This last photo is the epitome of the lazy photographer. I was sitting in my recliner looking out the front window when I shot this photo of my tepee down in the meadow. It's a view I just love. Who needs television when you've got this outside your window?

Tepee in the meadow as seen from the recliner. :)

©Kinsey Barnard

Happy Fourth of July From Dancing Deer

We've been at the ranch all week working on several projects long over due. It's been colder than a well digger's behind this past week but gads it is beautiful. Along with the cool has come lovely rains and the grass is greener and more lush than I have ever seen it. The wildlife against this backdrop is beyond beautiful. Yesterday I had so many bucks passing through it was just amazing. The bucks are still in velvet and they are a ways away from full racks but there are going to be some beauties.

One of the things the deer come for is the clover, deer love it.  Clover grows everywhere around here and of course I have salted the place as well. When clover blooms it makes a very pretty flower.

Then there was the robin that took up residence on top of my outside sun screens. Lucky for me it's been too cool to need them because I would certainly have been out of luck! It won't be long now as the babies are now thriving and growing like weeds. And, just in time too as I think the warm weather may be just around the corner.

The little female grouse below was just posing on this rock for me. Grouse are really funny birds. I often joke that you don't need a gun to hunt them. You could just as easily get one tossing a stone and save your ammunition. Of course, I wouldn't do either unless I was starving.

Speaking of wildlife this year a little cinnamon black bear has taken up residence in the area and comes to visit a least once a week. I have named her Cindi after my oldest and dearest friend. I don't really know if it's a female or not but "she" is quite small. I reckon she is either one or two. Anyway she came to call yesterday and got up in a plum tree and was looking awfully cute. I don't know why she was up there except just for the fun of it because there is no fruit this time of year.

One of my most favorite wild flowers is the wood lily. Normally, these beauties bloom in June but I guess that the cooler than normal weather has kept them back as they are just starting to bloom now. In this photo you can see the raindrops on the petals.

This last, I'm not sure if it's a wildflower or a weed. It's growing in my meadow and whatever it is it is very pretty.

So, that's what it was like this week at Dancing Deer.

Koty and I wish you all a great Fourth of July!

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Many Glacier Will Have to Wait

Well, howdy. Did I get a big disappointment this week. Mom packed up Clementine, hooked up Shadow and I thought we were headed for Many Glacier. The plan was to go to Kalispell, get Clementine some routine maintenance and then head on over to St. Mary's.

The work on Clem was scheduled to take about four hours so we took off for the Great Northern Historical Trail.


The "trail" is a tarmac walkway but very nice and lots of things to see. It heads west from Kalispell and takes you into a very pretty rural area.


There is an amazing array of birds to be found on this walk. We saw beautiful meadow larks, blue birds and mountain swallows. Pictured above a mountain swallow sitting on a post. View full version.



We also spied this little robin who had built her nest on an old trestle beam. View full version.



Then there were these painted turtles doing, well, what ever they were doing. There really were a lot of critters to see on this, really, not very primitive trail. View full version.


Before log we started to see nasty looking clouds forming and a few people we met started talking about winter weather over on the east side. Mom called the park and sure enough they were expecting snow. Well, that was the end of our trip. Mom wasn't about to drive all that way to sit in Clem for a week. We high-tailed it home in the rain. Mom could be heard grumbling for two days as she hauled everything back out of Clem. Full version.


So, we've been amusing ourselves around here and took another walk along the Tobacco River where we came across this old car which looks like it has seen better days but mom thought it was kind of photogenic. Okay, so mom's a little daffy. :) Full version.


Mom was very delighted when we came across this blue-winged teal pair. Full version.

Anyway, I guess it's never a good idea to get too married to plans cuz they sure have a way of changing. Darn! But, mom says we will give it a go again when the weather improves. So, I wait impatiently.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography