This time of year it is easy to soak up all the shades of green like a refreshing drink of water. Soon many of those greens will be shades of pale gold and brown. This pretty draw is on the Big Buck section of the Methow Wildlife Area. The big cottonwood in the clump of aspens always stands out for me.
Last year we visited Blackpine Lake on April 23rd and it was still mostly ice-covered and there was enough snow that we parked a ways away from the campground. You can see a blog post from last year here. We went this week on April 8th and drove all the way to the lake and found much less ice. It is such an early spring.
MA managed to catch three fish this time. Sky was completely obsessed with her fishing pole and was no help at all. She could not stand the thought that her good friend was standing on a dock with a stick in her hand and flailing it about and yet not throwing it in the water. I finally had to leash her and DRAG her away from the dock. And then she was cold and wet. We sat down on a bench and Sky scooted right in close to me, shivering. Have you ever hugged a wet dog? She soon quit shivering but still wanted, more than anything to return to MA.
All the dogs enjoyed some time in the water, even young Quincy. He looks like he’ll be a good swimmer too.
We took the dogs up a steep hill on the game range near Twisp. It was sunny and cold. We could walk mostly on dirt although the dogs enjoyed little snow patches. Luna especially likes them. She does better in cold weather and isn’t looking forward to the end of winter. And she seems to not care to have her photo made. I had hoped to find sagebrush buttercups but it is not the warmest hillside in the valley. We did find other green shoots and soon there will be more. Probably not this week with nightly low temperatures forecast to be in the teens. Brrrrr.
The dogs and I went up-valley on Friday for a change of scenery. The pass is still closed so traffic is light up there. That will change soon. The dogs were happy to see some dwindling snow patches and I enjoyed looking at the rivers and streams. Lost River was running clear while all the other streams were muddy with runoff. Glacier lilies were blooming where the snow had just melted. Butterflies probed into old dog poop looking for nutrients. Chipping Sparrows, Willow Flycatchers and many other birds sang their songs of spring time.
The girls and I went to Big Valley this afternoon for a walk in the woods. The snow has melted as fast as it arrived. Remember – we were walking all through January and part of February before the big snows finally fell on us and now the trail is dry and the cottonwoods are beginning to leaf out. No flowers up there yet but there will be soon. Big Valley was a good choice because I strained my lower back last Friday and only feel comfortable walking on level ground. Any hills or rough terrain are really challenging. The dogs and I need some exercise and Big Valley is good for all of us with easy access to the river for them to swim and birds for me to see and hear.
My Everyday Photos 