Snippets of Summer... Part II...

It seems like this summer that all I'm able to do is continue to share snippets of our summer!  We are so busy enjoying the lovely days and all the garden chores that go along with summer that my poor blog is feeling a little neglected!

I must say that this summer has been one of the loveliest that we've had in many years.  We have been blessed to have lots of sunshine mixed with plenty of rain, and cooler weather too.  My garden has come along nicely in the last couple of weeks, as we've hit temps again into the 90s, but cooling down into the 40s at night... can't get much better summer weather than that!

Some pictures of the days slipping by like pearls on a string...

The loveliest summer wedding ...

 A wedding dress worn for the third time in the family.  This dress was worn first by the groom's grandmother, then his mother, and now his bride.  Amazingly... this generational wedding dress fit her perfectly, and needed no alterations!

The groom's sister buttoning up this lovely 3rd generational wedding dress...

The bride... an exquisite vision of beauty and joy.

I think this is my favorite picture out of the many I took that day...

Just married and driving off... our daughter caught the bouquet thrown by the bride... don't think I'm ready to marry her off any time soon, lol!

Speaking of generations... can you guess which generation this handsome fellow is part of?

If you guessed Rudy being his father... you are correct... I have been working on Pepper, carrying him around with me several times a week.  I want him to respect me, and not have the issues we had with his father, King Rudy, lol!

Roger's sweet face on a hot summer afternoon...

Zucchini are now growing prolifically in the garden!

The last of my summer raspberries.

Thieves in the garden!  The wasps were eating my raspberries if I didn't pick them early in the morning.

I don't like sharing my raspberries with the wasps, lol!

This huge squash is growing in my garden.  It was a "volunteer" that just showed up in the potato patch and started growing!  I believe it is looking more like a pumpkin now, although for a while, I was wondering if it might be a watermelon... in time we will see!

I love the happy faces of the flowers growing in the vintage pots I have scattered around the garden.

Switching gears from the garden.... we took a hike back up into the woods with friends of ours to view a waterfall we were unaware of.

Beautiful isn't it!  It was only a short walk down to the falls, and it was lovely and cool there with the misty spray coming off the falls cooling the air.

There was a lovely winding trail that followed the creek and we found this little spot to stop and just enjoy the beauty and serenity there.

Many downed trees created a little oasis for mushrooms to grow.

You can see this creek runs pretty high in the spring, judging by the water line on the trees.

We found a little picnic area and the guys got the charcoal grill going for a relaxing picnic.

Our view of the lake as we enjoyed the picnic.

 Evening shadows drawing in over the lake, now still from all the motion earlier in the day.

An incredible sunset serenaded us as we drove home.

Magnificent.

 Blessed we are to live in such a land of perpetual beauty.

Sorry, I probably shared way too many of these sunset pictures, but I couldn't hardly choose which one I liked best!

Switching gears again... my husband and I went for an afternoon drive.  We turned onto a logging road, and began taking whatever roads suited our fancy.  Imagine our delight when one of the roads we were on began to lead us beside the river!

Now you would think, having lived in this beautiful area as long as we have that we would have seen all there is to see, with all the sightseeing we do, but I'm telling you my friends, we probably haven't even touched the surface of what there is to see and do in this incredible place we live in.

A perfect campsite, if you ask me!  Situated on an outcropping, with gorgeous views of the river in all directions...

I can just imagine camping here, and waking up with coffee in hand, and the views of these mountains at sunrise... be still my soul!  We must come back!

And we will.  My husband and I are making plans for when the busy duties of garden have slowed, to come back here and enjoy a night or two on the river.

Each bend of the river offered different views, and each one seemed better than the last, although how could that be!

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Our daughter has been busy painting.  She has been asked to showcase some of her work at a local gallery.  This is one of the paintings she worked on recently.

Daisies... sadly the last wildflower of the season to bloom before the leaves begin to fall... oh I do so love daisies, but when I see them blooming, I know summer's end is near.

Recognize this pretty girl?  At my request, our daughter produced this painting of Annie.  It is not finished, she still needs to add the wildflowers...

I took the picture of Annie in the lupins this past spring... remember it?  She painted the picture using the picture I took.

I can't wait to have the painting hanging in our home once she finishes with it :)

Homemade pizza in the middle of the summer - it is a rarity for me to cook many meals in the oven during summer... but we were all feeling like eating pizza, and it was a treat we all enjoyed :)

I didn't get a picture of the pizza as it was coming out of the oven, but as we were putting away the leftovers, I got a picture...

In other news... the first reported wildfires in the area started up this Sunday, but there are none reported close by to us, although the wind has certainly shared the smoke with us.  Late summer is always worrisome for the forest fires that can start as simply as a tree falling on a power line, or being hit by lightning, so the possibility of fires are a real one here now.

I know that summer days are winding down... both my children started college this week!  Hard to believe that summer has been here, and now is leaving us.  It is a transition in our family with both our children now in college.  Seasons come and go, and we must welcome each one with joy, there is always sadness and joy that comes with each one, and I choose to look for the joy!  Soon the harvest will be abounding in the garden with my corn about to ripen, green beans fattening up,  potatoes bursting through the ground, and tomatoes gently starting to ripen.  Harvest time is a wonderful time, and lots to look forward to.

Are you ready for fall? As for me, I am still enjoying the lingering warmth of summer, but the cooler days of fall and the season of harvest will be welcomed gladly too.  :)