"Bob" came for a visit this afternoon....

Nice of Bob or Bobette to stop by for a stroll across our "back 9". Come on now Bob...don't be a bashful.

Atta kitty!

Mama and cubs!

Tonight about 45 minutes ago, a mama bear with 2 cubs was spotted in the neighborhood. This is not the first sighting- they've been here for about a week. When a car comes into sight, she runs away with the little ones at high speeds. That part is good. I normally am not fearful of bears, unless they have cubs and are close. The latest sighting had them right by the road where I walk Summit. I don't know how a mama bear cub would react with cubs seeing a 105 pound German Shepherd and it's owner walking near them. I guess I'll be singing loudly for the next little while and walking with my bear spray. Won't that be a sight!

"Michael row the boat ashore...Hallelujah..."

Mystery Solved!

I really wanted to find out what kind of bird we had encountered in the Olympics that put me into a high-stepping dance. I posted the photos and asked for help on the bird forum and found out that she is an American Pipit!

My bird book says that they lay 4 or 5 eggs in a cup of grass and twigs built on the ground in a shelter of rock. In North America the Pipit feeds on countless insects on the edge of tundra puddles, where as in alpine meadows it visits unmelted snowbanks. Warm air rising from the valley below transports many insects to high altitudes; many of these die and are frozen in snowbanks, providing food for the pipits.

Perfect- snowbanks around the area... meadows and a lake with several tarns around. Mystery solved!

Yesterday we said good-bye to a friend. It was the final good-bye.

Several weeks before his passing, he and I were at work and he was telling me about a jacket he had just ordered. "It's the best jacket ever," he said with a sunshine-filled smile. He proceeded to tell me what a value it was and how he couldn't wait to try it out in the rainy season. He looked away for a second, then with a big toothy grin said "YOU... should get one!" I explained that my life was complete without another jacket in it- but he insisted..."try mine on... you'll love it!". "Nate... your jacket wouldn't fit me!" I responded. But he continued with a goofy grin..."No...seriously, try it on...I'm telling you... you'll love it." Each time we saw one another after that he asked "have you tried it on yet?" Finally one day, I went in the breakroom and saw it hanging there. I put it on. The sleeves were hanging way past my hands, the shoulders droopy and the thing looked like a tent on me. I begrudgingly walked out to the sales floor. He looked up and laughed "Looks great on you!" We shared some silly giggles about the coat and he insisted I consider getting one... in my size. He really loved that jacket.

When you hear of death, all sorts of things go through your mind. Among other thoughts, oddly, was how he wouldn't get to see if his favorite jacket worked for our rainy season. The thought made me so sad. I wondered where his jacket would end up. Death is so final and you leave the pages of life just where you stopped....his facebook page is still up, clothes still in his closet, etc. They don't put luggage racks on tombstones.

The mood was quiet, there were lots of tears. His wonderful parents greeted each person as they entered the family area, where Nathan's body was resting. With each new person, were more tears and hugs. I couldn't wrap my head around how difficult that day was for them. They were burying their 27 year old son.

We stood in a line filled with friends and family and watched a slideshow of his life in pictures...memories of him smiling with his motorcycle, paddling on a lake with him Mom, at his brother's graduation, etc. Finally we got up close enough where we could look in and see Nathan resting. I burst out in tears...his family had chosen to lay him to rest.. in his favorite jacket. The hood was up, and tucked in with him, was a map of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. He looked perfect- just as I remember him-not like death had won. Through tears, I told his Mother how much he was loved and how perfect their choice of outfit for him was. We shared a teary-eyed smile about him making me try it on. He resembled his father so much that it was almost uncanny. His father embraced us and we shared some more tears. We walked over to beautiful, resting, Nate and said good-bye. I will never forget him- he brightened the lives of so many people. In life he brought us all together... he did the same in death.

Yesterday was a hard day. Today is better. I will live life to it's fullest and maybe...I'll even stop and consider ordering a new jacket.

More pictures...

I'm still going through a bunch of pictures from our High Divide trip. As you can imagine I have over 1000! Again... how did I afford film? Here are a few more fun pictures/highlights.

Through the tent mesh... so much for napping.

The song from Brigadoon "Heather on the Hill" was on repeat in my head out there. Literally miles and miles of white, purple and pink heather. It was completely magical.

Budding Bear Grass

Maiden hair ferns are my absolute favorite. The contrast between the black stem and the green-so-much-it-hurts coloring is a vision.

This is what we were calling the "Moon Tree". I think Mother Nature forgot her underpants.

Heather, Bear Grass and Mt. Olympus...

Solduc Falls

High Divide!

Last week, we headed into the woods in the Olympic National Park for several days. It was sheer bliss. The weather was perfect for us, the creatures were ready for me and my long lens and the snow was melting out in the high country. We saw 10 bears, oodles of birds, marmots, deer and had a herd of mountain goats join us for a couple days. It was one of those trips where you forget everything you know about responsibility, phones, email, bills, etc. Just bliss. Here are some highlights.

Avalanche Lillies

Bear Grass

Isn't this beautiful? I couldn't get enough. That's Mt. Olympus in the background.

Vil had fun iceberg surfing. I was waiting for the dunk, but it never happened.

One of our camps was at Heart Lake. Fitting name, wouldn't you agree?

I joined a gang out there.

How cute is the smile on the baby here? This just melted me.

Good story. Birds and I don't get along. Not that I don't love them, because I do... I just have a real hard time with beaks and claws. This bird literally chased me- dive bombing. It was a great laugh for V who watched and I screamed, shouted, tripped, waved my trekking poles and ducked as this little feathered number screeped and thrashed above my head- each time I went near Heart Lake. We never did figure out where the nest was that she was likely protecting. Funny- it was just me- not V.. that she didn't like. I think it was my yellow shirt...right...that was it. Eventually, I had a good conversation with her and told her that I was one of the good-guys.

Lots of bears like this one were our neighbors on the hillsides. Each night we went to bed knowing there were several bears within view. They left us completely alone thanks to responsible food practices and bear canisters. Aren't they gorgeous?

Brook trout, caught on the fly! Too many to count. Endless fun, too.

Sardines!

Check out this baby marmot. It was the first time we'd ever seen one this young. It was very wary about being outside the safety of it's burrow. What a precious! Young marmots stay with their family in their burrow for up to 2 years.

These marmots are the Olympic Marmots and are a special type found no where else in the world. They look every similar to their cousins the Hoary Marmots, but vary a bit. They hibernate September through May and are active during the summer. Olympic Marmots are Washington States official endemic mammal.

Yup... it's heavy too. I'm a mule.