Friday, August 31, 2007

August Morning Walk

This week's weather has been almost perfect!
I glanced out the back door last Tuesday on a bright, sunny morning and was excited to see this very large spiderweb in the cosmos....complete with sparkling dew! Just the day before I had been looking at Judith Polokoff's spectacular photo of a spider in a web (you absolutely must click the link and take a look!), and here was a web of my very own to experiment with!


I still have so much to learn about this camera, but I like the combination of the intricate web and the pretty pinks of the Cosmos sparkling with dew in the soft morning light. Mother Nature paints such esquisite pictures. Posted by Picasa

Our sweet young neighbor, Sandy, and I have been walking in the mornings again this summer. She arrived as I was photographing the web, and before we left for our walk we said good morning to the newest member of our barn cat family. It's another dear little calico kitten, born to Tink 17 days ago. Tink can be seen in the previous post......the white calico in the foreground of the picture in which the cats are waiting to be fed.

Sandy noticed the beautiful bloom on the Queen Elizabeth rose.

And I pointed out to her how pretty this grass looks with the dew on it. Posted by Picasa

The fog hadn't quite lifted and still hung over the trees across the road.

I took my camera that morning because we had seen this dead porcupine beside the road on the previous morning. It's a rare occurance to see these creatures and unfortunately they're usually dead when we do happen upon them. Poor thing was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Have you ever tried pulling porcupine quills out of a dog's muzzle....not much fun, let me tell you, for the dog or the "doctor". It happened once, a long time ago, to Daisy, a dear old hunting dog that belonged to my father-in-law. Ouch!!

Sandy has a particular fondness for this lovely old elm tree....one of the few remaining around here.

The haying is finished and round bales sit in the meadows, waiting to be picked up and stored for winter feeding. Posted by Picasa

I love the combination of the Joe Pye Weed and Goldenrod.

There's an abundance of both in the surrounding fields.

The wild Asters are beginning to bloom too. You can see some blue ones to the left of this photo, and Joe Pye Weed on the right.

The fuzzy brown heads of Cattails are always pretty. Posted by Picasa

Coming back now, we see our field of sweet corn with the barn behind.

The hedgerow across the road from our house provides a beautiful view when we look out each morning. This scrub provides a home for many of the birds that visit our feeders. A small creek runs under the road and through the tangled brush toward the river, not far away.
We've noticed that some of the leaves have already begun to turn on the trees, and there's a definite nip in the crisp morning air. Fall is not far off....to me, not a pleasant thought. I'd like the summer to go on and on.

Jasmine was awaiting our return...........
................and ran out to us welcome us home.
She makes a big fuss of Sandy and Wes because they spoil her when she stays overnight with them when we go to visit the kids :)
Posted by Picasa
We're lucky to be blessed with such great neighbors.


I'm also blessed by this wonderful blogging community.
Mrs. Darling of
Dishpan Dribble has graciously awarded me the Nice Matters Award (I also received it from dear Horizon, as I mentioned previously). I appreciate her thoughtfulness and am grateful for her kind words. Thanks so much Mrs. D.
I know I'm supposed to pass it on to 8 people, but it's getting very late and I must get some sleep, so I'll just pass it to each and every one of my blog friends because in my opinion you all deserve it.



Have a lovely weekend everyone!

34 comments:

Alice said...[Reply]

Great photos again, even those of the furry animals ....what are they called?....lol.

Your foggy scenes look like old English paintings - so rich and vibrant in colour, with the fog being just a little mysterious. Beautiful.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri,

First of all my congrats for you award of "nice matters', I know how it feels to give awards, I hope I did not make other feel bad,

I like the hay the rolls are the same as I saw in France, right? I love your photograpy,the sunny looks the flowers, everything , as long as it is sunny.

