Here are a some images I made a few days ago. With the hot weather and sprinklers going all the time, hings have probably changed since then.
It’s been kind of a difficult last month or so with the loss of my mother-in-law and other more minor challenges and I haven’t found myself doing much photography for fun. And I’m also into the start of a busy wedding photography season so I seldom even pick up a camera for fun unless it’s the cell phone, always in my pocket. You can see what I’ve been doing with that right here.
Yesterday, despite a sore back, I made myself take the big DSLR on a walk around our hill and find something, anything to photograph. There are still some wildflowers around and the weeds are abundant. While we have made a good dent in the knapweed/barnaby and the mullein, other undesirable species are flourishing. Maybe next year we can take on some new ones.
The wildflowers have been been stunning these last few weeks. They started early and as expected, they are fading early too. Maybe the morning’s rainfall will bring on a new flush of color. Hummingbirds and swallows continue to be a big presence at our house. I thought the hummers would not settle in after last year’s fire but they seem to be just about as numerous and as ravenous for the juice I put in the feeders each day. I’m afraid I’ve created a bunch of tiny sugar addicts. There are Rufous, Calliope and now Black-chinned Hummingbirds here. Occasionally, especially in the fall, we see Anna’s Hummingbirds. Here are a few images from the past couple of weeks.
Last weekend Sky and I went to an agility trial at Mount Vernon, just across the Cascades from here. We stayed in the little camper at the venue and had a terrific time. Sky was impressive with her drive and enthusiasm for the courses and she even managed to get one qualifying run out of thirteen chances! We need to spend more time training but this is a process and it’s great fun for both of us.
In addition to the trial we got to spend time with an old friend and her dogs. Theresa took us to a couple of places for walks in the evening. We liked getting away from the venue and enjoyed some leash-free time. These images are from a low tide walk near the mouth of the Skagit River. While the dogs played I got to enjoy looking at some interesting plants and I watched for birds too. It was a nice break.
At some point, I’ll figure out how to get Sky’s videos uploaded and posted to the blog.
Spring brings new growth and birds on the wing. We continue to work on restoration with new plantings and weed pulling. It could be a full-time job. But we’re not like that. We need to spend time enjoying the natural world around us.
My Everyday Photos 