Last week’s weather was unsettled, as is typical for Spring. Mostly sunny with squalls that included rain, hail and snow at times. And the occasional rainbow.
Author Archives: Teri J Pieper
Last week Mary Ann and I took our dogs, Frida and Luna to an agility trial about 150 miles south of here. We traveled through the lower Grand Coulee and stopped for a short hike in the basalt country. It’s an area near where I used to live and hike on a regular basis and I miss the dramatic rocks and canyons. This area was formed out of molten lava that flowed from ground fissures. Later it was scoured by numerous ice age floods that sculpted the dramatic coulees and rock formations. Now there are many lakes and other water features – many made by humans with dams and irrigation canals. Still it retains a rugged beauty that I always enjoy. As for the agility trial – we had one good day out of three.
Stairs leading to the caves above Lake Lenore. These caves were once used by Native Americans.
A ship-shaped rock formation
MA looks over another large coulee full of little coulees
Many colorful lichens
This ancient sagebrush grew right out of the rock
A passageway
Lake Lenore
MA scouted this crack to see if we could get higher
Too tight, even for her
Big skies over Lake Lenore
Reflections on Lake Lenore
Those who have read this blog for a while know that we got a new puppy back in October and her name is Sky. She is now seven months old and was spayed yesterday. She is a great puppy – the staff at the vet clinic was very impressed with her mellowness. We love her to pieces. She’s very trainable and pays attention as long as there is food or a ball involved. She will be a good hunting dog and she will start agility training this spring. She was ten pounds when we brought her home and now she weighs 52 pounds!
Last month I started a puppy book for her and I called it The First Book of Sky. It is a handmade book. Several years ago I took a bookmaking workshop from Door #3 Print and Book Arts Studio in Twisp but I confess, it’s been nearly three years since I made any books and I am out of practice. So I made a few mistakes with this one but it looks pretty good anyway. It’s an accordion book. All the pictures came from my Instagram stream. Here is the book and images I used in it.
The finished project
Was she ever really this small?
Let me in the garden. Now.
She loves her walks
She takes after her big sister
I could use a boost
Do you see the owl?
Aren’t we just the cutest?
Tired dogs are good dogs
LOL!
Her and her shadow
Look over there!
I got a pine cone
Ready to drive. Where are the keys?
During the first full weekend in March, Winthrop’s Morning Glory Balloon Tours hosts a Balloon Roundup and hot air balloons from all over the Pacific Northwest show up and launch (weather permitting) next to the river three mornings in a row. It’s a fun event and certainly one that all photographers love. Colorful balloons, blue skies, snow-covered mountains – what else could you want?
Getting started
The basket
Waiting for the air
Testing the flame
How does it look in there?
Holding on
Rising off the ground
Almost vertical
And there goes the first one – our local balloon from Morning Glory Balloon Tours
A flock of geese goes by
I like the moment when they go from horizontal to vertical
What’s not to like about this?
Almost full
This one is not round
Up, up and away …..
In March we are often blessed with bluebird skies and great ski conditions. This year is no exception, in fact it might be better than usual. With all the new snow last month, MVSTA will probably be grooming miles and miles of ski trails throughout March. Cold nights make for firm trail platforms and good crust skiing and bluebird skies call you to leave the computer behind and go outside.
Yesterday MA said that Big Valley was being groomed and we ought to go and take the dogs. Her dog, Frida will pull her for a real skijoring experience. I think Sky will be trying that next winter when she is full grown. That puppy is now well over fifty pounds and almost seven months old. At the river yesterday she had her first swimming experience! That’s a red letter day for any Labrador. She took to it just as I expected – with vigorous energy. Now we know why she has such big feet – they are her paddles.
Sky
Frida
Luna
Dogs just want to have fun
I can get it!
Is she part seal?
Quizzical
My Everyday Photos 