Louie

2012-02-11T21:58:00.001-08:00

2012-02-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

Went to look at a new job today - an artist wants to enlarge her tiny but very cute studio. The front porch roof is painted the same coral color as the door. It will be a fun job!

2012-02-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

Although it seems pretty bright outside, it was really pouring rain, making it a day only fit for curling up in the chair, which was what he was doing when I interrupted to make this photo.

2012-02-08T22:57:00.001-08:00

At our Basket Guild meeting, the speaker was David McLanahan, who is a traveler and collector of SE Asian textile art. He has a store in Seattle: Jungle Arts. He brought a lot of baskets and other items, along with his friend, the owner of the Ancient Grounds gallery in Seattle, who also brought baskets. Above is a hat adorned with bird wings and feet.

Most of the work is from Borneo, and the work and details are incredible. He had a great slide show with some video clips showing the artists working, and also the musicians.

David is the man in the gray shirt at the back, standing with his arms crossed.

2012-02-07T22:07:00.001-08:00

On my way to my Book Club meeting, I got hijacked by the full moon over Holmes Harbor . . .

You can see the cloud cover starting to build - it was the end of our streak of sunny weather.

2012-02-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

Yet another sunny clear day - how long will it last?? The dawn bird chorus has already begun, and we even have a lone tree frog peeping away in the evenings in the garden. The alder trees are growing their red-tinged catkins, above, while the hazelnuts are in full flower, below.

No leaves beginning yet, though!

2012-02-05T21:52:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl party! The guys came over, and we had so much food! Everyone was stuffed, and they went home with a bunch of leftovers! Kevin, Russ, Jon, David (on the wall), Lane, Greg, Mark, with Blair and me in front.

2012-02-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

Another gloriously sunny day. Here, last summer's ocean spray blooms are backlit by the sun.

2012-02-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Turned out to be a clear, sunny day! The morning brought leftover mist rising from the frozen ground, and I am always attracted to the bright rays and shadows that form.

2012-02-02T15:04:00.001-08:00

Searching for shadows - will we have 6 more weeks of winter?

2012-02-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Had some bright sun this morning after a lot of rain in the night. Everything is wet - below, Tookers isn't too happy in the wet grass!

2012-01-31T22:12:00.001-08:00

I finally remembered to get a photo of the wire-wrapped cabochon from the class we took on Saturday. The cab is one that David's dad, Buzz, made - he collected rocks and gems and had the saws and polishing equipment to work them. We have a large box full, and I am glad to find some uses for them. The wire-wrapping is fun, and has many possibilities.

I was taking the photo out on the railing of the deck, and of course the kitties came along, too. Apollo is playing around one of the posts. He always runs along the railing and scares me to death!

2012-01-30T13:12:00.001-08:00

Went to a birthday party tonight at the AFK Tavern in Everett. Andrew is 28! On the cake is a copy of a drawing he made.

Andrew's friend, Cara, and Cory watch as he unwraps his gifts - his fiancee, Heather, put the party together, getting the hats and having the cake made. That blurry arm holding the phone on the left is her.

Cory, Loren, Tommy, Jon's ear and Andrew.

2012-01-29T21:35:00.001-08:00

View from the ferry - gray water, gray sky, gray day.

2012-01-28T21:56:00.001-08:00

Carol and I took a jewelry class today in Bellevue. It was to learn a wire-wrapped bail around a cabochon. We each had some stones that we brought, although you could also purchase them at the store. Above is Carol's agate, with the completed wrap. I can't believe I didn't get a photo of mine yet - I just ran out of time, but will have a pic soon.

Char was our teacher, and we were the only two students, so we all had a good time!

Char brought all the tools for us to use, and this grabber-thingy was my favorite! We used it to decoratively twist the wire, and I want one!

2012-01-27T23:31:00.000-08:00

It's an ice flower with an alder-cone center. Actually, it's a mud puddle in the driveway with the overnight ice coating.

The swamp water is always moving, so it has to be much colder before it will skim over. A little bit of sun brightens the root-beer water.

2012-01-27T23:10:00.001-08:00

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012

Tookers was enjoying a bit of sunshine through the windows, playing with whatever came within reach, whether it was the camera strap or his hind foot.

2012-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

Between the snow melt and several days of pouring rain, the swamp has filled up. Today we have a little bit of sun here and there, so I took a quick hike through the woods to assess the wind damage. Nothing major that I came across, just the normal amount of branches down. Many trees near the swamp tipping a bit, though, with the saturated ground.

