My Everyday Photos

A Day in the Mountains

September 27, 2016 – 3:44 pm
Posted in Autumn
Tagged fall colors, horses, North Cascades, Prairie Falcon, raptors, Slate Peak, sub-alpine larch
Leave a Comment

Is better than any day spent at the computer.

My life revolves too much around a computer, that’s for sure. Any opportunity I have, I try to get away from it and yesterday was a good day for it. The weather was sunny and pretty warm for September. The fall colors are well underway. The girls and I went to Harts Pass where we enjoyed a good hike in the fresh air and changing colors of the sub-alpine larch trees and small, ground-hugging plants of the high country. We were watched over by numerous migrating raptors. We also walked through the silver forest that burned in 2003. Few of the snags have fallen to the ground and there are even few new trees to take their places. Most of the growth is in grasses and forbs and small willows.

It was a good day.

There was a group of friendly pack horses and mules

We hiked here

Anemone seed heads linger from early summer

Prairie Falcon

Stunning colors

I’m almost certain this is a Red-tailed Hawk

Sky found a wildlife camera and may have made some selfies!

See the attractant on the tree in the middle?

These little brushes should capture hair from the target animal. Not a labrador, that’s for sure.

A short ways to the ridge

Nice looking dog

Awwww! Snow!

Look! I found a stick!

American Pipit

There was a flock of these American Pipits foraging on the snow

This tiny succulent plant was growing right at the edge of the snow field

Looking towards the Methow Valley

Looking north up the Pasayten river valley towards Canada

Looking west, Snowfield Mountain on the left and Mount Baker 2nd from the right

The Pacific Crest Trail

Buckwheat

Colors in the silver forest

A New Puppy in the Neighborhood

Our friends just got a new puppy and we couldn’t be happier for them! They have waited more than two years since their old dog passed away and now is the right time for them and this is the right puppy. Red Molly is a red pointing labrador from Morgan’s Point Ranch. Don brought her home last weekend and she came up to visit us on Sunday. She was just seven weeks old! So little and everything is new to her after leaving her siblings and friends from her first home.

Sky is very skeptical about the puppy and Luna just thought it was best to ignore her in hopes she’d go away! We keep telling Sky this is her comeuppance from all she did to Luna when she was a puppy. We have no doubt that Sky and Molly will be good friends in the years to come. For now, Sky just needs to learn patience with the little one. It won’t take long.

Luna is pretending not to notice Molly.

This is when Sky had to tell Molly ‘Enough is enough already.’

And then they both took a little time out.

Don’t you wish you could sleep like that?

Dogs Just Want to Have Fun

Luna and Sky love water and they love the beach. We never did fully tire them out despite throwing sticks over and over and over again. Sky would still be at it if we could keep up with her. Luna took breaks to smell stuff.

Fort Casey

September 19, 2016 – 10:55 am
Posted in Fort Casey
Tagged abstract, Fort Casey, ruins, stairs
Leave a Comment

According to wickipedia, Admiralty Inlet was considered so strategic to the defense of Puget Sound in the 1890s that three forts, Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island, and Fort Worden at Port Townsend, were built at the entrance with huge guns creating a “triangle of fire.” This military strategy was built on the theory that the three fortresses would thwart any invasion attempt by sea.

Apparently that strategy worked.

Fort Casey is now a state park offering camping, day use and a chance to explore the ruins of the old fort. I spent a couple of hours in dark, water-stained concrete catacombs, going up and down stairs and wondering if I’d find a way out of dark passageways in search of interesting abstract images.

I think the colors are surprisingly vivid and bright for such a stark concrete and metal structure.

Outside

Water stains

Painted over graffiti

Hooks

Window light

Rusted door

Lots of hooks

Spider webs

Electrical panel

Looking up an elevator shaft

Outside

Down

Shadow

A Change in the Scenery

September 19, 2016 – 10:34 am
Posted in Whidbey Island
Tagged beaches, camping, Fort Casey, Fort Ebey, kayak, mussels, Newhalem, Penn Cover, powered parachute, Puget Sound, road trip, Salish Sea, Whidbey Island
Leave a Comment

Last week Ken and I and the dogs got away from home for a few days. Whidbey Island was our destination. Whidbey is over 50 miles long and lies at the north end of Puget Sound, otherwise known as the Salish Sea. You get there by taking a ferry or by bridge across Deception Pass at the island’s north end. We took the bridge. It’s a good place for beach walking, exploring small towns and history and eating good food. We did all that and I got to take my kayak out in Penn Cove (where they grow the wonderful mussels) with Ken’s brother.

We camped at Fort Ebey State Park in a beautiful forested setting. It was a short walk to a bluff trail that provided wonderful views of the strait and good birding opportunities. It’s part of a large system of trails for walkers and mountain bikers. Fort Ebey is one of a series of forts that were constructed for coastal defense beginning in the 1900’s. Several of these installations were converted to state parks in the 1960’s.

The dogs had a great time on the beaches and the sunsets were marvelous. Driving across the pass we enjoyed the first dusting of snow in the North Cascades and a walk in the big cedar trees along the Skagit River at Newhalem.