While not strictly a Sunday photo, we sat up late around a fire last night, burning yard waste and some logs that were hollow and filled with termites. Above, Blair just tossed a large piece of wood into the fire, raising the sparks.
You can see some of the hollow pieces of log - we just sat there and pictured the termites scrambling!
Now that we are pet-less, the deer and bunnies have no fear. This little guy has made a home in my front walkway garden, under the larger shrubs, and obviously isn't very worried about me. I can approach to about 10 feet before he wanders off - he doesn't even run.
Things are really popping in the garden - above is a type of Mullen. I fell in love with the dusty-rose color. The early morning sun casts a soft shadow.
Nearby is my pale blue Veronica. It has tiny delicate blooms, such a lovely color. 
I also love the Maidenhair Fern, and in this view the interplay of light and shadow creates interesting texture.
Thursday Art day - today we met in the main dining room, as our little dining room was being used for a meeting. It was pretty nice, having more space to move around, but during lunch it got pretty loud with everyone else there eating.
Andy was working on one of her Hawaiian quilts - colorful pineapples on a lavender background. She does meticulous hand applique - beautiful!
Minus tides this week - our friend Bob took advantage to get his sailboat in the water and put the mast up. It's an interesting model with two keels, so it sits upright on the sand when the water's gone.
Of course a beached boat always attracts the lookers-on, who offer free advice on the proceedings.
There was a minor snag and one of the boys had to climb up and untie one of the lines. I held my breath!! but he got down safely.
I wanted to play around with light and water today. Above is water drops on a piece of glass sitting above a rusty tank. (See yesterday!) The sun created intersting shadows and light.
Then I tried drops on a CD, which refracts the light. The drops interupt the line of refraction (or something!) making interesting patterns.
You never know what you'll get! This is a macro shot of an old, foxed mirror. The reflection is the camera lens. Kind of fun!
David put this gate together for his friends Paul and Patti. That's them, below. 
Paul built the raised beds, and fenced the garden in, and Patti has already planted a bunch of veggies! They're both very excited and proud, as well they should be. It's a great garden!
I saw a shadow pass over, and went out with my camera. The eagle had glided between me and the sun, driving all the little birds to cover. The barn swallow came and landed on the post next to me while the big guy was soaring around up there. After Eagle left, Hawk came to visit, but the swallows aren't so worried about her, and harried her until she left. It's a war zone out here!
Our Surface Design group had a mini workshop at the Fine Balance Imaging studio. The owner, Joe, discussed how to work with images in the computer, and the various ways he can print them out onto all different types of paper, fabric, even metals! It was very interesting, and he proposed a series of workshops, which we will likely do. That's Joe, above, and his mother, standing, surrounded by examples of art that they've printed. She's his partner in the business.
It was 29 years ago today that Mount St Helens erupted! Above is a photo taken when we visited the area a couple of years afterwards. You can see the massive devastation. I haven't been there for several years, so I don't have a current view, but things have been steadily coming back, forest growing, animals moving in.
The day it erupted, we were fishing in Ellensburg, a couple hundred miles to the east of the mountain. The sky went dark, and ash rained down upon us. No one was quite sure what was going to happen, so people gathered either in the church, or the bars! Above is David sweeping the ash off our truck, although it was almost useless, as the ash kept falling for a couple of days. 
It piled up very quickly, and we were stranded there for 3 days until things settled down enough. The highways were closed because of the clouds of ash. When we were finally allowed to go, the Highway Patrol spaced the cars out. It was quite an adventure!
We gathered to say goodbye to Gretchen today. Her husband, Peter, collected lots of her artwork, and others brought items she had given to them, to create a wonderful art show. Above, part of it is reflected in one of her mirrors.
Audrey gave a really nice talk about her, while Carol listened. On the stage was a slide show with photos of her.
Here's a view of the Freeland Hall before the guests began arriving.
And, after the eulogy, everyone relaxed a bit.
One of the tables showing a photo of Gretchen, some of her jewelry, clay cats, tiles, pillows, art quilts on the wall.
A wall of quilts and paintings, while on the table, one of my baskets was used to collect the cards, and there was a handmade book for guests to sign in and write a little something.
Beautiful weather means we open all the doors and windows. Of course, the critters think it's all for them, so we had visitors in and out.
At first, they would panic and couldn't find their way out, but eventually they got pretty comfortable and went in and out more easily. I sure hope they get their nests built soon, and this behavior will settle down.
My friend Karen came to visit for the day, and we went to walk through the Earth Sanctuary near Freeland. It was a beautiful day, and we went prepared to do some birding. At the Middle Pond, we saw many pairs of ducks with ducklings! Above is one of the Wood Ducklings.
This is one of the two mama Wood Ducks with little ones. . .
and here is Papa Wood Duck. There were two drakes, but they were very shy and kept hidden among the logs and grassy hillocks in the pond.
The Osprey kept a sharp eye on the babies, and later we saw both of them circling high overhead.
Karen brought her new binoculars, so we were able to get good looks at the Wood Duck, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Green-Winged Teal, Gadwall and Bufflehead pairs and ducklings. We also saw a couple of Painted Turtles sunning on the logs, and countless IBB's (itty bitty birds) that defy identification!
The Sanctuary also has several sacred spaces, including this ring of standing stones, mostly basaltic columns. Prayer flags fluttered everywhere in the trees, and piles of stacked stones showed the way along the paths. It was a very nice walk in the woods!
After a late lunch, we stopped at Double Bluff beach to see the low tide, and a pair of eagles were shooing away last year's offspring. He didn't seem to be taking the hint, but will figure it out in time, I'm sure!
It ended up being very nice today after all, and I loved the interplay of sun on the pond and mossy log. After I took these photos, the mallard pair and their ducklings showed up. First the female flew over the driveway in front of me, then the male. And where were the babies? They swam through the culvert under the driveway! So cute!
Maxwelton Beach was spectacular with the sun shining, and the clouds massed over the Olympics.
This is a feather lei, or at least the beginning of one. Our speaker at tonight's Northwest Basket Weavers guild meeting was Dawn Glinnsman, and this was one of the objects she brought for us to view. The feathers are sorted by size and color, and hand-sewn onto the strip of felt. You can see by the size of the feather above that it is an extremely tedious project, but amazingly lovely! It would be used as a head piece.
Her talk was about Native artists, mostly basket-makers, and was very interesting! After the talk, we all went up and looked at the items and books she brought. She is on the far right, talking to Leon.
It was still raining as I headed home. Stopped for a red light, I liked the play of lights through the raindrops. A car passes through the intersection.
