Dirt, Butterflies & Another Weekend at Thorn Creek

Another weekend meant another trip to our property at Thorn Creek.

This time Greg had a skid steer at the property, and he had big plans.

He spent much of the weekend moving dirt, leveling out parts of the driveway, and building up other areas so we would have more room for parking vehicles, trailers, and ATVs in the future. It’s amazing how much one machine—and one determined person—can change the landscape in just a couple of days. While he was out there Friday he moved a lot of dirt before I even got there. He built out near our fire pit, leveled out the ground around it and put in a retaining wall. This is where our drainfield will go so he’s getting it ready.

While Greg worked on the bigger projects, I had a few jobs of my own.

One of them was staining the “crap shack.” I absolutely love it and want it to last – even if we wont need it after the cabin is built we plan to use it in other areas. So I’ve sprayed it with Bora-Care to protect the wood from bugs and now staining it to protect the wood from the sun and weather.

I started and had made really good progress and had most of the front side finished when disaster struck.

I accidentally knocked over the can of stain.

Almost all of it spilled out.

I was so disappointed.

Not only did it feel like money literally soaking into the ground, but it also meant the project wouldn’t get finished that weekend. Sometimes property projects seem to go that way—two steps forward, one step back. I was able to scrap a bit out of the can, finish the front and half of one of the sides.

After my staining adventure ended unexpectedly, I went to help Greg.

He wanted to wet down the dirt as he moved it around so it would compact better and keep the dust under control. So while Greg drove the skid steer back and forth, I stood nearby with the hose spraying down the freshly moved dirt.

It’s probably not the most glamorous job, but it worked.

Of course, in between projects, I kept finding reasons to grab my camera.

The hillside near our property has patches of Spreading Dogbane – these tiny little pink flowers, and the butterflies absolutely love it.

I was amazed by how many different species I found.

Bright orange Great Spangled Fritillaries, huge Western Tiger Swallowtails, tiny Mylitta Crescents, Gray Hairstreaks, Pale Grass Blues, and even a black-and-white Police Car Moth.

There was so much life packed into one little patch of flowers.

One of my favorite things about photographing insects with my larger camera is seeing details that are impossible to notice with the naked eye. When I zoom in on the photos later, I can see their fuzzy legs, giant eyes, and the long straw-like tubes they use to drink nectar. While zooming in on some of the butterfly pictures I even found a tiny almost translucent spider trapping an insect. Which would be almost invisible to the eye because these flowers are already small.

It’s fascinating to see a tiny creature transformed into something so intricate and beautiful.

Later in the afternoon, we made our way down to the creek.

Greg brought his machete and trimmed back some of the branches hanging over the water so we could see more of the creek and walk through it more easily.

The creek looked inviting…

But the water was still freezing.

We attempted a cold plunge, but I couldn’t quite commit. I laid down in it and my front side wet, icy water took my breath away and I was done, couldn’t get all the way in.

Maybe someday.

While wandering along the creek, I found more caterpillars to photograph, because apparently there is no limit to how many bug pictures I can take.

That evening, we headed into Idaho City for dinner at Gold Miners. We both ordered the brisket French dip with tater tots, and it was absolutely delicious. After a full day of working outside, it hit the spot.

As has become our usual routine, Greg stayed at the property that night so he could continue moving dirt the next day while I headed home.

I had plans to go paddleboarding with a friend on Sunday, so I left before dark.

On my way home, I made one more stop at the osprey nest along the highway. The babies had grown so much in just two weeks. The last time I stopped, I wasn’t even sure how many chicks were in the nest. This time I could clearly see there were three.

It’s amazing how quickly everything changes this time of year.

This lizard was in the crap shack while I was trying to stain.