Lawrence wELK, Bucky, and Jr

Landscaping is so tasty...yummm...

I was surrounded by men! Two male Elk came to root around in our yard tonight. When I went to get my camera, they scooted over to our neighbor Ellen's yard. I snapped some pictures then walked back to our yard.. where "Bucky" and "Jr." were hanging out. I wasn't sure how elk and deer felt about each other, until Bucky went up there and hung out with the 'big boys'. Jr. wasn't so sure he was welcome. He stayed behind in our yard, then gingerly found his papa and stayed close. It was getting dark, so I gave up on getting a group portrait. Living up here is amazing. What a wonderful night for viewing the wild kingdom!

House, House and more House...

Getting Closer all the time...can you see a difference since I last posted? Funny how things like doors are exciting at this point! The staining is all done and we're starting finishing touches such as lights and flooring. Check out the moon coming up over the ridge.

Click here to download a song that will make you smile

What a Do-Da-Day we had today! I had to work this afternoon, but took an early morning hike up Rattlesnake Ledge to visit the nesting Osprey. Summit trucked along right next to me and enjoyed a snack "cookie" as a reward at the top. Here is a darling picture of him at the top, with a face only a puppy-mother could love.

The PCT (Pacific Crest Trail)

A couple Summers ago Vil and I hiked 185 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington. It took us about 12 days. A buddy of ours owned a small plane and flew us into a grassy airstrip in Stehikin, WA (near Hwy 20). He dropped us off and flew off to a tiny dot in the sky. Vil and I were standing in the middle of nowhere, with our packs....no one anywhere around and a windsock blowing in the breeze. SO.. we did what anybody would do.. we started walking! And 185 miles later.. we came out on Snoqualmie Pass. Thankfully, a friend came to pick us up once we arrived at the pass. It was an amazing journey. Here are some pics.

Backpacking and Summertime

There is nothing I enjoy more than getting into the backcountry in sunny weather. I've had the privillege of getting involved with becoming a backpacking guide in the last few years. There are so many memories of trips guided and with friends- they carry me through the rainy winters of the Northwest. Here are some pics of a trip I took with some REI'ers in Mt. Rainier National Park. Below: Coming up over the Panhandle Gap, Approaching Indian Bar

Shown here: The "hills are alive" with flowers. The sights of the colors and the sounds of the buzzing are treasures. Here a macro on a flower that has the ladybugs pretty excited.

What a throne! Hands down the best backcountry laterine in the park.

Right: A Hoary Marmot comes out of his hole to check us out. They are very friendly and curious.

The Black River Riparian Forest

There is a place so special, so natural and so wonderful it's hard to believe. It's even harder to believe that this place lies in the midst of freeways, shopping malls, car dealers, sewer treatment plants, manufacturing buildings and developments. It's called the Black River Riparian Forest- and it's amazing. It is home to one of the largest colonies of Great Blue Herons in Washington State. But others use this area too- eagles have thier babies here, Coopers Hawks live here with their young, beavers build dams in the waters, snakes, wood ducks, bats, kingfishers, cedar waxwings and a variety of other creatures call this place home.

Suzanne K. is the President of a non-profit organization she founded 18 years ago to save this spot from development. She has fought goverment, developers, and legislation to protect this unique and special place. Yes, she is an everyday hero- working hard to preserve this last standing grove of cottonwood trees, so these very important sub-species can give us back a healthy eco-system. Recently, she has become a close friend.
http://www.heronsforever.org/ .

I had the privillage of taking a pre-birthday trip down to the forest on the July 13th with Suzanne. We were there for two hours and saw, mating butterflies, fighting bees, baby Cooper Hawks, Osprey callenging Eagles, baby Eaglets, Heron fledglings, snakes, Green Heron, and a wealth of other things. Through Suzanne's special spotting scope you see these birds like this- just as they are here. Special thanks to Mike Hamilton- wildlife photographer and bird watcher for these recent photos.

These guys are babies. Suzanne gave me the pointers on how to tell. First, the wild looking eyes-just pure innocence and wonder. Second, pin feather on the necks and heads. Third, dark heads (the adults heads are white). Fourth- dark coloring on the tops of the beaks.


Learning to fish is tough.. this little guy is getting serious. See how bare his neck feathers are?
The little pin feathers on the head are so cute. They look like they just got out of bed.


These are the baby Coopers Hawks. Mike took these several days before our visit when they were just "cottonballs". There are three babies total in this nest.
This was the view that we had of them. Just figuring out their talons and checking us out. Very cute! Mama was most likely close by. Mike captured her here feeding them. The picture below really makes me laugh- I think he's singing soprano.

My Wonderful Birthday!

It's hard to believe that I'm 34! When exactly did I grow up? Somewhere in between high school DECA competitions and meeting this amazing man... it happened. Or has it? I'm still not convinced. I mean.. sure... I have bank accounts, bills, responsibilites, a career, a husband and a car...but I still love laughing my head off until tears fall, sticking my feet in mud and wiggling my toes, talking in a squeeky voice to the dog and playing harmless jokes on people.

Whether I'm "grown up" or still enjoying the process... one thing is for sure. Having a birthday is a gift. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with another year to experience that sweetness of life and I have this wonderful feeling of the years to come. There are so many things on my "wish list of life experiences", that I can't wait to see what the future holds for me. The unexpected experiences are often the best. As I wrote this, a small hummingbird came to check out the bedroom window. He hoovered there, at first further back, then cautiously came forward. He buzzed there in one spot for a few moments- almost as if to say "Good Morning! What's for breakfast?". See? Sweetness of life.

The "Buck" stops here... and so does the doe

This couple has been hanging out at and near our house for weeks. Yesterday they were enjoying some quiet time in the yard- until I snapped a couple of pictures and scared them. They are quite comfy in our yard and the little girl spends a lot of time sleeping in the dirt. They know they are safe in our neighborhood- I'm guessing they came down from the protected Cedar River Watershed near our house. Aren't they just deer?

Vil has MORE fun!

Whoever said this house building thing was stressful, didn't consult Vilnis. The gutter guys came out with this boom to try to put the gutters on the back side of the house (safety first). In the process, they ended up getting it stuck in the yard, and they spent all day trying to dig out out. Finally Vil came home and saved the day and fired up the excavator.

The rental company said they'd be out soon to pick it up. Of course.... Vil and heavy machinery go together like peas and carrots.. so he couldn't resist a ride. Cleaning the windows was a great idea! Play disguised as work.

Vil's New Toy

Instead of paying someone to do all this work, we picked up a mini excavator. Vil has been having the time of his life.

Our basement is our new temporary living quarters. Here is the downstairs bathroom. The shower doors are expected in the next couple weeks, so we are showering as carefully as possible without splashing. The countertops are being fabricated... so our sink is in the laundry room for the time being. The washer and dryer have become our "kitchen counter", and hey... it works! The laundry room will have white utility cabinets, but we can't install them yet until we officially move in- right now we have furniture and other things stored in there.

The last picture here is the foyer and our freshly stained front doors. The light color is a temporary panel which will be replaced with a cool piece of art glass.