out with a bang

I have mixed feelings about this time of year.

On one hand, summer is just about over, ushering in falling leaves, a new school year, and chilly weather. On the other, there's a new crispness in the morning air, a musky new scent on the wind that can only mean a new season. Sometimes I wish photography fed not only the eyes, but also the nose so you could see what I mean.

Like the cool freshness of a sunset thundershower, rain pouring in dark sheets down on the horizon from scarlet-lined clouds:

See the rain coming down at the treeline of Blockhouse Butte?

Mt. Adams was shrouded by the clouds, too.

Then there's the new produce coming in from the garden, the dinner table laden with home-grown vegetables. I love using the soft, natural afternoon light to take pictures of them. Corn on the cob is my favorite. :)

Most of our fruits aren't quite ripe yet, but it won't be long till they are.

And what's as down-home as having thirty-four cows grazing right outside your yard? Dad just moved our herd onto the pasture by the house to clean up the leftovers in the barley fields.

That wire is what separates that nose from my backyard. :)

And finally . . . King Oscar, in all his pristine royal glory, admiring his reflection in the shiny wood floor. :)