Poor little mushrooms in the lawn got bent over under the snow - but they're trying to straighten up!!

2012-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2012

A little photo book I made for a friend's birthday! Cover is paper with lines on it, with a dried maple leaf glued down, and tissue glued over it to protect it a bit.

The pages are accordion folded.

2012-01-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Whoa! What is that bright light??? Between the rain and snow, the sun hasn't even peeked out for over a week, so it was very unexpected this morning! Even got the kitties to come outside, although the grass is apparently too wet! Poor Apollo!

2012-01-22T22:53:00.001-08:00

Didn't get outside, but got several project done indoors on this rainy day. This is a little box woven with paper strips - I wanted something for my bedside table to hold pens, my reading glasses, and little bits of whatever. It came out kind of cute, and will certainly do the job. I also made a book for a birthday gift for one of my "kids" - just some photos from a camping trip in 1999. And, I finished my pages for the next Photo Art Journal, and will get them sent off this week - a whole week ahead of schedule!! So, a good day.

2012-01-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the snow is just about gone up here, but down the hill, where it's a little colder, there is still quite a bit. At least the driveway is clear!

Haven't had a nice Tookers portrait for a while.

Cris sent me a silk scarf that she dyed with eucalyptus leaves, and Tookers liked the smell. He had quite the wrestling match, but I'm never sure if he's after the object or his tail!

2012-01-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

And the thaw begins . . .

snow is coming off the trees and

slowly subsiding in the rain. It feels so cold, it doesn't seem possible to be melting. A light mist hovers over the lawn.

2012-01-19T21:05:00.001-08:00

Cory and I hiked up to the top of Goss Ridge Road to see the view over Freeland to the Sound and the Olympics beyond. More snow clouds . . .

He did a lot of sliding on the road, which had ice under the packed snow.

The alpacas were huddled under the cedar tree.

And, yes, that is almost 8" on my deck railing.

2012-01-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

Got a few more inches of snow today, and it is colder, so things are starting to freeze up. The paved roads are packed snow, so not much is moving out there. And if it starts to rain tomorrow, as forecast, things will be very messy.

But I got a nice walk in this afternoon. The ice on the pond is still weird and slushy,

even a bird sank into the mess! Lucky he has wings!

Tookers might be wishing for wings just about now, too! But he was a trooper, and stayed out with me for a while.

2012-01-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Well, after several days of everyone else getting snow, we finally got ours. About 4"-6" in the morning. So I hit the woods as soon as it stopped.

Our driveway is under there somewhere!

The last birch leaf.

It wasn't quite freezing, so the pond was covered in a mushy layer of mottled slush.

Tookers wasn't sure about it!

2012-01-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

Cara and I forced ourselves to get out and take a walk - it is cold out there! But, we still don't have any snow, although everywhere else in the area does! Anyway, we came upon this old chicken coop, which had trees fallen on it, and brush and bramble growing over it. Lots of lichen.

2012-01-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

PHOTO BOOKS!! FREE GIVEAWAY!!

You know I have been experimenting with various photo books, and I am always on the lookout for more information and great deals.

So I was glad to find this great site, Photo Book Girl, and she's offering an exciting giveaway - a year's worth of photo books - one for each month! As I would LOVE to win something like that, here is her webpage: MyPicTales Giveaway 2012. (But don't enter - it would lessen my chances!!!) :)

http://www.photobookgirl.com/blog/mypictales-giveaway-2012

2012-01-15T20:39:00.001-08:00

No photo today - being lazy and playing on the computer, since it's so cold, wet and nasty outdoors!

2012-01-14T20:29:00.001-08:00

My first blood orange - seedless mandarin, even! I had no idea they were SO red, and the taste is reddishly unique, too! A good day to stay inside with new food.

Outside, though, is another story. It has been rain/snow-ing all day, cold and wet. We didn't get any that stayed, but even 10 miles away got several inches. Other places got much more, apparently! We got lucky this time, but I'm sure winter isn't done with us yet!

2012-01-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well, tonight's sunset is much more spectacular than last night's! But, again, I was a bit late getting out there. The white area is actually blue sky - it was a hole in the clouds, and looked very odd.

This is what we woke up to - frozen water in the bird bath. It never really got all melted - the day was sunny but not very warm.

