The morning temperature was barely 22 degrees this morning so I looked through my photo file and found a few favorites to brighten and warm the day.
The deer population has grown by leaps an bounds (no pun intended..but think about it!!!) and several times they have gotten brave enough to come up on the back deck and have a snack on my beautiful plants.
But I have accepted the fact that my hostas will loose some of their leaves before I can cover them up for the upcoming winter. But going into winter without leaves shouldn't slow down their growth next spring.

I participated in my first "Craft Fair" yesterday in Darby. We set up at 7:30 AM! and stayed until 3:00. The morning was just a bit chilly with the threat of rain. But the rain stayed away and a breeze came up which did help to clear out the clouds so we had some sun in the afternoon. But the breeze caused us to try to find some sunshine to be in to warm our cold and tired bones.

I was so very thankful that JW went with me to my first sale. I displayed my hand made bead necklaces, loose beads, note cards with my photos on them, also tile coasters with pics, and many of my photographs. JW brought some of the fly fishing vise extension that he and another gentleman designed and got good response on them too. We were both a little surprised at the amount of people in attendance. This function was to be held in July but because of the forest fire so close to town they changed the date to Saturday. So we were happy to see so many people. And we met many of our neighbors that we hadn't met before. That alone made the day worthwhile.

I did pretty well for my first showing. I definitely have a better idea of what type of photos people in Montana are looking for and are willing to pay for! I came home with quite a bit of cash in my pocket. So I had better find the next scheduled Craft Fair in the valley...I will do even better in the next one...experience you know!!! Knowledge is POWER!!!

OH NO!!!! NOT YET!

This is the scene we awoke to this morning! Brrr! We have had lot's of very welcomed rain for the last few days but were hoping that this type of scene was sometime away. And as you can see by the following picture, my flowers were not expecting snow either.
I have spent some of the early evening covering up some of the flowers that I am not ready to give up just yet. I hope it works. Yes, I did wish for a Indian Summer but it looks like it may not be here this year.

So my hours of playing out in the garden and flower beds may be coming to an end very soon for the rest of the year. But I plan to keep myself very busy working with my hand made beads and having fun with my photographs. Keep warm!

We awoke to a temperature of 30 degrees this morning...bbbrrrrrr! As I was washing the breakfast dishes I looked out the window and wondered..."What is that on my lawn?" As I looked closer I realized it was heavy frost frozen on my beautiful grass. DANG! Summer is going away, and I am going to miss the warmth and sleeveless days. As I am looking out onto the deck I really believe I just saw my precious Hosta's shivering.

The school bus is again on it's scheduled run, definitely marking the return of fall. There is a stop just in front of our house and it's fun to see the little kids get off and on the bus each day. Several have grown quite a bit since we first saw them at the beginning of school last year. It is amazing that we have lived here almost one year already. What a wonderful, busy year it has been. I have been on more hikes in this valley than I have been on in the total of my life! Many times I was able to go on hikes twice a week and always with a very fun group of people.

And JW and I have been on many fun day drives to explore all our new surroundings. So many wonderful things to see and do here in this wonderful place called Montana.

And at this writing the clock says it is 9:20 am and the Royal House Cat has not left her bed (or is that her throne?). That's one nice thing about colder weather...we will be seeing more of Her Majesty around the house.

JW is at the shop early today in preparation for a house guest that is also a Machinist so he of course wants his Kingdom to look good. Machinist are that way...everything in it's place and everything CLEAN. I am so thankful that he is able to have a shop of his own. Men and their toys.

The new house that has been under construction all summer next to us is beginning to take shape. There is still a deck to be put on the back of the house. The house is all sided and the side porch and the front porch are in place. We saw the carpet arrive 2 days ago and the painters are done. Spring will probably bring their new lawn and I imagine the barn to house her two horses will go up before snowfall. It's a very pretty home and we hope our new neighbors will be very happy and comfortable there.

I posted the flower pictures today just to bring a little sunshine into my readers lives. I hope it's working! Have a great day everyone..and thanks so much for stopping by.

This is a view from the lake trail last Tuesday. A major forest fire went through this area in 1988 and did a lot of damage to the forest. But fortunately there is a lot of beautiful new growth here.
This was a scene from our hiking group/walking group adventure to the same place last Friday. As we were hiking and chatting a shadow moving along the edge of the water caught my eye. It was wonderful to look through the trees and see that it was a beautiful Eagle in flight. But better yet was when he turned towards us and flew to this dead tree right next to the trail just ahead of us! He sat on this limb for several minutes preening himself. It looked like he had just left the water as he appeared to be wet. Of course I was busy taking as many pictures as possible and was thrilled to get this shot just as he spread his wings and took off in flight above us. Gosh, I love this camera!!! I am so blessed to get to see so much wonderful wildlife through my view finder for everyone to see too. Please click on this photo to see the real beauty of this magnificent bird!

I have spent a good portion of the day working on my photo online store...Gail's1stplacephotos on CafePress.com. I still have many photos to upload to products so I am trying to complete this task soon. Please stop by and see my daily added new products...and more are coming!