Have great weekend, :) JoAnn

I posted again a b%W cow today , this one I saw last week, the cows are gone now....(tear)

Jo's-D-Eyes said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri ,

YES! you have a 'name-mate' however she a lot youngher than you and me (40) ( but ther'e 1 you) I am glad you know the name of this cow! (Friesians) Hmmm I am a cowlover, but don't even know their names (what a strange-love right?) You'r so right, the grass was all eaten-up and the farmer came here everymorning to feed the cows some extra bread besides their grass.

Its such a pity that the're away for the winter, I'll miss their 'welcome-MOOOHOOOW's in the morning, they really knew me and my dog. And YES, they do talk , from this cow in the picture, I am not sure 'what he/she said' but probably "hello".

Did you know that my dog is even eating Grass while looking at the cows?, Ios/she copying their habits.... That I'll miss also...

Have great weekend, :) JoAnn

Mrs. Darling said...[Reply]

Once again you have put up some gorgeous pics. Love the spider web one!

sonia a. mascaro said...[Reply]

I always enjoy so much your gorgeous photos, Kerri. You live in a wonderful place surrounded by much beauty! How lucky you are!
Have a nice Sunday!

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...[Reply]

You captured the web very well! I've been struggling with my new camera. The goldenrod and asters weren't blooming yet when we left. I imagine they will be when we get home. I'm hoping we still have many good weather days left!

Christy Woolum said...[Reply]

Both your spider web photo and the link are amazing. Congrats on the new kitten and the new award. I really like the way you caught the colors in the field with the Joe Pye Weed and goldenrad. It is lovely.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Kerri, your photos are as lovely as your views. Your place looks so peaceful to me. A vacation dream.

Val said...[Reply]

Kerri, that elm tree looks a bit odd. Is it sick? Has the elm beetle gone through your area? We had an investation a few years ago but fortunately got onto a really good company that got rid of the pests and they come around to do regular checks.

Val said...[Reply]

Er, that should be "inFestation".

Tabor said...[Reply]

No wonder you take summer walks as your area is truly lovely and so inspiring. I like that photo of the elm...even if it does look stressed. The spider web is lovely also.

Lis vom Lindenhof said...[Reply]

I do so enjoy your blog and the great pictures. Thanks for sharing with us.

Carole Burant said...[Reply]

Hello dear Kerri:-)

I'm finally catching up on all your news...between being away, the veggie garden and having company, it's taken some of my blogging time away! The nerve, eh? lol I so enjoyed all the pictures...it's no wonder you would like summer to last a long while yet, everything looks so lush and green. You are so blessed to live in such a beautiful rural area and yes, very lucky to also have such wonderful neighbours!! I see you have some new kittens around too...all are so adorable! Hope you're having a fabulous Labour Day weekend my friend!! xox

Linda said...[Reply]

Congratulations on your nice award Kerri. I couldn't agree more!! You absolutely deserve it.
Thank you so much for that lovely walk. This is the time of year I miss living upstate NY. It was good to see a little bit of it again.
Have a great weekend!!

Anonymous said...[Reply]

You are surrounded by such beautiful scenery! A walk must be a delight!

clairesgarden said...[Reply]

great spider web, they're difficult to capture. and nice for the cats to have somebody extra to cuddle.

Jellyhead said...[Reply]

What a sparkling, shining, intricate web.... and such a crystal clear photo of it!

Thanks for taking us all along for 'walkies'! ;-)

Midlife Mom said...[Reply]

Love all your beautiful pictures! Especially like the spider web one. Your cats are soooooo cute! How many in all do you have? They were sure captivated by that cord weren't they??! I've never tried putting a cat on a leash, don't think mine would like it one bit but we don't have much for traffic here so it's not a problem. Hope you are having a nice Labor Day!!

Annie in Austin said...[Reply]

It seems you were just showing us peonies - how can the leaves be ready to turn already? Time flies faster and faster, I guess.

Your photos as always make NY State seem to be a pastoral paradise, especially the goldenrod in front of the tree-covered hills.

