Big Bird

  Got a quick snapshot of one of the ravens that hang around our yard. This one had just finished feeding its youngster (that was as big as it was)....couldn't get the camera out fast enough to get a picture of the two of them.

Calphalon Grill Hamburger

 

Calphalon Grills are just as advertised, completely stick proof, and they clean up as easy as 1-2-3. A really good buy.

  The kitty thinks so, too.

River Birch Treets

This is as big as the river birch have become this summer. Maybe we had too cool a summer; it never seemed to get started. I'd thought they were very fast-growing; but they can't keep up with the hybrid poplars that add around six feet each year.

Hybrid Poplar, Easy to Grow

I pulled this guy up where it had sprouted from the roots of my larger poplar. Planted it a year ago, and it's already quadrupled in size. It's going to be a nice addition to the shade we'll be getting in the backyard next summer.

The Prolific Honey Locust Tree

This is just the few seedpods that have blown from the tree so far.


The tree limbs are heavy with browning/drying seedpods, ready to fall at the slightest breeze.

I'm saving them. Not sure what I'll do with them, but they make a nice display all crammed together in a large cup.

Jalapeno Pepper Progress

The peppers have all turned completely red now. They're shriveled and beginning to appear dried. Kind of a pretty display from the front of the house. Interestingly, the hummingbirds that come around to drink from the hot lips salvia nearby, do not come even close to the red peppers. Think they know something?

Another Wildfire

This is the third wildfire in our area this summer. This one has two hot spots, and strangely, it's in the same area of the valley as the two previous fires. Does that sound suspicious? To me, it does.