2012-01-12T17:19:00.001-08:00

Although it was nice and sunny today, I didn't get outside with my camera until almost too late! I wish I had been about 10 minutes earlier to capture this muted sunset - there was only a hint of color, which faded even as I watched.

But I went for a power walk down the road, to see what all the digging was about earlier. For some reason, they dug a big hole and put these bunker-things in. I guess we'll eventually find out why - just get to deal with the mess every time I go in or out!

2012-01-11T22:56:00.001-08:00

After weeks of cloudy weather, it is clearing at night, which means frost! Although it had melted off my car by the time I needed to leave, there were still some areas in the shade. This field was lovely.

2012-01-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

"And the first official flowers of the new year are descending from the Beaked Hazel. Within a few weeks, long yellow bangles will announce that spring is coming, no matter what the rain clouds say." Rob Sandelin, nwnature1@gmail.com

I get a monthly enewsletter from Rob, who is a naturalist in the Puget Sound area. He describes what is happening in nature each month, and I find it very interesting. So when I got January's letter, and saw his comment, above, I just had to go out and find my Beaked Hazel tree and check. Sure enough, the flowers are beginning to form - signs of spring already!! Yay!

2012-01-09T23:46:00.001-08:00

Gray, cloudy, spitting a bit of rain, feeling like it could be snow, cold!

2012-01-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

A beauty of a day - sunny and warm. (ish). I had to go to the far south end of the island for a job, and noticed this lenticular cloud over the Olympics.

These photos are separated by about 1/2 hour, and a few miles distance. Above is from Maxwelton Beach, and below are from Mutiny Bay, watching as the sun set.

2012-01-07T20:12:00.001-08:00

Again, I didn't get outside until almost dark, but went down into the woods anyway. My photo is of the trees near the edge of the bog, and the photo was blurry and dark, so I did some playing in Photoshop. I added a radial blur, then adjusted the colors to create the eerie green light appearing to emanate from the bog. Turned out kind of fun!

2012-01-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

This Basket seller was given to me by my friend Bonnie many years ago. He's an incense burner, but you have to use the cone-style incense, which isn't so common. But I found some in a gift store in Roslyn, so now he's smokin!

The smoke comes out his mouth, like it would if he were really smoking a pipe. Very cute!

The kitties weren't smoking, but having their own version of fun with catnip. Lucius, Tooks and Gertrude. This is the first time Tooks has taken an interest in the ritual - usually he just watches the others and can't figure out what they're doing! But he's really into it, now.

2012-01-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012

Snapfish had a sale on their little 5x7 photo books, so I made up a couple. At top is a version of "Drips and Drops", and below is "Aberrying in the Mountains" - a gift book I made for my friends Ginnie and Sue. We all go camping up in the mountains and pick huckleberries in the late summer when they're ripe, and it's always a wonderful time!

2012-01-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well, I seem to be picking up my camera later and later in the day, or as today, the night! Of course, it gets dark so early, it's not really officially night, just late afternoon . . . anyway, tonight it was warm and balmy, and there was a ring around the moon. It won't be full until next week, but with the long exposure it looks full, doesn't it? Also, my lens isn't long wide enough to capture the full ring, but you can at least get an idea. It was quite lovely, and Apollo and Tookers came out with me to play in the dark.

2012-01-03T17:32:00.001-08:00

Another sky photo - we had wind and another front moving through, with the sun peeking out the other side. Some lenticular clouds underneath, too.

2012-01-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

I have often started the new year with a sunrise photo, but I slept in yesterday, and it was cloudy, besides. But I peeked out just at the right time this morning, so we have a January 2 sunrise. And it's lovely!

2012-01-01T23:09:00.001-08:00

Another New Year, and this is blog post number 1841. Five years! It's hard to believe I have kept up with this, but I love it, and now it's a part of my life. Here's to 5 more years (at least!) Here's a quote that came my way yesterday:

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." - Neil Gaiman

To start the new year, I took down all the Christmas decorations. Tookers wanted to help - he loved sitting in the middle of the lights. Maybe they were nice and warm. He's so cute!

2011-12-31T23:09:00.001-08:00

WELL! Had a fun adventure today! Got up really, really early, took the ferry and went over the pass just as the sun was rising - a bit of snow, but the road was fine.

We were going to dog mushing camp, but no one was there when we arrived, so we went on a little hike, instead. The snow was old, and had a thick crust.

Cathi and Tui - Tui loved the snow, and rolled and tried to dig in it, but usually didn't break through the crust. Us larger types usually did, though, so we kept to the trails that were already broken.