Our garden is covered in spiderwebs, but they're not the classic looking ones in your photos. Ours stretch long threads across paths between shrubs and buildings - it's like a maze some mornings!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Sigrun said...[Reply]

Your Country-Side is realy beautiful and you have the eyes to make wonderful photos, Kerri!

Sigrun

Reflection Through The Seasons said...[Reply]

Hello Dear Kerri.....

Lovely to visit you, gorgeous picture of the spider’s web, well, they are all so beautiful. I love the haying picture too, great countryside scenes. I know I’ve been a bad blogger recently, I am trying to catch up and get back to normal.

Pleased you liked the veggie patch picture I posted. You were so right about not wanting to disturb those rows of vegetables growing, we started taking things out from areas that couldn’t be seen, just not to spoil the view of it all. Silly isn’t it!

I’ve been blackberry picking this afternoon, so bramble jelly will soon be available. I’ve never done the elderberry/apple jelly you wrote about, what proportions do you use. We have loads of elderberries in the hedgerow. With Love - Marion

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...[Reply]

i enjoyed the walk with you too....the web's really precious...and a lovely neck of woods, great neighbors, a lovely garden ...what more can one want :)

congrats on the award ...u sure deserve it :)

Cindy Swanson said...[Reply]

Kerri, your pictures are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing.

We had an enormous spider web on, of all things, our grill (the side of it!) I actually took a picture of it, spider and all. Then someone had to borrow our grill and the web was, of necessity, dismantled.

This is my first visit to your blog...enjoyed it thoroughly!

HORIZON said...[Reply]

Hiya Kerri. l just posted on going a walk to Sam's school- great minds think alike-lol However l must say that our walk is not quite so peaceful.
Love the photos- all of them- your neighbour seems really nice and it is good that you have someone nearby who loves your cats as much as you :)
l like Goldenrod too- have never heard of Pye weed before but think the colour is wonderful. We have a weed called, Rosebay Willow Herb- a beautiful sight if left to grow - wonderful pink colour.
Smashing spider web too- nice to see the morning dew- gives you that fresh feeling in the morning.
hugs and bests xx

Giddy said...[Reply]

Beautiful photos! We always drive through NY State on our way south in March to visit with the kids and grands and although it's beautiful that time of year, your pictures always make me want to go back in summer.

Jeanette said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri. You live in a pretty part of the world, enjoyed all your photo's especialy the spider web.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...[Reply]

It's very nice taking a walk with you & Sandy and I know how wonderful it is to have someone who really cares about Jasmine, taking care of her while you are away on trips.

I haven't been too successful (yet) in photographing a spider web, but I'll keep trying. Loved yours.

JunieRose2005 said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri,

I think you must live in the most beautiful spot on earth!!! Really-I mean this!!

All your pictures are just so beautiful!!


Junie

JunieRose2005 said...[Reply]

OH!! And loved the spider's web!!
Among my favorite things!


Junie

Pear tree cottage! said...[Reply]

Kerri, I have just had the best half hour and I know you are going to ask me "why?"

well I have been sitting here looking at all your photos of your summer months and as this is almost the first time I have had time to truly visit at any length, gosh I did enjoy each photo as is came up, very much!.

sharing these photos is like looking through a photo album sitting in your lounge room ((smiles)) so now all I need is a nice cup of coffee thanks.

cheers to you and your family. Lee-ann

squire said...[Reply]

On our trip to Penn State, I thought, "I wonder how close we are to Kerri's house?"

CountryGirl said...[Reply]

That spider web was a neat shot! It's wonderful to live in the country and enjoy the "unplanned gardens" all around. The goldenrod is beautiful right now. It won't be long before you are showing us beautiful fall photos with all those trees! I too can't believe fall is around the corner.

Cris said...[Reply]

Kerri, I showed these pictures to my husband the other day (I forgot to add a comment here!) and he said, how lucky you are to live in such a beautiful place! He really enjoyed your pictures!

Carol said...[Reply]

wow your photos are just so great.. I especially loved the ones with the spider webs..thanks for sharing them.