Idaho Nature Trails

Last Post

2010-04-24T07:43:00.001-07:00

I won't be posting on this blog anymore but will leave the photos up.

Toni

Hello again

2007-02-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

As you can see, since I switched to the new blogger, my profile is all messed up and is now my cat blog profile. So much for new and improved.

I haven't posted in forever. The surgery was a lot more than I figured. I am not going into my health issues, but I don't know if I am going to be posting anymore pictures here. The cat blog takes all my time, and I haven't taken any pictures in months. I will leave the blog, as is, for now. Time will tell......

Hope you are well.......

Toni

Last Post For A While

2006-09-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hi:

I am going to take a few weeks off from posting. Then, on the 19th, I am having eye surgery, which entails looking down for 9 days. (People ask me, "how in the world are you going to do that?" I tell them, "I don't like the alternative.")

I don't know how long the whole recovery process will take, but it will be three months before I can get corrected lenses. Wish me luck!

Toni

Old Barn

2006-08-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

My husband went to Arrow Works in Clark Fork, Idaho, to get his bow worked on. This picture was taken across the street; there is something photogenic about old barns and wooden fences....Taken 8/24/06

Hope, Idaho

2006-08-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, there is a town called Hope, about 15 minutes from our house.

These two pictures were taken, standing in the parking lot, of Hotel Hope, where we had breakfast. Those are the Green Monarchs in the far distance.

Morning Glories

2006-08-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

I start these from seeds every year. I love the vibrant blue color. Each flower only lasts one day, though. Taken... 8/20/05

Smoky Sunset

2006-08-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Smoke from forest fires fills the sky, turning the sun orange... Taken 8/13/06

My Yard (Third Of Three)

2006-08-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

The grass is really drying up this year. Taken 8/10/06
It takes me about an hour a day to water, weed, and fertilize.

My Yard (Second Of Three)

2006-08-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Some of the baskets on the retaining wall. Taken 8/1//06
(These I hand pruned, snipping off the ends and unwanted growth.)

My Yard (First Of Three)

2006-08-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Petunias before I cut them back by 1/3.....Taken 8/10/06
(I cut them back when they start getting leggy and scant of flowers in the center; in a few weeks they are solid flowers again.)

Miniature Roses

2006-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day gift from my son, Leigh.......Taken 8/1

Huge Cedars

2006-08-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

St. Joe Nat'l Forest

Our Summer Pond

2006-08-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

Dog days of summer....Taken 8/1/06

Moose On The Loose

2006-08-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

This big guy likes my yew and won't leave it along.

Home Sweet Home

2006-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Our cabin in the woods, taken 7/27/06

Petunias (Close-Up)

2006-07-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Petunia Time

2006-07-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Taken 7/4/06

Bee On Flowers

2006-07-24T07:04:00.001-07:00

Taken in the 100 degree plus heat....7/23/06

Geese

2006-07-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Two of the nine geese that come daily. Five are young that hatched in the goose nest on the pond, since grown up, and are now able to fly. Feeding them corn keeps them coming back.....Taken 7/20/06

Clearwater River

2006-07-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

North Fork Clearwater River, St. Joe Nat'l Forest

Mountain Scene (3)

2006-07-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

St. Joe National Forest (F.S. Road 1237)

Mountain Scene (2)

2006-07-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

St. Joe National Forest (F.S. Road 1237)

Mountain Scene (1)

2006-07-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

St. Joe National Forest (F.S. Road 1237)

On The Trail

2006-07-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Panhandle National Forest, in the mountains southeast of Avery, Idaho

Million Bells

2006-07-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Purple million bells petunias......Taken 7/8/06

Clemitis

2006-07-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

Clemitis is a lovely climbing perennial....Taken 7/6/06

Interesting Plant Stand

2006-07-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

Our son, Leigh, found this dead lodgepole pine tree trunk on his property, stripped the bark, and sawed it off flat. He delivered it to me, in his truck, the other day.

