The days they are a changing. I love this time of year. The days are cooler; much to my liking. The solid green canvas of summer is changing to the vibrant colors of fall.

I didn't do too bad this year. I usually take the summer off from posting here because I'm not on the trails as often when it is hot out. I managed to get out a few times on cooler days but spent a lot of time in the garden and under the canopy on my deck.

Most everything has been harvested from the vegetable patch. There are still a few beets, onions, carrots and beans to pick. My little garden beds produced well. I looked forward to going out and picking my daily snacks for work from there. Nothing like fresh vegies to munch on.

I was road tripping last weekend. I love driving Highway 22 south. The 'Cowboy Trail' has such beautiful scenery. Rolling pasture land, herds of cattle on the Waldron Ranch, rising foothills and mountain tops in the distance provide the amazing scenes along the way. This year smoke from the BC forest fires hung in the air and shrouded the views. I could see the cattle but that was about it. The rest was a smokey haze.

The trip to Loon Lake made up for not being able to see the mountain tops. What fun it was paddling around this beautiful little lake. Loons swam, dove and sang their wilderness songs for us. Western painted turtles sunned themselves on logs protruding out of the shallow water. We were so busy watching the turtles that we just about missed seeing a couple of white tailed deer who were keeping an eye on us from the shore. The four hours that we were out there just seemed to fly by.

I thought I would give Highway 22 another try on the drive home but the conditions were the same. Hopefully there will be some good rain soon, without lightning, to assist the fire fighters that are trying to control all the forest fires.

I got to my favorite hiking trail today. I just wanted to wander and take in the sights and sounds. The wind rustled the leaves and created a shower of yellow ones. They landed on the trail creating a colorful carpet. The squirrels chattered at me when I interrupted their hunt for food to add to their winter stores. Blue jays called from the tree tops.

The colorful underbrush is displaying a palate of red, yellow, brown and orange. The pond plants are turning yellow and there is a golden glow everywhere. I love this time of year.

I'm hoping for some nice weather for the September long weekend. I've got three days off work and plan to enjoy every minute.

Helicopters were picking up water from the Elk River to dump on nearby forest fires.

Western painted turtles

Loon on Loon Lake

When I look toward the ponds, I miss what may be in the trees. When I look up to the tree tops, I miss what is happening in the ponds or on the trail itself. When I'm driving, I scan the ditches for animals as I watch the road. There have been birds and animals everywhere lately.

There were a few eventful drives to work this week. A skunk scampered across the road in front of me. A spotted fawn grazed in the ditch until I got close and then scaled the barbed wire fence in one giant leap. The elk grazed in a hay field until the hay was cut.

At my favorite hiking trail, the swans have been active on the pond; sadly without little ones. The Eastern kingbirds have been bullying the warblers and sparrows. The woodpeckers were searching for grubs under the rotten bark on fallen trees. Hawks soared overhead.

The yard was full of action as well. Bumblebees the size of a hummingbird buzzed from flower to flower. Dragonflies swooped in their quest for a mosquito lunch. The hummingbirds, at least four of them, have been vigorously feeding at the sugar-water feeder.

These creatures have provided me with much entertainment. They were everywhere but I have to start looking down. On my last trip to the trail for a quick walk, I gawked around in every direction but down. At the last minute my eyes caught a hint of movement in time to see a two foot long garter snake curled up right where my foot was going to be placed. Eeeeek! I don't mind snakes but the thought that I just about placed my foot on it still gives me the shivers. I need another set of eyes.

Female ruby throated hummingbird

Hairy woodpecker

Eastern kingbird

Trumpeter swan

The chairs in the garden have been put to good use. Each day after work, I head to the garden to see what's new. I've been lucky so far in that there hasn't been any hail so the garden beds have become a jungle; one that is producing vegetables by the bucketful.

When I created the garden six years ago, I opted for garden beds. I'm glad that I did. They came with frost covers so crops could be started early. I tried that this growing season and have been rewarded.

The beds contain potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, peas, purple beans, beets, lettuce, two types of onions and scarlet runner beans. I planted cherry tomatoes, ground cherries and cucumbers in planters as well. The crop has been bountiful.

When I get home from work, I grab a cup of coffee head out to the chairs that sit amidst the plants and shrubs. From that vantage point I can see and hear the bees that are pollinating the blossoms and the hummingbirds that feed off the red flowers on the scarlet runner beans. Butterflies flit from container of flowers to the flower beds. There is so much activity!

The garden has given me much joy as I watch it grow. It is exciting to see the progression up the trellises and the growth of the fruit and vegetables. 

This week the pumpkins have had growth spurt. I could see the difference in them each day so decided to measure one. There was a difference of 3cms in circumference in just one day!

While I sit in my garden chairs and watch nature in action, I ponder how I will change things up next year. Notes are made in the garden journal and photos are taken for reference. 

It's not every year that I have such luck with the garden growth so I will continue to take it all in as much as I can for the remainder of the summer.