August was a time of transition for all of us. It seems like such a long time ago that I saw this sunset.
Same thing with Olivia and I when we visited one of the community gardens she oversaw the designing, planting, and maintenance of a couple years ago. It is filled with native wildflowers, shrubs, and a tree - all of which are doing well. This was a 4-H leadership project she did.
At the beginning of the month, I entered many projects in the county fair. I got a blue ribbon - first place - on a photo I entered.
I wonder if next year's photo might be this one for the "animals at the fair" category.
On the 4th, I arranged for a group of seniors from the Lions Club to go on a pontoon boat ride on the St. Croix River through Let's Go Fishing. We saw lots of eagles - including this one.
Also saw the swing bridge - over a hundred years old - that rotates on a platform so that boats can get through on the river. When a train needs to use the tracks and bridge, the person in the little house on the bridge will move the bridge so the tracks lock in place and the train can cross the bridge.
Also saw a lot of ospreys.
The St. Croix Crossing is a bridge linking Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Underneath is a walkway for maintenance workers so they can safely access the bridge.
This is a cormorant that is standing on a log or rock in the St. Croix River.
Aspen, one of our dogs, loves to go under the covering on the couch. The covering is there to protect the sofa from getting dog fur all over it. So much for that purpose.
The prairie onions are in full bloom. The bees love them.
The swallowtails are loving the ironweed that is growing in the west pasture and in the backyard garden.
The monarchs enjoy the swamp milkweed which also is in full bloom.
Seeing monarchs never gets old for me.
The hibiscus tree is blooming a lot. It likes the hot, humid weather.
Saw this for the first time in Olivia's garden. I think it's a hollyhock.
Saw a monarch caterpillar. This is the first one of the season.
I pulled out a flower holder that belonged to my parents. There are about 10-15 holes in the top that little flowers can be placed in. The body of the turtle is filled with water.
I walked around the yard and pasture and picked some flowers that were in bloom. There are a lot of different types and colors of flowers this year!
My friend, Karen, and I went to a Quilt Shop Hop. Near one of the quilt shops, there was a large hibiscus plant with huge flowers. This is one of them.
I think the ends of the hibiscus look like little trumpets.
Paige, Olivia, and I explored a new hiking path that had a waterfall on it. This is one section of the waterfall.
This is the waterfall...the main part.
On the right side of the photo there is rope. Someone put this rope at the top and bottom of the cliff. It was SO beneficial to have the rope going up and down the cliff. There would have been no way to do it otherwise. As I was descending the cliff, my larger lens fell out of my pocket and tumbled down the hill. Thankfully, it landed just at the edge of the water and wasn't damaged. Olivia put my lens in her backpack on the way back up the cliff.
At the last Tang Soo Do lesson, Olivia tested to see if she could move to the next level. One part of the testing is breaking a board. This is what she is doing in this picture.
Olivia was promoted to the next level in Tang Soo Do.
Towards the end of the month, the monarchs were still making daily appearances at our home.
The Black-eyed Susans were in full bloom.
The mushrooms had come up - mainly under the trees in the forest.
This is another mushroom.
The Great Horned Owls made their appearances known a few times during August. This is in late-August. This particular owl didn't seem humored that I could see it and was watching it.
He (or she) did put on a show for me when s/he scratched his head. Look at those talons!
The Sneezeweed is blooming.
On the night before Olivia left for college, Aspen came in to spend some time with her.
On August 24th, we moved Olivia to college. It was a bittersweet experience.
What I love is that both the girls - Olivia and Sophia - attend the same college!
At the welcome week picnic for freshmen and their parents, we enjoyed some cookies served by Sophia's suitemate, Nessa.
Sophia was working the corn station - dipping the roasted cobs of corn into cilantro butter.
There was a special program on Thursday evening of Welcome Week. The worship team played a couple of songs to open and close out the program.
On Friday, there was another day of programming. We enjoyed lunch in the dining center. Sophia was at the pizza station, topping the pizza with pepperoni.
Nessa was working the sandwich bar and tossing some lettuce there.
Olivia enjoyed a chocolate ice cream cone after dinner.
Back at her dorm, I took a picture of her by her favorite mural - a lion. When she was growing up, she would wear a lion costume the majority of the time. It was as if it made her more powerful and confident.
After doing a Target run, we visited Sophia who was done with her shift. There Sophia and Olivia are on the right hand side of the table.
I've been using up food in the refrigerator. Made an apple pie with a bunch of apples I had on hand. The pie crust is my grandma's recipe.
The monarchs are still migrating the last week of the month. I'll need to plant some more of the rough blazing stars next year. They are a HUGE favorite of the monarchs.
The monarchs also like the cup plant flowers. There are lots of these bright yellow flowers at the top of the cup plants (which are native plants to Minnesota).
Check this out! There are five monarchs on this plant. This has been a typical sight during August. I've never seen anything like it!
Aspen is missing both Sophia and Olivia. Here she is outside waiting patiently while I take photos.
Scooby is getting older. I think both his vision and hearing are going. He has tumbled down the last few steps in the house a few time. Other than that, he's doing fine. Scooby is about 15 years old now. He's the oldest dog we have had. The next oldest was 14 years old.
Danny is about 11 years old now. Despite getting up there in years, he is still energetic and full of life.
The ruby-throated hummingbirds are drinking a lot of sugar water as they prepare for the long migration south. I'll miss seeing the hummingbirds during the winter.
The Pink Honeysuckle is still blooming. I love the unusual flowers on this plant.
I despise the thistle that seems to have overtaken some areas of the pasture and Olivia's garden. I've got to get rid of this stuff before it spreads even more. The goldfinches like this plant for the downy fluff that they use for their nests. They also eat the thistleseeds.
Something I've never seen before are butterflies roosting in the trees at night, primarily the ash tree in the backyard. There are groups of 2-3 butterflies that will sleep or rest next to one another starting at around dusk.
Cooper is listening and watching the pasture to the west. There has been a deer that has been walking through our front yard each morning around 5 a.m. It also spends time in the pasture during the day. We heard some rustling and he immediately became interested in what was out in pasture....perhaps another deer?
That wraps up August. This is only a fraction of the photos I took. It is so hard for me to narrow down what my favorites one are, mainly because each one brings me joy when I look at...or is attached to a memory which I value.
No comments:
Post a Comment