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Phantom Spring Ranch got its name when my parent's first saw it. They visited the property in the summer having read about the numerous springs in the real estate posting.
Upon arrival, there was no sign of springs on the ranch except for the Little Prickly Pear creek which is seen in this photo.
Turns out the primary spring runs into the creek at the base of this small hill. You can see it in the hint of open water in the otherwise frozen creek. It's the outlet of the spring and is just warm enough to remain ice free throughout the year.
At other times of the year, a few other springs run in the gulches of the dry hills north of the ranch house.
The creek, numerous beaver ponds, marsh areas, and flat meadows are the reasons my parents bought the place.
The creek is mentioned in one of the stories in the book 'A River Runs Through It' by Norman Maclean. The story notes the Sieben ranch which neighbors this one - at 80,000 acres it's a significantly larger stretch of land than Phantom Springs.
Although only 30-45 minutes outside Helena, the capital of Montana (population 26,000), the valley and surrounding hills remain ranch land.
The creek and surrounding marshes are host to brown and rainbow trout, river otters, beavers, and nesting pairs of bald eagles and Sandhill Cranes. An occasional swan has flown through on migration.
The rest of the property is dry ranch land. It's host to many deer, elk, coyote, and more rattlesnakes than I care to have seen in my lifetime. My parents have also seen black bear, mountain lions, and one of the wolves from the original Yellowstone re-introduction pack. The wolf was identified after being tranquilized by rangers chasing it by helicopter.
It's a special place we love visiting throughout the year.
Midori welcomes spring wearing a flower chaplet made by AyuAna. And I was determined that she get to wear the Switch dress that was too small for her, so she sort of is, well...upside down.
Early morning at the moat around Hikone Castle, Japan. Night version will be uploaded next.
Happy weekend to everyone.
Kennebunkport, ME Water filled leading lines at Adams Family Tree Farm.
ABC Challenge M is for Monochrome
"Below, on the daisy's small threshing floor
The young honeybees have struck up a crazy dance
The sun sweats, the water trembles
Sesame seeds of fire slowly fall ..."
(Poetry : Odysseas Elytis - Sun the First)
DSC_0530flickr
Last Thursday we went to Williamsburg to see some of the gardens; only a few tulips in the large expanses of red tulips that make the gardens behind the Governor's Palace so beautiful each spring had started to open, but we found some earlier-blooming tulips and other flowers there and in some other gardens. This white tulip was in the Taliaferro-Cole garden just south of Duke of Gloucester Street. Another tulip in the same clump had not yet opened, and the bud looked quite green -- note the light green (or greenish yellow) still visible on these petals. I'm glad this one turned out pretty well, because I had to lie on the ground (which was a bit damp) to get this shot, a maneuver that seems increasingly difficult for me. Best if viewed large in the light box.
Didn't get as far in commenting Monday night as hoped, will resume Tuesday.
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
From 2 years ago. We had a pair that used to visit each Spring. The last time I saw or heard them was in 2021. Hopefully they will come back this year.
One of my favorite shots from yesterdays walk!
Thanks for all your wonderful comments!
Hey made Explore!!
“The world is a sign. Reality calls us on to another reality. Reason, in order to be faithful to its nature and to the nature of such a calling, is forced to admit the existence of something else underpinning, explaining everything.”
-Giussani, Religious Sense, 133
One of two photos showing the blossoming trees in front of our lobby in Toronto.
Happy Long Weekend in Canada! Thanks for visiting.
Beautiful woodland bluebells - behind barbed wire and nettles so could not get into wood - www.adamswaine.co.uk
...Their splendor is a statement, yet in a simple way. They give a casual beauty to a lovely new spring day...~ Linda Hogeland
From the archives....finally starting to feel like spring around here but still waiting on everything to bloom. Forecasting a high of 77 today, so I'm sure spring fever will set in by mid morning :-) Have a wonderful Thursday, and as always, thanks for all your visits & comments. Been a busy week for me, so I will catch up with everyone soon.
© Darlene Bushue - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.