When we got back to camp, the dogs started showing up. The local kids at camp loved them.

The harnessing process was wild and LOUD! And, up until the moment the sled brakes were released, every dog was too excited to stand still.

But as soon as they were off, they were silent and all about the business of pulling and running. FAST!

When we went down to Roslyn (yes, the same town where they filmed "Northern Exposure") for lunch, we saw a Sleigh Ride sign, so stopped in for another little adventure. The Percheron horses had some Paint in their background, and were just gorgeous. The ride was very fun, with another family along, sleighbells and all!

It was a great way to finish the year!

2011-12-30T18:31:00.001-08:00

Had to go visit a client's site, and passed a previous client's house under construction, so thought I'd stop and take a peek. I couldn't get in, but it looked great through the windows. He is using recycled wood for the siding - I LOVE it!! And, above is the view from his deck - as you can see, it was very windy and wavey!

2011-12-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

Warmish again today, although not as warm as yesterday, which was positively balmy. Made a quick run around the woods, and also cleaned a lot of the branches off the driveway. I found a quartz rock just sitting on the path, growing some moss on its back.

Looking up, the alder cones are about the only entertainment in the trees this time of year.

2011-12-28T18:46:00.001-08:00

Love to watch a kitty sleep - so cozy. Can't quite tell which end is what.

2011-12-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

Score!! I went to the thrift store needing one thing - a pair of lined jeans for the winter. I was so lucky - there was only one pair that I found, but they FIT!! Yay! They are L.L. Bean, so nice quality with the reindeer-and-pine-tree patterned flannel.

2011-12-26T23:30:00.001-08:00

Two of my christmas gifts - ornaments!! Above is a star made by Cris, using buttons and silk threads from our grandmother's sewing basket - a treasure.

And this one from Kathy - how she managed to find a tent-trailer, I'll never know, but it sure brings back a lot of great memories! We loved camping in ours. Mom and Dad got it around 1966, I think, and David and I moved it here with us in 1977, at which point it was used more for storage than camping, but we sure got a lot of good years out of it!

2011-12-25T14:45:00.002-08:00

Camera play with the tree lights!

Finally decided to make Christmas cookies!

The before . . .

and after!

2011-12-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011

Apollo waits under the tree with all of the other stuffed animals and dolls.

Sunset.

2011-12-23T15:12:00.001-08:00

OK - see if you can spot the difference in these two photos - below was taken on Wednesday, and above, today.

This is what was left on the floor. The funny part is that the house was glued to the white cardboard with the frosting, and when I found it on the floor, the cardboard and all the little trees were still sitting up on the dresser, intact! Somehow, Tooker picked up the house and dropped it without disturbing anything. Even the little Santa who you can see standing in the door, below, was still sitting there. It was too funny! And he sure acts innocent . . .

2011-12-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

And sunrise on the first day of winter. Already the days are longer - 6 whole seconds! It doesn't sound like much, but it is progress. Our day is 8 hours and 25 minutes long.

It cleared up last night, so it got good and frosty! I love a good frosty picture with sunrise - almost as much as drops!

This is a small paper wasp nest that fell on the lawn - lovely!

2011-12-21T23:04:00.001-08:00

Winter solstice - the sun is setting the furthest to the south. Sunset on the shortest day of the year.

Bedewed mushrooms glow in the sunset.

Here's that little Tooker cat sitting on the dresser with the Santas and the graham-cracker house. Who knows what mischief is lurking behind those innocent eyes???

2011-12-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

The sun came out a bit today, but it seemed to be lightly foggy most of the time, too. I stopped by the boat ramp to see the beach for a minute - tide was going out.

2011-12-19T21:52:00.001-08:00

Tookers likes being under the tree, too.

2011-12-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished decorating the tree today, with Apollo adding the final touch. Doesn't he look so sweet and innocent? He and Tookers spent the day wrestling on the white tree skirt - I finally had to resort to the dreaded spray water bottle, but that only works when I am there to catch them. I guess I'll see what's left of the tree tomorrow morning. Sigh.

It is a bedraggled-looking tree, isn't it? The branches are thin and soft, so it was hard to hang things, and they are spaced unevenly, with some rather large gaps here and there. But it is typical for us, and it came from our woods, so I love it! As my sister says, I may need to get creative with it.

O Tannenbaum . . .

