Summer Life

There is so much to blog about, I don't know where to begin!

Perhaps I'll start with tonight's walk with Pup that was foiled because of this hungry bear getting his fill of delicious ripe salmon berries. Can't blame him.. they are delicious and time is ticking before this black beauty needs to stuff himself for a long winter! I turned around before I had a chance to see where a dog-on-string-attached-to-human might lead. Went home, grabbed the camera, then back down in the truck for some blurry windshield photos before he decided to bolt. Probably best. Also tonight's breaking news... Catawampus Wapiti (Wapiti-. the Shawnee word meaning "white rump") came for a visit. The neighborhood was a buzz about his horn-mishap, but it seems to be healing beautifully and he dined on a delicious delicacy of clover bud tossed with a hearty helping of tender greens.

Maya's visit came and went in the blink of an eye. Just simply flew by. We packed a ton into 2 weeks, so much so that she was disappointed that she didn't get to finish washing the windows. The woman loves to work and can do circles around most people I know. Seriously- love her so much (and not just because of all she does for us). I've created some videos for the fun, which I'll upload as soon as I can.

I had a birthday and celebrated yet another trip around the sun with a gorgeous day of hiking at Mt. Rainier. My husband got me this...and I was in shock. LOVE that man. Way to this woman's heart is through her camera :).

Got a lot of great gifts that were fantastic.. and Mom even got me some solar lanterns to complete the showy deck. It's been awesome sitting out there in the cool evening watching the parade of wildlife at dusk with my new lens. Andra knitted some hand warmers, Traci and family got me books- see? It's all perfect for summer evenings outside. I'm so glad I was born in summer!

My photos are being actively used for the City of North Bend campaigns- both the TV broadcast, the web and the banners which recently showed up all over town (Vil riding his bike, the sun through the trees at Rattlesnake and me climbing). I'm working on my celebrity status, but I've got a long way to go. No paparazzi yet :).

What else? So many great photos to share, but I'll put them in the videos. I'm so grateful for digital cameras- how in the world did I afford film?

Unfortunately, I'll end this on a sad note. The tragedies this month have been one after the next. The latest is the suffering of a wonderful character-of-a-coworker, who was in an ATV accident, who has yet to regain consciousness. He had a hilarious sense of humor and at times, he'd have us howling at work. He would light up any room and was well liked in part because he didn't judge and just loved life. One of the most positive people I've ever met has met with the ultimate test in life. May he fight, fight, fight.

With everything going on this month, it helps keep things in perspective. Life is absolutely fragile and precious and can change in an instant. Life life to the fullest and enjoy the blessings all around! Have a safe, warm summer!