Sunny day in the swamp - horsetails are just popping up. Dew drops on the ends of the leaves are an added bonus!

 Went birding at Crocket Lake, searching for the short eared owl, but didn't see her. Did see the herons, and eagles, and red-tailed hawks, and the Northern Harrier, though!

Then stopped by the Greenbank Farm to walk up to the top of the ridge, where I saw the moon over the Cascade Mountains.

 Another sunny weekend, if not quite as warm as last weekend! But all of this early warmth has started spring's mad rush - nettles are pushing up through the jumble of last year's stalks, with their bright green leaves.

And the sun limns the moss-covered trees in the swamp - buds are already visibly swelling, and I might even have seen the tippy-top of some skunk cabbage poking above the water.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015

 My friend Cathi lost her mother, and the service was this afternoon. Walking out to my car, I turned to look at the church, and saw the sliver crescent moon setting behind the building. Above is the room where some of the family were clearing up. Below is the church - I didn't have my tripod, so was trying to steady the camera against a post, without much success. But it still conveys the scene.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015

This weekend was warm and sunny, and I took the opportunity to examine some flowering mosses down in the woods.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015

 An unusual sky full of clouds on my way home from work. This is above Sunlight Beach, looking west, and below looking south. There is always something beautiful to see.

 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

The amaryllis I received at Christmas has finally begun to bloom! A beautiful orangey-red, and there are 6 buds on one stalk, with another stalk coming up.

And I really wish I could figure out how to rotate an image!

 Fungi and mosses! Our walk today was South Whidbey State Park. We had a nice afternoon, but after a few days of rain, it was muddy and wet on the trail.

 Lots of cute mushrooms growing on mossy logs - it takes a lot of concentration to get just the right view!

 Cornetta, whom we found on our first hike, wanted to come along and help document our walk.

 Tui and Cornetta make friends.

Be very careful, Cornetta!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2015

 I showed in an earlier post how the deck came apart, and today the guys came and finished the job. Took less than an hour, and no one was hurt! Yay!

Without the deck above the windows, the downstairs rooms are amazingly brighter! Apollo is left to wonder what has become of his deck - he was the only one who spent any time out there, and he spent a lot of time watching below for tell-tale signs of movement in the grass. He tried out the narrow board that was left, but he soon realized it was too narrow to turn around, and he had to back up, something cats prefer not to do!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015

 A fun fog day - Holmes Harbor had spotty fog creeping in around the edges. The moored boats reflected the sun as it got lower.

 The gulls watched the fog bank move along the shore

 while they worked the beach for clams

 and opened them by dropping them on the rocks.

 The tall crane in the boatyard loomed eerily through the mist

 A thicker spot caught more of the sun

 Then I scooted across to the western side of the island at Mutiny Bay to see the sun sink behind the mountains as the last of the fog filtered away.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

 In Coupeville, a nice day to stop by the beach at Ebey's Landing, and look for stone for Cris! This view is looking north toward the bluff where the trail is.

 And here is the view south.

 The sun was so bright, and it was almost 60 degrees and calm - perfect for sitting in the sand and sifting through the pretty rocks.