2011-12-17T18:09:00.000-08:00

Went shopping today - wasn't as crowded as I feared. But that is probably not such a good thing . . . I also stopped at the holiday market at the Greenbank Farm, and found a basketmaker. She makes pine needle baskets with raffia, which she dyes by hand, adding scented oils to the dyebath, which made the baskets smell really nice! This is only about 1 1/2 inches across. A gift for me . . .

2011-12-16T14:10:00.003-08:00

It was game night at Sally's, but she had a surprise for us! We had to make "gingerbread" houses, using graham crackers and lots of fun candies. It was quite a production, and I did not get a group shot, but sure wish I had! Above, Tookers tries to get a bite - guess I'll have to keep it up high, out of his reach!

This was after we were pretty much done, although you can see my little house sitting there.

The view of the back.

Tookers and Apollo wanted to help with the picture-taking.

2011-12-16T14:10:00.001-08:00

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2011

Tomorrow is our Art Day group meeting, and we have often made each other little gifties this time of year. I was at a loss, but my PhotoJoJo email newsletter came, and had this fun project to make with photos, so I decided to give it a go. They turned out pretty nice, and it's a quick and easy way to use my photos!

I painted the backside (which becomes the inside) with paint and glitter, so it's a little nicer than the back of a photo with printing showing!

2011-12-14T16:51:00.001-08:00

Cory and Jon cut a tree in the woods. It needs a bit of loving, but I am up to the task. Stay tuned, and soon you will see the transformation!

2011-12-13T17:02:00.003-08:00

Book club meeting tonight - we read "Beside a Burning Sea", which is about a WWII hospital ship which is sunk, and a few survivors reach a jungle island in the South Pacific. We had a potluck, so I decided sashimi would be great, as in the book they ate raw tuna. Yum!!

There was also lots of other goodies!

2011-12-13T17:02:00.001-08:00

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

Gorgeous sunset as we flew from Canton to Detroit. On my way home.

The winter display at Seattle Airport, waiting for my shuttle. Nice smooth flight, in a bit early. Good to be home.

2011-12-13T17:01:00.005-08:00

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2011

Some photos from Saturday afternoon, but I didn't take any today. Little bits of snow linger in the shadows.

The house from across the yard.

2011-12-13T17:01:00.003-08:00

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011

Cookie Day!

But first, a lovely sunrise through the trees.

Some snow still lingers - this is a view similar to one from Thursday, looking down the hill toward the swamp.

The house at sunrise, with the trees in the distance already lit by the sun.

Skyway burgers for lunch after baking cookies all morning. Mom, Chloe, Cris, Kathy.

The table after decorating all the cookies. Whew - feels good to sit down and relax.

But not for long - now there is the divvy-ing up party!

Mom.

2011-12-13T17:01:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011
I didn't take any photos today - but we had a nice day preparing for Cookie day, then went out to see the movie "Hugo."

2011-12-13T17:00:00.005-08:00

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011

After shopping and lunch out, I took advantage of the sunny day and went to into the woods to investigate the pond.

The dam had breached earlier this summer, strewing rubble and debris down into the swamp. In this (sort of) panorama, you can see where the normal water level was before.

The hole in the dam.

Part of the swamp.

Lots of cool fungus and lichens.

A woodpecker works on a beech tree.

A view down the hill toward the swamp, where the sun glints off the water.

2011-12-13T17:00:00.003-08:00

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2011

The first view of the sun since I got here!

2011-12-13T17:00:00.001-08:00

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

Cris and I were determined to get out and hike a bit, and the above photos are at Nature Realm.

Here is Cris in Sand Run Park.

The train tracks near Stan Hywet Hall.

2011-12-13T16:59:00.001-08:00

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011

The Detroit airport - an underground passage between the concourse. These are curved glass panels along the walls, with lights behind them. The panels are etched or cast with underwater designs. It was very cool!

And they park their jets RIGHT outside the windows at the loading gates. Also very cool!

2011-12-04T15:00:00.001-08:00

I will be heading to Ohio to visit with my family, so I won't be able to blog for a few days! But stay tuned, I'll be back!

Such a pretty day - I wanted Apollo to pose on the fall leaves in the sun. He agreed to come outside, but wasn't very gracious about it!

Then he spotted something . . .

. . . it's Tookers, come to join the fun in the sun!

