Morning in Paradise...

Morning in Paradise...  Miki, Race, and I did our usual morning walk, but a little later than usual – after sunrise for a change :)  The dogs were all excited by the morning smells, especially those in the recently-mowed alfalfa fields we walked by.  I let them roam around the edges, sniffing like mad.  I think we're reaching about peak sunflower; we passed over a hundred blooms this morning. 

In the hay fields for miles in every direction, farmers were already hard at work – moving irrigation lines, mowing, raking, or baling.  A field of the barley fields have been harvested and their straw baled; the beautiful barley fields we walk by every morning will likely be stubble within a few days, dang it. 

I enjoyed all the early-morning lighting effects.  The dogs enjoyed their respite on a perch where they could see all around them.  The dog-level view, I keep forgetting, is very different than mine.  I got down on the ground with them this morning to see for myself – most places, all I could see was the road; the weeds alongside the road obscured everything else.  No wonder they depend on smell – you can't see much down there!