Found some foxglove blooming in the woods - usually they are in more open areas, and those are pretty much done by now. This one must have been knocked over early on, then it grew sideways for a while before trying to go up again.

It was clear and sunny all day, but just as the sun went down, these funny clouds showed up, turning purple and pink. And then, after the sun was gone, so were the clouds. And, it's been a while since we've had a shot of Buzz - here he's showing his "ball tongue" - it's what it looks like after carrying the tennis ball around for a while.

Well, can you tell it's getting close to Independance Day? This is next door to our driveway, and it's why we use a Post Office Box. I do have to admit, it is pretty impressive - just opened it right up! The yellow paper is a note to the mailman telling him it will be fixed by Monday.

My mother-in-law, Barb, and her friend Marjorie have beautifuls gardens. They grew some huge Rhubarb leaves this year, and wanted to make birdbaths with them. Margaret had showed us how to do that for our Thursday art group, so she had Barb and Marjorie over to make them out of cement.

The birds love them, and Barb and Marjorie can sit on the porch or look out the window and watch the antics.
They turned out great, and are mounted on a large rock, with water dripping into the top one and spilling down into the bottom one.

Cody is happy today - he got the new helmet and jacket that he ordered. Now he matches his bike - his old helmet was red. The jacket is leather and has reinforced arms, elbows, back and shoulders. Hopefully he will never need that aspect of it!

David is working hard on the Z - and everything is coming together! Bondo used to be pink, but now it's such a lovely shade of green! He re-attached the fender flairs correctly this time, so they won't show a crack line. He also filled in a running light that was on the fender just behind the headlamps, and filled a seam where the headlamp piece attached to the fender. He had to cut and weld metal pieces, then fiberglas over them, then the Bondo. And lots and lots of sanding. Sand The Car. Sand The Car. He has finished both front fenders, and sprayed the primer coat on. It is a sealing primer, so it will keep for a long time, allowing him to continue to work on nit-picking the body. THEN, he'll be ready to paint it. But, we can't decide on a color! In the meantime, it will be back on the road. Can't wait!

The morning sunlight is strong and makes great shadows in the garden. I have a profusion of feverfew - it self seeds around the garden, and I just love it. There appears to be different varieties, too. Above, the veronica unfurls in their midst, contrasting.

The swallows seem to enjoy the morning - their flights are less hurried, and they glide in groups. Of course, I'll see several together in just the right spot, but by the time I get ready for my shot, they're gone. My mantra - keep trying.

A lovely day - sunny and warm, and a soft, clear sunset. The only clouds were the contrails glowing softly while the swallows gathered their meal.

David is planning a fishing trip where he's going to camp, so we pulled out this tent and tried to figure out how to set it up. We did get it up, but there doesn't seem to be any way to secure the tent poles. It is a huge tent, though, with a wall in the center and a front porch. Buzz is clear on the other side!

Our bedroom window faces to the north, but at this time of year, when the sun is low at sunrise and early in the morning, it shines in the windows. Since it's so low, it comes through the wisteria vines and creates these great shadows. I love the way the light source shows on the right, and the dark corner above. And the sides of my little display shelf make some great shadows, too. The greenish shadow is the light reflecting off the porch post outside, which is painted dark green. I've been watching these shadows for a few mornings, but by the time I got my camera ready, they were gone, so today was the day!

This is further down the wall - it was windy today, and fun to watch the movement of the leaves, and sudden changes from light to dark as the sun was covered by the clouds while I was photographing the wall.

Driving off the north end of the Island, we cross over Deception Pass Bridge. We found a trail that goes under the bridge on the island at mid-span, where the structure is visible. It's an amazing feat of engineering, and beautiful to see.

So, then, we drove past this place - another amazing feat - just not quite sure what of! This artist had a yard full of steel creations - mostly western-themed - horse and wagons, water wheels, and the huge fishing pole landing a salmon on top of the house! We had to drive past two times just to take it all in.

The reason we went to Burlington was to deliver a Train BBQ so it could be in a parade. Big John bought one of the Trains a couple of years ago, but his is in use everyday so we brought one of the rentals for him to tow in the parade. That's Big John in his new red chef's jacket, and David on the right. John walked along and passed out candy and coupons for his restaurant while someone sat in the back of the train and rang the bell. He had the banners on his truck, and a coal car behind the train, so he was almost a parade by himself!