2011-12-03T08:36:00.003-08:00

I was so excited to see this strange-looking 'woodpecker' lying next to the Freeland Hall. It must have flown into a window or the side of the building. Imagine my chagrin when I looked it up, only to discover it is an European Starling in winter plumage. I didn't know that they changed completely from their iridescent black summer feathers. But, it is still beautiful!

There was an Arts and Crafts show in the Hall, with many lovely things made by local artists. Always fun to see what folks are doing!

2011-12-03T08:36:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011

Sunrise behind the ridge, and another pretty day. Cara and I walked the property, and even went the long way around and out into the sphagnum bog. Surprise! I found out the hard way that the water level is up!! But what's a little mud and wet feet??

2011-12-03T08:35:00.001-08:00

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

This is Tooker's favorite window. It attracts flies and bugs, and he loves to eat them. Here, not so much - it's a yellowjacket lured awake by the warmth of the sun. Watch out, Took!

2011-11-30T22:17:00.001-08:00

The Scouler's willow is just outside my bedroom window, and it brightens the whole room in the morning when the sun is on it!

2011-11-29T23:11:00.003-08:00

Marjorie's daughter's boyfriend, Alex, is an avid photographer, so when they come to visit, he and I like to get together for photo walks. It was a gray, damp day, but that only increases the photo ops!

This bush with red berries (sorry, I should know what it is but I'm being lazy) was a great subject. Alex had just bought a wonderful camera and was experimenting with it. It was amazing - read: camera envy!!

But I still love my little point-and-shoot camera, it lets me take it everywhere, and gives pretty darn good shots!

2011-11-29T23:11:00.001-08:00

The Scouler's Willow in my front yard is always one of the last trees to show color, but when it does, it's spectacular! It practically glows when the sun shines on it, but because of it's location near the house and trees, it's hard to get a nice shot of it! But, every year, I try. I love looking up through the leaves to the blue sky, too.

2011-11-27T20:46:00.001-08:00

These are actually from yesterday - today it poured all day, and I just didn't feel like venturing outdoors! Better to sit in a comfy chair, finish up some projects and watch a Harry Potter movie!

But yesterday late afternoon the sun peeked out from under the clouds and lit the tree tops, or highlighted trees back in the woods.

2011-11-26T23:08:00.001-08:00

Big-Leaf Maple leaf - pretty big!

Cleaned out the end of the culverts under our driveway - several years' worth of mud and debris. Things should flow smoothly this winter! Within a few days, this will be filled with water . . .

2011-11-25T15:47:00.001-08:00

Apollo and I went out early to enjoy the sun! The ground is completely saturated after yesterday's downpour, and those of the previous days. And, it will continue to be, as there is more rain to come!

Then I took advantage of the sunny day and went to my friend Cathi's, where she was hosting her annual wreath-making event. Karen holds her completed wreath, standing next to the pile of greens.

Tui wishes she had hands so she could make one, too!

2011-11-24T20:36:00.001-08:00

Our table today - I'm very thankful for my family and friends.

Glad you could all join me.

Ginger and Jon busy in the kitchen.

2011-11-23T22:44:00.001-08:00

And yet more rain. The pond has completely filled up: from dry to overflowing in 2 or 3 days. It hasn't filled up the swamp yet,

but puddles are forming, and with the amount of rain forecast, it will only be another day or so until the swamp fills and begins to flow along the driveway. There has been some serious flooding over on the mainland, too.

The deer are being lazy - they're using fallen trees for scraping their antlers!

2011-11-23T22:36:00.001-08:00

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Rain, rain, more rain. Wind. Rain. Rain. Flooding. Rain.

2011-11-21T17:48:00.001-08:00

Went to see about a job, and there was snow on the ground there - from Saturday! Brave mushrooms ignored it, and marched jauntily along.

This is the house - originally built without a permit, now it's being sold, and they need to obtain a permit before the sale can go through. It's very interesting, with multiple floor and roof levels, so will be a challenge to measure and draw up. We like challenges, don't we?

2011-11-20T17:13:00.001-08:00

Heavy frost last night, but sunny this morning. Someone caught a Golden-Crowned Kinglet - I found him lying in the grass, poor thing! His gold and orange crest is vivid, and that's what caught my eye. He is the smallest native bird we have, except for the hummingbird.

The willow tree is confused: half of the leaves are green, half yellow, and all covered with frost! The yellow leaves were dropping all morning, and by afternoon the tree was markedly greener. In the photo below, you can see some of the leaves in mid-air, and of course the lawn is carpeted with them!

