Sunday Snapshots

Here are a smattering of pics from this past week. We actually had a 70 degree day and I have the temp picture to prove it. It was spectacular! What a treat to be in short sleeves and feel warm. This weekend we broke a record for rainfall total for both Saturday and Sunday (today), so we're back to the old weather pattern...but it was wonderful while it lasted!

My boy.

The little devil that's been raiding the feeder. We decided...why not?

Trillium showing off.

Osprey hunting fish down at the lake.

A spectacular afternoon moon sight!

Spring is uncurling!

Nurse logs are amazing.

Woodpecker smorgasbord.

Lots of little fry around the in shallow lake waters.

Sunshine on my shoulders....makes me happy!

Yesterday the sun came out in the Northwest. For those of you lucky enough to see the sun more than once every two weeks, it's probably hard to understand how deprived we are here. April was the coldest one in history in the Seattle area. May has not been much kinder with rain, rain, and more rain day after depressing day. Average temperatures have been well below normal for April and May. So...when the sun actually comes out and the land warms up- it's becomes a wonderful treat and EVERYONE gets outside. The news media is hyper about the sun and it's the breaking story. People take impromptu days off work to garden, hike or bike ride. Spending every second outside until the sun goes down is the thing to do! People even sit outside in outdoor dining at restaurants, despite the fact that the highs rarely reach 60 degrees. Sadly, it's usually just one day of this weather before the rain returns.

Yesterday was one of those days where the sun came out and we were given the gift of a gorgeous day with normal temps. I couldn't resist getting out there and enjoying it. Writing could wait for rain to come back. As luck would or wouldn't have it, the rain is back and is forecasted for foreseeable 7 day future. So instead of dwelling on winter still in our grasp, I'll focus on the wonderful day I had yesterday.

I took the old trail to the top of Mt. Si. It used to be the only way to get there, until a team of volunteers built the current, wide trail. The old trail is great because it is a little shorter, but OH SO steep. At times I was using both feet and hands. But I got to the top with no issues and most importantly...without the mob scenes of people throwing trail-elbows to enjoy the day. Here are some photos!

I was so thrilled that I spotted a Townsend's Solitaire. They are of the thrush family and aren't seen often. They fly silently and often sit very still, so you rarely see them unless you catch them in flight. Their song is a treasure! If you ever get the chance to hear one, you'll swoon. It's one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. Here is a link with a sounds clip. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Townsends_Solitaire/sounds

I love how dirty robin's beaks are! They must eat a lot of soil.

Flowering red currant. The hummingbirds are crazy over this flower and it grows wild in our forests in the spring.

From the top of Mt. Si you get a great view of Mt. Rainier. I used my long lens to get a close up shot of the snow!

Looking to the east with freeway 'ribbons' below. The most prominent dark peak is Mt. Washington. Mt. Rainier in the distance.
It was really neat to climb up there and get this view. After spending many months writing about hiking around Mt. Rainier's base, it was great to get a visual again and think of how much snow must be on the Wonderland!

I don't know these two guys, but I thought it was a neat picture. Such contrast.

This shot is looking to the west from the top of Si. The 'white' in the distance is the Olympic Mountain Range. Also visible are the skyscrapers of Bellevue and Seattle and the waters of Puget Sound.

Bench at the top, partly covered in snow.

Vine Maple!

Wild yellow violets are out!

Another awesome and difficult bird to photograph is the tiny one seen here. No trip to the forest is complete without the song of the Winter Wren. It has been recorded to have the longest continuous song in the forest. Their song is comforting, melodic and just a wonderful treat to the ears. Here is a link so you can hear yesterday's 'forest ipod'. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Winter_Wren/sounds

I love this time of year when the ferns start looking like seahorses.

It won't be long before we are enjoying salmon berries again!

Tiger Mountain

Lisa and I had a very eventful hike yesterday! Because of some remodeling going near the trailhead, we had a romp of some side trails before we came upon the main one. During that time, we found a nice fresh pile of bear scat! We chatted about what to do if we saw one, especially because she had 'Rango' the dog and bears can be agitated when dogs are present. We joked about her being with the bear whisperer. Lisa pulled out her pepper spray and we discussed how it might help if we encountered a critter. As we hiked back down, her eyes got big and she said "OH NO"... and of course I said "WHAT?"...then she told me the pepper spray had gone off in her pocket! Luckily, it was minor enough that some wet wipes were able to prevent any pain, but what a fiasco!

Once we found the main trail, sure enough... I must have used mental telepathy or something and a bear drifted into view. We watched it from a distance for some time, then it wandered back into the woods.

The real excitement began as we headed further on down the trail and the big bear decided to cross the trail directly in front of us. Lisa quickly made tracks in the other direction with the dog, but I was fairly close, so to avoid any confrontation- I stood my ground and avoided eye contact. Eventually, after he stood there for a minute, I felt it was safe to slowly back away. We had no problems and the bear was well behaved.

After we left the bear, we continued on to a vista on the top of Issaquah where we sat and watched the Paragliders taking off. Unfortunately, we witness a horrible accident. An unlicensed pilot was attempting a tandem take-off, and got twisted up. The chute failed to open and the two riders were sent at breakneck speeds off the side of the mountain. There were injuries, including a head injury which had one of the victims going in to shock. One of the first responders came running up the mountain looking for any extra water which Lisa happened to have. We stayed out of the way, but things were not looking good and the sirens were wailing when we decided to head back down. We never got a full report, but hope that whoever was injured fully recovers.

It was a day to remember for sure. On a happy note, it's officially spring in the northwest! The yellow violets are blooming, the trillium are showing their beautiful white faces and I even saw the first of the Oregon Grape in bloom! It's my favorite time of year to be on the trails!

Lisa and Rango with the bear in the distance...

See anything in this photo?

The stare down...

Rango and a cool cairn...

Wapiti!

The sky was interesting as the sun was setting down in the valley a couple days ago. A herd of elk showed up as dusk set in. Several of the ladies were very interested in me and seemed to want a closer look- even trying to catch a scent to determine if I was a predator. Several members of the herd are collared and being used for study. They are fun to watch!

Hello ladies!