Robins

2006-07-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

These baby robins are at eye level, in a hemlock tree, close to the house.

Summer Pansies

2006-07-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

The heat is so hard on pansies, but a few still look good. Taken 6/3/06

Verbena

2006-07-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Taken 7/1/06

Summer Wave

2006-06-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Torenia hybrid.....Taken 6/29/06

We are on vacation until Wednesday. Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday!!

Time To Eat

2006-06-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Baby Squirrels

2006-06-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of the two baby squirrels my son and his wife are hand raising. Mom still hasn't come to get them. They are feeding them kitten milk and keeping them safe... Taken 6/24/06

Petunias and Violas

2006-06-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

The violas were planted months ago and are getting too tall now. They don't like this heat either.. .. Taken 6/24/06

Petunias

2006-06-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Front Yard.....Taken 6/22/06

Clearwater River

2006-06-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

North Fork Clearwater River, St. Joe Nat'l Forest....Taken 6/27/05

Clearwater River

2006-06-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

North Fork Clearwater River, St. Joe Nat'l Forest....Taken 6/27/05

Pots Of Flowers

2006-06-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Flowers on the back deck....Taken 6/19/06

Impatiens

2006-06-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is a double variety. It looks like a tiny rose. Impatiens don't like sun, great for a shade garden.

Our Pond

2006-06-19T06:27:00.000-07:00

I took the photo yesterday. After lots of rain, the pond remains high.
The baby geese are now almost full grown, after only 6 weeks!! (They are corn fed.)

Flowering Tree

2006-06-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

Flowering Ornamental Crab Apple Tree......Taken 5/18

Iris

2006-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

Till Later.....

2006-06-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

I won't be posting for a while. I am heading down to the Spokane Eye Clinic on Wed. for some tests; the results will let me know where I go from here. Wish me luck. We never appreciate the gift of site until we find out we may loose it.

I will still be updating the girls blog, I am committed now to the Catolympics, being the main reporter and having the event held here in the Big Piney Woods.

When I get the results back (I don't know how many days that will be) I will let you know at the bottom of this post.

Till later........

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~UPDATE~

I have a macular hole. It is very very small........the Dr. had trouble detecting it, until one of the tests showed it in a photo. This test is very new, pictures are taken of the back of the eye and put on a computer. Rather than operate, he wants me to wait 2 months and have it rechecked. It is possible it will seal itself. (the operation is done with microscopes, the hole is sealed and a type of gas is filled in the back of the eye.....you must remain FACE DOWN ALL THE TIME for 9 days so the hole can seal for the operation to be successful; very hard for me to do because of my bad vertigo/dizziness issue.) I have good vision in my right eye, it has picked up the slack, so for now, he said, go on as normal. (Is that possible?)

I guess this is good news??? I am not sure, at least I know what the problem is. Hoping it heals on it's own.

Great Cascade

2006-06-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

The tag from the greenhouse calls these Lophospermum hybrid, Wine Red
Something new I decided to try.

Ferns and Stump

2006-06-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

We left this stump when we had the land cleared for our home. I alway put a pot of petunias in the center and let them cascade down.

Azalea (Closeup)

2006-06-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

Azalea

2006-06-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Azalea in my yard.......taken 6/1/06

Lightning Creek Washout

2006-06-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it a bridge is going to be built, after numerous washouts.

Lightning Creek (Five)

2006-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lightning Creek (Four)

2006-06-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

Lightning Creek (Three)

2006-05-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

Lightning Creek (Two)

2006-05-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a better zoom lens to capture that waterfall. Gorgeous!!
(I will be getting a new camera soon.)

Lightning Creek (One)

2006-05-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

Taken Mother's Day...... 5/14/06

Fushia, Full View

2006-05-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

Fushia

2006-05-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

This annual likes filtered sun/shade and lots of water......Taken 5/18/06

Johnson Creek Campground

2006-05-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

Highdrive........Taken 5/14/06

Clark Fork (Seven)

2006-05-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork Valley.....Taken 5/14/06
This is the last one of the Clark Fork Valley.

