Daily Walks

I am very blessed to live in a place that I find beautiful. I usually take daily walks, sometimes to exercise the dogs, sometimes because I have work I'm doing (right now I have to take all those tags off the Christmas trees), and sometimes because I just want to.
I also take long walks when I am hurting a lot. I have a tailbone injury which makes sitting for very long painful. I can recline, stand or walk (even dance) without much pain. Once those endorphins kick in, I don't need pain pills. : - )
I usually try to take my camera with me, and always regret it when I don't.
I would like to share some of my photos with all of you, and invite you to share your daily walks. Even if you are walking out in the back yard, on a beach, or a park, where ever you walk.
The thing about my walks is that I never cease to marvel at the beauty I find in nature. So I thought this would be a great way to spend some rainy days, and yes, I do go walking in the rain, but I'm putting my camera in a ziploc baggie when not actually in use, just like I do at the beach.
Here are some of the photos I was able to take on recent walks and some my ES took today.
This photo is one of my favorite places to walk to on the farm. It's the hill out back we call Red Hawk Hill.
Enjoy, comment, add your own stories and photos!
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf

I know that to a lot of people that looks like a lump of dirt and rocks. But they don't see the world through my eyes. Day to day and hour to hour Red Hawk Hill changes. It's never the same twice.
This photo is closer to the house and you can see my faithful, fourfooted, furry companion, Daisy.
For those of you who are interested, she is part Lab, and part Dalmation. She's a sweetie, except if you are a coyote or a squirrel.

Another companion that sometimes accompanies me on my walks. I'm not sure what kind of feathered friend this is, but just enjoy it's company.

I guess my dog scared it and it took flight. Not the best photo. Felt lucky just the same.

This is the area I seeded with poppies. We are looking up at the crest of the saddle between RHH, and the smaller hill next to it, on the left. We'll be keeping our eyes open to see if any of those poppies sprout, and more importantly self-seed. I'll also be interested in seeing where they grow. I hand sowed the seed starting at the top of the saddle. Now it's up to gravity and mother nature.

This is a view of the smaller hill to the left. Such strangely shaped rocks.

Me holding the poppy seed package so I could remember where I planted them. LOL!

My other two canine companions leading the way down the game trail towards the house.

A tiny wildflower I saw on my walk hiding under a bunch of dead brush.

A nice green sage bush.

Links of old rusty chain that was recently disced up by DH.

A piece of quartz shining in the sun light.

Looking down slope and across Sweetwater Creek, towards the Christmas trees.

The elderberry is greening up! : - )

A flock of red winged black birds hanging out in a tree by the farm pond. They don't like my dogs either. Mostly because the dogs love that pond and lately have been coming out a slimy green color. The dogs are loving this rain, too.

Best photo I could get from a distance of the red wing black birds. I'm not sure, but I think I see yellow too, DH thinks they may be bicolor black bird. I am just glad to see them. They always make me smile. : - )

This wild fellow was quite entertaining. Another lucky photo! : - )
Also taken out at the farm pond.

You know how I love these little guys. This one is quite vigilant.

What a change a couple of days can make. These were taken today. This first one is from the dirt road our front gate is on. Looking towards the Christmas trees. You can see the water running down our firebreak/farm roads. Just behind the eucalyptus trees is low ground where water collects until it eventually reaches the creek.

The creek has water in it!

I love your rocks, SW! Nothing better than rocks on a hillside with green around. Don't you love the noises the blackbirds make? Lots of chirps and cheeps.
Our low growing sages are looking good with all this rain - hope they bloom better than last year. Our substitute mail lady likes to pause and sniff when they are in flower. A friend gave me lots of poppy seeds she collected, so I'm going to put those out when we have a respite in the rain.

Enjoyed the walk. ^_^

A nice winding creek, with water flowing from the farm roads into the creek in the far center background.

