The moon reflected in a pond at dusk, and back in it's proper place in the sky.

Now I can start seeing the first signs of spring. Some of the pussy willows are already starting, and the red currents are juuust beginning to pry their way out of the bud casings. Little red fingers of petals reaching for the sun... The woodpeckers are busy, too. From the size, it must be the pileated woodpeckers. This handiwork was accomplished within a couple of days, resulting in large holes into the center of the trunk, and a pile of fresh shavings on the ground.

I almost didn't get a photo today - this one was entirely accidental. I was using the camera to provide a little bit of light as I went out in the driveway during a very dark evening, and when I pressed a bit too hard, the flash fired and I took a photo of the side of the car! I kind of like the result.

A view of Hat Island, with a colorful turquoise house in the foreground. Such a fun color!

A shingled hip roof - a client's home where they want to enclose the roof deck and add onto their master bedroom.

What?? More snow? I thought I left it all behind me in Ohio, but this morning we got a dusting of new snow. In the two miles to Freeland, it disappeared. We have snow here, but they didn't get any in Freeland. Very strange to see the dividing line.

We did lose a birch tree near the swamp - it just tipped over. The bark began peeling off - love the curliques!

As I was examining the birch log, I heard the owl a ways behind me, and just as I thought about going to look for it, another owl hooted right next to me. I eventually spotted it up in the tree, watching me calmly, and not alarmed as I worked my way closer. Not the best photo, but I keep trying!

I finally made my rounds through the woods - the first time since all of the snow. Most of the shrubby plants were flattened a bit, and lots of branches and smaller trees were down. Not too bad, considering.

The swamp is full, reflecting the bare branches and brown leaves.

Back home, no snow! I looked out the door, and suddenly there was a flock of robins searching for lunch in the yard. Can spring be far behind?

Wenesday, January 21, 2009
Time to go home - a view of eastern Colorado from the airplane.

Cory napping during the flight. We were lucky to have the back three rows of seats all to ourselves. Flights were on-time and uneventful, which is what we like. It's nice to be home.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sightseeing day - above is Brandywine Falls, frozen over completely. You could hear the water moving beneath the ice, and there were a couple of holes where you could actually see the water. But, lots and lots of ice.

Glendale Cemetary, Akron. Above is the Chapel.

Cory cleared the snow off the lions, leaving a mohawk on the larger one.

Several of the many mausoleums in the cemetary. They had varied and wonderful architecture, sometimes stained glass in the copper doors.

The view from Mom's kitchen door.

The same door, but the view doesn't seem to be appreciated by John.

Monday, January 19, 2009
Cory and I visited with Kathy and Don, where Don cooked us a great steak lunch. Kathy, Cory and I did a little (very little) bit of sightseeing in downtown Cuyahoga Falls.

This is a view upstream of the falls, from the bridge that Kathy and Cory are on above. There were huge icicles on the shoreline cliffs. The big brick building is a hotel.

There had been an ice sculpture contest over the weekend, and some of the entries were still there. Quite impressive!

Sunday, January 18, 2009
The highlight of the trip - all of us together to celebrate Mom and Dad's 70th wedding anniversary at Anthes! From the left: Dad, Cory, Nancy, Me, Chloe, Cris, Don, Kathy and Mom. We had a great meal, and toasted this accomplishment.

Chloe and Cris out in the cold parking lot.

Mom loves feeding the birds, and in this kind of weather they sure appreciate it. The cardinals add a bright spot in the monochrome landscape.

Saturday, January 17, 2009
Roc Day for the Medina Spinning & Weaving Guild. One of the highlights is kitchen sink fleece - everyone can choose from a large selection of colored wool and fibers, and use the carding machines to create their very own batts. It's a chance to try color combinations that you might never have tried!

A large group gathered chairs in a circle and spun and talked and ate!

My sister Cris on the left with her friend Becky, showing off the belated Christmas gifts they made for each other.

Cris spinning on the Guild wheel for a good cause. It was a very fun day, with games and door prizes, and a host of wonderful, friendly people.

Friday, January 16, 2009
Snow photos at the house in Copley, Ohio. Shadows and branches,

a view up the driveway.

Wingprints in the snow, as a bird grabbed some seeds.

Thursday, January 15, 2009
Lots of snow in Ohio - Cory enjoyed knocking it off of branches.

During our layover in Charlotte, I was thrilled to finally meet Catherine Anderson, the talented artist who runs our Photo Art Journals Yahoo group. She lives here, and came to the airport to visit with us!

Cory in the woods, and in front of Mom and Dad's house.

At the Seattle airport, waiting for our flight to Ohio. The window wall is spectacular: plates of glass held in place with huge cables, reflecting the room.

Hanging in the center is this sculpture of tiny fish suspended overhead.

I have been neglecting my photos for a few days - and it's likely to continue for a few more. I'll be traveling for the next week, so the blogging will be pretty spotty until I get back home. Hang in there - I'll be back!

We received our Silhouettes books, the latest from the Photo Art Journals Yahoo group. Another lovely book, with some great interpretations.

Our book group attended an "Afternoon with Stephanie Kallos" at WICA in Langley. She wrote Broken for You, which we read in 2006, and more recently Sing Them Home. They presented a play of part of Broken for You, which was great, then she was interviewed, and after that she read from Sing Them Home. It was very entertaining - she used to be an actress, and is very articulate.

Afterwards, we had dinner at the Edgecliff. Nancy Horan, who wrote Loving Frank, joined us. From left, front: Audrey, Candace, Nancy, Ginny. Back: Robin, Dayle, Madelyn, Karen, Jane, Louie.

A crow kibitzes with three little birds in the top of a tree against the gray January sky.

Sorry - I just didn't even get my camera out today!

The end of the rain, at least for a while. But as you can see, the wind is still blowing. Western Washington has been hit with record flooding - over 70 state highways are closed, as well as both Interstates, I-5 and I-90. Some will be usable later today, others will be closed for several days due to flooding, landslides and avalanches. We're cut off!!

But, we have cause for celebration today! The computer plasma-arc cutter cut it's first program! It's been a long, oft-frustrating process. The problem was that the Torchmate company recently upgraded it's product, but hasn't updated the manuals, so a lot of the written information for settings is old and doesn't apply! Thank goodness for the tech-support guys - we know them by name! So now the fun begins!

Rain all day, today, but almost balmy! You can see all the raindrops in the water - it was flat calm, except for the ripples from the rain. The heron and gulls were fishing in the rain - I guess they don't really care about the wet.