2011-11-19T18:38:00.001-08:00

Apollo had to go to the vet yesterday to have an abscess drained. He looks rather ragged with his shaved cheek, but seems to feel a lot better than he has for a few days. He's been playing with Tookers all morning!

2011-11-18T16:12:00.001-08:00

I received my copy of "Doorways & Portals", a Photo Art Journal project from the Yahoo group, http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/photoartjournals/. Catherine Anderson is our creative genius, and she outdid herself with this one!

The theme was doorways and portals, and she asked us to create a page where the 'doors' of our doorways opened to reveal another photo behind. It was a very fun project, and the results are fantastic.

Catherine then created a 'box' with a 'door' for the pages. What a treasure!

2011-11-17T15:52:00.001-08:00

After the wind yesterday, and heavy rain all night, the sun peeked out at dawn while a light shower came down.

2011-11-17T15:21:00.001-08:00

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

First big storm of the season, complete with power outage! Got out all the candles and lamp, and decided it was a good time to have fun with the camera.

It was out about 2 hours, then on again for a while, then off, but by 10:00pm it had come back on for good.

Earlier, the kitties were playing. Front to back: Gertrude, Tookers, Lucius.

2011-11-15T18:35:00.001-08:00

A calm (before the storm) partly sunny day, and I stopped at the Freeland Park on my way home from errands. The water was so smooth and clear, from the dock I could see the sea floor. Above, one of the sea anemones was a day-glo green. You can't tell from the photo, but those little pale lines were almost iridescent! The other anemones were different colors, but also had the iridescence glowing.

Another underwater visitor was a jelly, slowly undulating its way around the end of the dock. It was about 12" across. This time of year, they tend to die off and end up on the beach, but this one was still alive.

Not so for the blue mussel this crow found and ate!!

So calm and reflective . . .

Then, I just have to add the fall photos of the birch tree on our driveway as Cory went by for his walk.

2011-11-14T20:08:00.001-08:00

It didn't rain today - cold and some clouds, but I finally got out for a little walk, mostly down the driveway picking up after the winds of the weekend. In the swamp, a mossy log sprouts ferns and willow shoots.

2011-11-14T00:00:00.001-08:00

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2011

Gertrude and Tookers are getting along well, now - he is not that much smaller than she is, and they are a match for play-fighting. It's fun to watch - they spent the whole morning together - playing, fighting, grooming and sleeping together.

2011-11-12T21:16:00.001-08:00

2011-11-11T20:20:00.001-08:00

We had a big storm roll in today - high winds, and lots of rain at times. Our rain was mostly in the morning, then calm. I went out around 4:00, and the next wave of high winds came along. I was on my way to Coupeville, and decided to go around by Ebey's Landing, and was rewarded with huge breakers, high winds and the setting sun. Bonus - a V of geese fighting the wind!

You can clearly see the front as it moved along.

And this one really shows the effect of the wind, both on the clouds and the waves.

Exuberance!

2011-11-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

Last night was our Guild's pot luck and gift exchange, and I received a cool gourd rattle to add to my collection of noisemakers! It's about 6 inches long, not counting the tassel.

2011-11-10T20:53:00.001-08:00

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011

I've been wanting to get some shots of Cara's kitties, but it's hard to get them together where it's light enough. Finally, they were both outside together - Gertrude with the golden eyes on the left, and grumpy Lucius. They are sitting outside the kitty window, in a bit of a dilemma - Apollo is on the inside of the kitty window. They aren't getting along so well just yet, and Apollo seems intimidating to them. So, they have lots of these stand-offs, and a few yelling and yowling contests, but in general nobody is being aggressive, so I'm sure they'll all get along eventually.

2011-11-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

. . . and driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday, yesterday . . . country road, take me home, to the place I belong!

I do like country roads, and driving down this one, I spotted a sea of bracken fern dying back and showing fall colors against the dark of the fir woods. A different view of fall around here.

2011-11-08T22:03:00.001-08:00

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011

2011-11-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

A very heavy frost last night, and sunny and clear in the morning. Love those frost photos!

Tooker isn't quite sure what to think about the frost, cold on his little toes! And as the sun warmed the leaves, they were dripping around him, as well as dropping off the bush. Too much excitement!

2011-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011

A little necklace pouch basket made with a bead technique from Polly Sutton, and a twisted wire necklace technique from Arline Fisch. Fun to do, and it will be a gift in our Guild's annual holiday gift exchange next week. I haven't made any baskets since summer!