Clark Fork (Six)

2006-05-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork Valley.......Taken 5/14/06

Clark Fork (Five)

2006-05-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork Valley ......Taken 5/14/06

Clark Fork (Four)

2006-05-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork Valley.........Taken 5/14/06
Serviceberries (Juneberries) in foreground

Clark Fork (Three)

2006-05-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork River, Clark Fork, Idaho......Taken 5/14/06

Clark Fork (Two)

2006-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork River, Clark Fork, Idaho.....Taken 5/14/06

Clark Fork (One)

2006-05-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

Clark Fork River, Clark Fork, Idaho......Taken 5/14/06

We took a Mother's Day drive East, through Hope, Idaho, into the sleepy town of Clark Fork. We turned right, heading up the Highdrive; then back to CF, turning left up Lightning Creek. In the next week or so, I will be sharing pictures of this lovely day. The temps were in the high 70's and the skies clear.

Toni

Impatiens

2006-05-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

This popular annual also goes by the name Busy Lizzie. This is a double variety....Taken 5/11/06

Tall Timber

2006-05-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

State Line Road, St. Joe Nat'l Forest......Taken 6/12/05

Bleeding Hearts

2006-05-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

This lovely perennial withstands frosts well. They are a staple in my flowerbed, very delicate and long blooming. Good as cut flowers, too....Taken 5/9/06

Can You Spot The Elk?

2006-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

State Line Road; St. Joe Nat'l Forest...Taken 6/12/05

The elk is a tiny spot in the center of the photo; just to the left of the snow, standing on brown spot.

Pansies

2006-05-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

My favorite flower, my favorite color......taken 5/6/06

On A Clear Day

2006-05-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hiawatha Bike Trail in the distance; St. Joe Nat'l Forest...Taken 6/12

Trillium

2006-05-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

This photo shows a trillium, after it has turned from white to purple.

Big Piney Woods Pond

2006-05-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Basket of begonias with pond in the background.....taken 4/26/06

With the hard freezes everynight, I have been busy taking plants in and covering those already planted. Everything is pretty white every morning.

We have 6 baby goslings now!!! They hatched out Sunday afternoon. Luckily, we caught the action and trained our binoculars on them. It took about an hour before they were all in the water.

Monitor

2006-04-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

This morning, when I booted up, all I got was a black screen. After calling Dell, and trying to get this guy to understand me, and having me unhook the monitor and test it, he decided to send me a new one. It will ship in 4 -5 business days, so that puts it arriving Thursday or Friday (I hope.) I am on my laptop right now, my emergency backup, but none of my pictures or my blogger stuff is on here. Hopefully, will see you late next week.

Gerbera Daisy

2006-04-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

My garden.....taken 4/26/06

Storm

2006-04-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Looking North, 7 sisters peaks, Upper Pack River.....Taken 6/11/05

Lakeview Park

2006-04-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Another one taken in Lakeview Park in Sandpoint, on Saturday.

Anemones

2006-04-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have had these for years, they keep mulitiplying...Taken 4/22/06

Pend Oreille River

2006-04-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

I went to a digital photo class at the library Saturday. We went down to Lakeview Park, in Sandpoint, to do a photo shoot. Here is one I took of Pend Oreille River.

Daffodils

2006-04-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

My flower garden..........Taken 4/20

I Found Spring Today

2006-04-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

I consider the trillium the harbingers of spring. They bloom white, turning pink, and then purple. They like it shady, the leaves completely die back after flowering. Taken...4/19 in the Big Piney Woods.

I found spring today

Walking through these quiet woods

Peering down between dead leaves

A tiny white flower appeared.

I found spring today

Along this meandering stream

Swelling with the melting snow

Tumbling to the rocks below.