There seems to be a reoccurring theme here

We drove into Hamilton yesterday and of course we had to stop at the candy shop there! Montana sure knows how to make awesome candy! My favorite is the dark chocolate peanut clusters. But for some strange reason I can never make it all the way home with any of my candy choices. Darn, I just can't figure out what happens to it. I guess I need to keep going back until the mystery is solved. Yea, that's a real good idea!!!
This is another view of Lake Como, our hiking destination last Tuesday. This picture was taken looking towards the west, I think. The water you see flowing is from the waterfall farther up the lake, trying to find it's way to whats left of the lake further east.
This is a view of the East end of the lake from atop the earthen dam that causes the lake. The vehicle below is parked where there is normally a depth of water maybe 50 to 60 feet deep. At this end there is a wonderful picnic area, swimming section, and also campsites. And of course many beautiful views of the lake.

Our fall weather is fast approaching so I need to get out in the garden and get some of my potted plants taeken care of. Many of the Hostaa's have started into thieir winter sleep mode so they are ready to be put in a safe place for the winter season. I still enjoy playing in the dirt...always a kid at heart.

Our "Lake" hike

We couldn't make our hike on our scheduled day of Monday so we headed out Tuesday morning. Of course, Monday's skies were beautiful blue and clear, but Tuesday brought smoke filled skies again!

But we loaded up our stuff and headed out for the trail anyway.

We knew that the long hot summer (long for Montana!) had caused a shortage of water everywhere. But we were not prepared for the sight we saw as we pulled near the lake. This is a man made reservoir that is fed by a few small streams and one rather large one. But the lake contained probable only 1/3 of its usual water supply. I can certainly understand why the local people are hoping for a heavy snow this winter.

I am standing in the lake bed just below the largest of the streams that filled the Lake during the year. Yes, it's very low and what water there was had to travel quite a distance to reach what water was in the lake. We did venture out onto the lake bed looking for any treasures that might be there. We did find a boat anchor but it was just to heavy for either of us to carry it home...certainly NOT ME!!!!

I managed to get JW to pose for a picture too! Oh yeah, notice who is carry the back pack!! I am so fortunate to have someone that enjoys going on hikes too. We had such a wonderful day.

After we left the lake bed this is the type of trail we enjoyed around the lake. It's about 7 1/2 miles all the way around but we like to take out time and see everything and we do wander off the trail a lot! Gosh, I don't want to miss ANYTHING!!

The thing missing on this hike was wildlife. We saw a few chipmunks and a squirrel but no deer,elk or bear. We did find some very large moose tracks but I didn't get to see him anywhere. But we sure enjoyed the day anyway. It is a good, easy trail that we feel we could take any of our stay over guest to for a wonderful day picnic out in the woods.

Finally...CLEAR SKIES!!

Yes, we finally have smoke free skies for the first time in several months!

So, JW and I are planning a hike in the morning that is about 7 miles long. With clear skies and Lot's of fresh air it should be a good day for a hike.

Our weather is a warm Indian Summer type of time and my Hosta's are starting to become very thirsty as our irrigation water has been turned off for the year! It came unexpectedly to me so I didn't have time to prepare for this lack of water. I have managed to give away a few of my wonderful plants but I am carrying water out from the house to try to keep them alive. If we have a few more crisp nights the plants may start into their hibernation mode for the winter. Gosh, I never thought I would wish for chilly nights!

Sorry for my absences

I apologize for being so silent for the last few days. I have opened an online store and I am selling my photo images on several different types of products. There are note cards, calendars, mugs, mouse pads, and many more things to come. Please stop by often as I will be adding new photos and items as I discover new picture opportunities. My online store address is on the sidebar of my blog. Please stop by! And, again, sorry for being away but I am back again!!!

Another wonderful hike

Today just 3 of us made the hike around Lake Como which is between Darby and Hamilton. It was a beautiful sunny clear day and the trail was pretty much empty on this great day.

This bridge is at the south end of the lake and sits very near a beautiful waterfall just above this scene. This was early enough for us to enjoy the fresh crisp air that came up from the water.

What a wonderful sight we were witnessed to today. This Eagle flew up from the lake and sat on this dead tree and watched us as we approached. He may have been intrigued with our companion dog or just at the site of us ladies walking, chatting and laughing! We stopped very close to this tree and watched him for some time. And just as he tired of us and took flight, I was able to snap a wonderful photo of him with his wings completed spread open. Awesome!!! I may post that photo later.
This is a view of Lake Como looking south near the end of our hike. I believe the hike was a total of 7 miles. By the time we had reached this end of the lake the temperature had risen and we were ready to find the car! But these views were so amazing that we really did hate to leave the area and journey home.
We did find water near the parking lot for our wonderful hiking companion to cool off. She did drink her fill then just laid down in the water to cool down. She's a very good hiking dog and deserved this special treatment!

I am still amazed that every hike in this beautiful state seems to be more wonderful than the one before. And to have such easy access to all of these extraordinary trails is so incredible! Yes, I love this place.

Ravailli County Fair results

We drove into Hamilton Sunday afternoon to pick up my photo's that I had entered in the Photography section of this years fair. I entered 8 photo's and brought home a Second Place and a 1st Place ribbon. I am amazed that the old barn has done so well in both fairs as I have been told that this barn has got to be one of the most photographed barns in the Bitter Root valley!

Our valley has again filled with smoke from Montana's forest fires and also from the fires in Idaho. There are times during the day that you can't see ourmountains. The weather man is calling for some rain but we have heard that before so we will just wait and see!