Fire in the Sky - Again

Fire season is upon us here in North Central Washington state. There are several fires burning including one near Lake Chelan. When I stepped outside this evening, not only could you see the smoke wafting down valley but you could smell it. Brings back memories of last year. Not good memories either.

I can only hope the idiots with fireworks are smarter than I give them credit for and they don't shoot them off tonight. We do not need a fire here in the Methow Valley. Conditions are ripe and the wind is blowing. It wouldn't take but a small spark to ignite a large fire.

Smoke as seen up valley

Vibrant Sunset

Hope your Fourth of July was happy and safe!

Sunsets at the Lake

Friday, January 10th - Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Saturday, January 11th - Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Skywatch Friday - SOOC Sunset

Straight out of the camera - yesterday's sunset.

Do you see the giant goose flying south for the Winter?

Linking to SkyWatch Friday.

Barn Charm - Sunset on the Farm

I passed by this barn and had to turn around and come back to do a sloooow drive by capture. I like the brickwork on it. This was a neat and tidy farm - well cared for even though the top of the silo is missing.

Near Perham, Minnesota - late January 2013

Linking to Tricia and Barn Charm at the Bluff Area Daily. Click on the icon below to start your journey this week.

Parting Shots

I'm heading home today to Washington state for the holidays but I'll return to Minnesota early next year.

Perham, Minnesota Sunset

Wow...this is post #100 of the new blog. My how time flies!

Methow Valley Sunset

Taken a few weeks ago. Things have been hectic and I have neglected my blog yet again.

Methow Valley Sunset

Mountain Layers

Just after the sun goes behind the North Cascade mountains, a soft glow layers the distant hills.

Methow Valley Sunset Looking North From the Airport

Cashmere, Washington

It's hot here in Cashmere, Washington - home of Liberty Orchards Aplets and Cotlets factory. We drove into town this morning to take the tour, but alas, it is Saturday and the factory is not running. No tours, just a video to watch. Nah, not interested in watching it on TV.

Downtown Cashmere

We drove around town a little bit, made a quick stop at the local hardware store, picked up another bag of ice at the grocery and returned to the Chelan County Fairgrounds. No fair this weekend, just a place to camp since the campgrounds in the Wenatchee Valley are full. In fact, the county RV park in Wenatchee referred us to fairgrounds.

Chelan County Fairgrounds RV Parking Area

We've got full hookups - water, electric and sewer - for $25 a night. If you stay three nights or more, the rate is $20 a night. No trees here but it is a quiet place to stay. And the views aren't too shabby, either!

View Looking West

It must be the smoke particles in the air that are giving me another photo op for rays of light shooting from clouds in the sky. We saw them at home, at Beebe Park and again here in Cashmere.

More Rays from the Clouds at Sunset

There is one group fire ring in the RV area that we enjoyed to ourselves last night. No one else came to sit around the fire, not even the Good Sam Club Chapter that is camping here. We had a nice breeze blowing so it wasn't that it was too hot to sit around a campfire and swap stories.

This is a good place to camp if you want to explore the area. You are about 15 minutes from either Wenatchee or Leavenworth. Plus the town of Cashmere isn't bad either. They have a beautiful historic area that I'd like to go back and walk around.

Here's one place I want to come back and visit in town. It was too early this morning for this type of activity.

Mission District Wine Tasting

I thought about getting out my sewing machine this afternoon and setting it up outside on our picnic table to work on my quilt, but the humidity is high along with the temps. It would be a real sweatshop if I did so no quilting work today. We'll stay one more night here and then tomorrow we head home. Work beckons on Monday. Blech!

Methow Valley Sunset

The ever changing view from my front porch was this earlier...

Methow Valley Sunset

Things were hazy today. The news reported it was from massive fires in Siberia (yes, Siberia!) and wildfires in Oregon. As a result, we have an air quality alert through the end of the week.