MVSTA said that today is probably the last day of grooming at Big Valley this season. Only one thing to do. Luna and I headed up valley to take advantage of the day.
The Methow River
Reflected trees
Love those curls. Next week, Luna gets a hair cut.
I discovered that the snow in the field was still firm enough for skiing so off we went. It was great – nearly effortless skate skiing.
Adeline, otherwise known as Addy, came to visit us with her person last night. I was in bed before they arrived so didn’t get to meet her til this morning. What a little cutie but I tell ya, she never stayed still. Try as I might, she was a hard one to photograph and with limited time on my hands, I only captured a few frames of her. She is half Australian shepard and half fox terrier and twelve weeks old.
It’s been a hard two weeks around here. In addition to losing our old dog, we’ve both been sick and there was a series of home maintenance issues to deal with. It looks like we have dealt with the house stuff. Ken is more or less well and I am getting better.
Luna and I really needed some exercise so yesterday we went to Big Valley, despite less than stellar conditions. The weather has been warm and the snow is really, really soft. It was a slow workout, that’s for sure. The sun came out and birds were singing as if Spring is just around the corner. Lots of chickadees and nuthatches and a woodpecker. One other bird sang and I did not recognize its call, didn’t even seem like one I had ever heard before. If I’d had more time, I would have tried to track it down. A merganser drifted down the river and dippers dipped in the cold water.
Looks like some interesting lost and found items
How can a person resist this dog?
Those arrows always puzzle me
She knows the way to the river
Ponderosa Pines are one of my favorite trees
Happy dog!
Six to eight inches of powdery white stuff on the ground this morning! Lots of shoveling to do but also fun times ahead. Soon the ski trails will be groomed and the ice rink will be icy. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…….
Maybe it’s time to put the chair away?
Luna loves snow and snow loves her. She’ll be coverd in it before the day is over.
The trailhead for Blue Lake is right on the highway between Washington Pass and Rainy Pass. Easy to get to and very popular. So why did it take me so long to visit this beautiful little lake?
Yesterday was a nice day for a hike – cool and sunny. Frost in the valley. I think I may have seen the first larches beginning to turn color. Luna and I had the place to ourselves til about lunch time when other folks began to arrive and on the way down we saw lots of hikers. Lots of climbers on the Liberty Bell rocks were shouting back and forth to each other too. I saw a few birds including a big flock of Gold-crowned Kinglets, an American Three-toed Woodpecker, a Sooty Grouse and numerous finches. Also, lots of pikas, chipmunks and squirrels
Luna liked swimming in the deep clear water
She wore a bandana so hopefully, no one would mistake her for a bear in the woods
I could easily see trout swimming in the shallows
Surprisingly, even after first snow and hard frosts, there are still flowers blooming including arnica, lupine, blue gentian, yarrow and others including this one I don’t know
A shallow pond near the trailhead
Now I know why this lake if often painted and photographed
My Everyday Photos 