The walk never ends KC, and yes, I do love the sounds of the birds. Even the chirping of the squirrels. Now that Daisy is going deaf she doesn't kill them anymore, so they are coming back to live on this end of the farm. I did miss the little guys.
Start sowing your seeds at the tops of your slopes, KC, and watch what happens, we can compare notes. : - )
I do want to finish today's (this date's) walk, but will wait til tomorrow, so this is the last one for tonight.
I'm starting to fade out.
Walnut branches framed by blue sky during a break in the storm.
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf

Hey all,
Since it was raining yesterday, and DH had been playing with his tractor, water was collecting in places it didn't used to collect in.
I can't blame DH for this one. The power company came out and cleared this area around the phone pole. I had no idea they didn't clear out the old drainage channel which you can barely see behind that ridge of green, but if you look you can see traces of it.
Later in the day I had the boys dig out the drainage channel, because by that time I was pretty tired.
So this series of photos were taken yesterday, some by me and I'll let you know when ES really deserves the credit. LOL! : - )

In this view you can see how the water is running off the hill. The weather was finally breaking and we had a little blue sky too.

Looking down.

One of my projects yesterday, was to make a mulch path from the Bounder to the back patio. So for once I delegated, and the boys did the actual work. The water is flowing under the mulch, as you can see. That area that is covered with water is supposed to be my drive way.
Anyway, I think the boys did a really good job, and at least we doesn't have to worry about slipping in the mud or wading through the pond. This pond surprised me with the reflections. I didn't even see them until I downloaded the photos.

Another reflection, you can see the mulch path on the mid right side of the photo. Those big boxes have our firewood in them, and you can also see part of the gh.

My kitchen garden at the back of the gh is getting flooded. We are going to try some straw bale farming this year. The straw isn't exactly where I want it yet, but at least it's getting rained on. LOL!
I need some hardware cloth, and thought I'd kind of terrace it right there, and then backfill with dirt and other good things like some horse manure, and mulch.

Our new Lake Wicked. As you can see in this photo, it would naturally flow right down the driveway, except for the berm DH built. But if you look, before the lake gets to the fence, it curves to the right of the photo.

After reviewing the situation, I dug a small channel to let Lake Wicked go water the orchard area.
You can see my shadow too, LOL!

I was happy to see that it was starting to work.

Almost to the fence line.

Walking around to get to the other side of the fence, I spotted this guy up on the other power pole.

Using the telephoto, I got a better photo.

Best photo of one wet, very unhappy looking hawk. He has his feather puffed out trying to dry them out.

Okay, that was a nice diversion, but back to damage control. I made it to the other side of the fence and made a channel so Lake Wicked will continue to flow toward the orchard. It's all down hill from there.

Eventually the water will soak in or flow this direction through to the orchard and to the creek.

The water gauge yesterday afternoon. After that torrential minute of that 747 Rain, where I felt like I was driving through sheets of water, coming at me in sheets from all directions, and it was so loud I couldn't hear.

This is where my Eldest son took over. Being very proud of digging the channel out to clear the water away from the base of the power pole, he was naturally very proud of his achievement. He started taking photos for me, because I was done.
I was out of energy, because I also had to dig a channel so the driveway would naturally drain. DH built up the end of the driveway when ES was about 4 or 5.
You see, ES left something in the truck and went inside to retrieve it, then he accidently knocked the truck out of gear. The truck being on a slope, rolled slowly backward into the creek.
Meanwhile my YS is running into the house screaming about his brother and the truck rolling over him. Well we made tracks outside to check out the situation. We found the truck, but not ES. We looked all over for him. Seems like he was scared of getting into trouble because of the accident. So the little stinker was hiding.
He'd bailed out, scraped his arm on the dumpster that used to be by that gate. I think he lost one of his teeth and had a couple of scrapes and a good scare.
I forced myself to remember to use the parking brake when I park there, and DH built the berm. After we found the little guy, and I calmed him down, giving hugs and "ficcing owwies", DH had already gotten on the phone and called AAA.
When the driver arrived, he saw YS being a clingon, ES in my arms, and DH very calmly explaining how his truck got into the creek. The tow truck driver looked at DH and said, "You sure are taking this well." DH replied, "I'm just thankful my son wasn't hurt, the truck can be replaced, but not my kid."
Look at him now, growing and maturing. It's a humbling experience. Welcomed too! : - )
From here on you'll be seeing the farm through his eyes.
Enjoy!

This is where our farm road crosses the creek.