I found spring today

In the robins call and geese in flight

As fresh breezes stirred

I felt life renew.

I found spring today

It wasn't lost, after all

Only sleeping, gently sleeping

Waiting for it's turn to bloom.

~Toni Britton~
4/16/06

Lawn Violas

2006-04-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

I found these in the lawn......Taken 4/18

Sunny Sunday (2)

2006-04-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

After the rain. .... My husband picked up a lot of nightcrawlers on the road this AM.

Sunny Sunday

2006-04-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Easter Sunday) we woke up to fresh snow on Schweitzer.

Daphne

2006-04-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

I planted this last year. The smell is wonderful!

Turkeys

2006-04-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Three turkeys came calling yesterday afternoon. They wouldn't let me get close, however.
(You can see two, to the left of the stump)

New Look

2006-04-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

As long as I redid the template for my cat blog, I decided to redo this one also. Hope you like it!

Far And Away

2006-04-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

State Line Area; St. Joe National Forest...Taken 6/12

Breathtaking View

2006-04-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

N. Fork of the Clearkwater, Panhandle NF...taken 6/27

In Search Of.....

2006-04-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Looking for huckleberries, Marble Creek Area...Taken 6/27

Waterfall

2006-04-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Waterfall by Taft Tunnel, Idaho side (E. Portal)........Taken 6/12

Priest Lake

2006-04-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Taken a few years ago, while boating on Priest Lake.

My Crocuses

2006-04-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

A garden shot....Taken 4/4/06

Familiar Trail

2006-04-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Roland Summit Area, St. Joe Nat'l Forest.......Taken 6/12

Water's Open

2006-04-03T06:51:00.000-07:00

The pond in the Big Piney Woods opened up yesterday.

We have the goose family nesting, lots of ducks getting ready to nest, deer are seen daily and we have a moose visitor, also. Spring is truly here!!

Front Flower Bed

2006-03-31T06:52:00.000-08:00

One of my flower beds, ready for planting. Heather & nice stump behind it...Taken 3/28/06

Heather (Close-up)

2006-03-30T06:48:00.000-08:00

Heather in my garden.....Taken 3/28/06

Pretty In Purple

2006-03-29T06:57:00.000-08:00

Violas I planted out a week ago......Taken 3/28/06

Nesting Geese

2006-03-28T07:13:00.000-08:00

This pair won the battle for the nest......Taken 3/26/05

It appears that she may be laying eggs, either that or just guarding the nest. Yes, that is ice on the pond. The edges have started to melt, and with this warm weather, the ice won't last much longer.

Thoughts......

2006-03-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

Cineraria in the rain......Taken 3/25/06

Usually, I am a very happy, upbeat person. Sometimes, however, I become nostalgic and with that I get a feeling of melancholy. It might be a place, a picture, a song (like yesterday,an old Marty Robbin's classic.) The older I get, the more I realize how fragile life is, how short, how sweet. Maybe it was the rain pounding on the roof; my cat sitting at my feet, looking up at me while purring softly; or the feel of my husbands arms, as he held me close, my protector, my refuge, my love. All the things we have shared together over the years, both happy and sad, both good and bad, knowing nothing is forever, that someday it shall all come crashing down. Yup, it was that song and the rain. Give me a minute as I brush a tear away, tuck the memories of my children into that far away safe place, and become that happy, upbeat person again.

I bought four cineraria the other day, (three blue, one red) and repotted them. I bring them inside at night, it is still too cold. They, and the violas, give my doorway a springtime feel, something I need right now, as I wait patiently for the sun to come back.

Neighbor's Horses

2006-03-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

Percheron draft horse ranch just East of us......Taken 3/23/06

Posing

2006-03-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

This is my (used to be) semi feral outdoor cat, Mistrie. She is enjoying the heat and sunshine. It has taken me two years, but I can go outside and she comes up to me, if I put my hand out. I planted three tubs of violas yesterday, she is posing with the posies.