All of a sudden we're having those long summer evenings. Yesterday was the solstice, and it stays light until after 10:00. Tonight's sunset wasn't the wild bright colors, but it lit the top of the cumulus cloud, and the tops of the trees and surrounding ridges.

We had an odd weather day - big fluffy clouds like these, with lots of blue in between. And rain showers. I was sitting out eating my lunch, with blue sky above, when it began sprinkling on me. It was over before I knew it, and I couldn't even decide which cloud it came from. It happened like that all day.

Thursday art day! Gretchen and I made "wibers" - fibers and wire twisted together, then used to make beads and jewelry or whatever else you want!! They are from the book "Fiber-Wire" by Lisa Vann. You get different results depending on the gauge of the wire and the type and thickness of the fiber. We experimented with thick and thin, lumpy and fuzzy to get these examples. It's very easy, and loads of fun. Now to figure out how to incorporate them into basketry.

And, in the continuing effort to photograph birds in the sky, I watched a crow harassing two eagles. The eagles just ignored him, but he made a great racket!

Ahh, the continuing quest to capture a swallow in flight. On this beautiful sunny day dozens of them were gracefully swooping over the lawn, so I went out and sat down. Once they were used to me being there, they flew around me, over me, in front of me, behind me. Above me, below me. They fly very fast. So it was a matter of pointing the camera, finger on the ready to SNAP! as I tried to anticipate directions. Suffice it to say, I had many, many lovely shots of sky or grass. And amazingly, a few with birds in them. This was my favorite, showing how close to the ground they will go, and it was probably about 10 feet in front of me.

I stopped by to see one of my buildings going up. This is a very tall garage below, for storing the owner's 5th-wheel, with an apartment above on the uphill side. They have a pretty lot on the water, so the apartment has a great view over their house.

They travel and do volunteer work a lot, so will have someone stay in the apartment to keep an eye on things while they're gone.

Ahhh, a beautiful day. Just right for washing the bike. The red that is reflected is me wearing a red shirt. You get to guess what part of the bike it is! Cody has moved back home for the summer. Cleaning his bike in his blue shirt was just too good a photo opportunity to pass up!

Cold and wet this morning, sunny and warmer this afternoon. Finally!! This is a study of a Douglas Fir tree and branch - the lighter green tips are the new growth for this year. And there is an old cone next to the bright green new cones - looks like it is a good year for this tree.

In the evening the swallows swoop low over the lawn - well, they're at it most of the day, really. So my goal is to get a photo of them flying by me as I lay in the grass. Not much luck tonight, but amazingly enough I did get one. It's a start.

This is my very favorite garden flower - Mrs. Johnson's blue cranesbill geranium. They self seed around the garden, and bloom most of the summer. I love their colors.
David has been working on the Z-car, and the mantra is, "Sand the car. Sand the car." It's a lot of work, and he removed the fender flairs and chrome, so he can clean up the whole body. He'll have some work around the taillight that someone backed into, as well. We also have to decide on a new color - too many options!

Still cold and wet weather - summer?? The Lady's Mantle likes the rain, and collects as many drops as it can, holding them long after the rain has stopped. It amazes me how many drops can rest on the leaves, which are fuzzy so as to hold on to them all the better.

I haven't been down in the woods for a few days - weather has been bad, and I've had a busy week! Things grow fast this time of year - especially the stinging nettles. If you aren't careful, you'll have a little reminder for the rest of the evening! So I got out about an hour before sunset, and it was pretty dark in the woods, but the pond was reflecting a bit of sky and clouds, and something tiny was breaking the surface. Actually, it was probably gas.

As I climbed up the hill and out from under the trees, the setting sun was turning the sky golden, and lighting the trees to the east. In the meadow, the grasses are going to seed. Buzz was worn out after running circles around me, so after rolling in the freshly cut grass in the lawn, he sat still for a minute.

Thursday Art Day at Carol's! Gretchen finished her hooked rug today, and is showing one of her yoga poses, as well!