Saturday, August 17, 2013

EVERY AUGUST--JUST LIKE CLOCKWORK

August in our neighborhood means...

Fresh picked huckleberries (watch out for bears).

Wild sunflowers

 Wheat harvest

Sunsets photos like this one I borrowed 
taken over the grain fields in Ririe, Idaho.

Hazy skies caused by the wheat harvest, but mostly by wildfires.

Those are not clouds in the west.  It's a bank of smoke rolling in from the center of the state.

The sunset is magenta

Like our eyes feel.

Photo taken August 10. It's much worse now.
"Southern Idaho's four large wildfires have burned 495 square miles since lightning hit the area six days ago.  The entire city of Boise is 80 square miles.  This satellite image shows smoke billowing from the four blazes burning in what appears to be a straight line across southern Idaho, just east of Boise."


Update:  A photo of the fire just above Hailey, ID.  Hailey is just a few miles from Sun Valley.  My oldest was born there.  Sending hope and good wishes to the residents and the fire fighters.

15 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

What a cool picture of those mountains. I've never had huckleberries. We used to watch a kids programme called Huckleberry Hound, but I had no idea what it meant. Just a name, y'know....

Linda Sue said...

Oh Geez leenie,If it gets too warm you know where I live! Your own bathroom now. Lots of water! I am so impressed with your booty of berries! and the wheat harvester against the mountains, really gorgeous! The sun set looks dangerous...ill, fore boding - pack a bag, just in case! We are ready for you!

Joanne Noragon said...

I cannot imagine what a huckleberry tastes like, but I can imagine huckleberry pie and I bet it is as wonderful as elderberry pie.

And, I cannot imagine living with wild fires.

Terry and Linda said...

The fires are just horrible! We can even see the smoke here. Makes for outstanding sunsets, but really nasty way. I love the wheat harvest photo!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

jenny_o said...

That looks very frightening. Take care.

Anonymous said...

Huckleberries are in the blueberry family. If you like one, you'll like the other!!

Val said...

Scary stuff, those wildfires. I am mentally retreating to the wheat harvest photo with a basket of huckleberries.

Anonymous said...

fingers crossed they get those fires out soon

Janice Grinyer said...

thats why our sunsets have the red sun thing going... sigh..

love Huckleberries! I put mine on cheesecake YUM!

TALON said...

Now I'm curious what huckleberries taste like...for some reason I think of them as a cross between a cranberry and a black currant...but that's just my crazy imagination.


Oh, those fires are so scary! I hope they get them under control quickly with minimum damage to property and certainly no loss of life. I guess every area has something to deal with, but fire is so horrifying.

Leenie said...

Fishducky is right. Huckleberries are very much like a blueberry in flavor but more tart and, maybe a little more intense. Feral is also right---topping a cheesecake or ice cream is a great way to enjoy them.

As for wildfires. They seem to come bigger and more every year around here, mostly caused by lightning and mostly turning forest land and often anything built in those forests to cinders in spite of the best efforts of firefighters.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Ah, Leenie, I sure hope you guys get some relief from the forest fires soon. Why can't we share some of the torrential rain the southeast is getting with you guys? Many years ago on our first trip to Montana, there were fires near Salmon, Idaho and the skies were so strange. I have a picture of the sun and it just looks like a fuzzy little light.

Oh, I love me some wild huckleberries, especially in a milkshake!!! Have one for me, okay?

Carla said...

Gosh, the fires are just awful. There's no way to understand how big those numbers/acres are. Prayers for everyone affected!!

joeh said...

I have a cousin in Hailey, good luck Sue, hope it is put out soon!

Sarah said...

Beautiful photos but terrible fires. I hope that they are got under control soon. There were fires in Washington when we were there but far away. It is such a problem!
Are huckleberries like blackcurrants? That is what they look like.