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Scenes from the Salish Sea

Willow and I spent eighteen days in western Washington last month. Our trip coincided with the notorious weather system sometimes called the pineapple express – lots of rainy days. While the weather was disappointing, we still managed to get in lots of walks and I got to do some wildlife photography, mostly birds. I did make a special trip to see foxes and it was a big disappointment. I only found one fox and it was so habituated to people that it sat in the middle of a county road and begged for food. It was a beautiful animal. When I was in Churchill, they called this a cross fox but here, I learned that it is a color variation of a red fox. Foxes were introduced to this island to reduce the rabbit population. The rabbits are also an introduced species.

Up, Up, In the Air!

Last weekend was the annual Balloon Roundup in Winthrop. Hot air balloons came from around the state to inflate early in the day and drift slowly down valley. Well, that was on Friday when I was watching. Saturday, some went a ways down valley and some went up valley and some went up and went down. The air was very different. And Sunday, well, they didn’t go up at all. The weather was very unsettled and not good for hot air balloons. No matter that I’ve been watching this event for eighteen (18!) years now, I never get tired of the colorful spectacle.

February Blood Moon

Maybe you heard? There was a lunar eclipse in the wee hours of the morning here in the PNW. Luckily the clouds held off and there was just a bit of haze. I set my alarm for 1:30 am. I could have waited another hour but I got up and went outside. My view was good right from the front door so I set the tripod up on the walkway and brought out a chair to enjoy the show. Since the camera was pointed pretty far up, it was easier to see the viewfinder while sitting. And when I got chilly, I went inside. Willow, smart girl that she is, stayed inside, curled up on the couch.

International Polar Bear Day

Learn about polar bears today at Polar Bears International.

Here are a few of my photos from Churchill, Manitoba last fall.

Walking on Water

Well, it was frozen. Willow’s favorite lake covered in ice and snow. At first she was skeptical that it was a good idea and she kept returning to shore but when she realized that I was going to keep walking, she joined me and had fun. The ice is thick enough for ice fishing so I figured it was good for walking. There aren’t many good places for dog walking this time of year. This winter is dragging on, occasionally acting like it will give up its grip and allow Spring to start but it’s all fake news. Of course, it’s still winter. It is February for goodness sake. Sigh.