Happy eve!
Monday, 31 December 2018
Another sunny day with glorious views of the Olympics…
…and busy shipping activity on Puget Sound, despite it being…
New Year’s Eve! Happy happy!
Musings
Yes: ghostly
Thursday, 27 December 2018
After dawn, it was clear and lovely, and I found this droplet on a Pieris out front.
Later…surprise!…the ground fog blanketed us. Nice to walk in, though. Ghostly, one fellow we encountered while walking called it.
Success
Wednesday, 26 December 2018
We were rolling along in a fine version of open skies/open road…then…airborne white stuff that was instantly clingy. Not good given the high pass ahead of us. Sure enough: to cross the pass, vehicles must have “traction tires”—wha? Not us. What to do?
We checked the obvious alternate routes via internet info (especially highway department webpages)—same traction tires problem. So, we checked a less likely choice a bit farther away…and traction tires were recommended, not required, and the temp was a bit higher. Meaning snow, but not a frozen road surface. And, as you can see, a salt truck ahead of us. Safety first!
Then, we descended further, and rain. Rain! And more rain! Nonstop rain. Followed by a traffic jam, negotiated deftly by the Guru. Followed by safe arrival! In time for cocktails and dinner. Yay!
Bald eagles!
Tuesday, 25 December 2018
Today the most frequent wildlife species we saw were bald eagles and magpies. Both have contrasting coloration. The eagles were all solos, except a pair circling each other (squabbling?).
I have no photos of the eagles, but one was sitting on a fencepost, several were sitting in trees, and one was flying right at me upslope from below. And not far away. Stunning. I’m guessing they’re congregating in the valleys for the winter…where we drove much of the day.
We saw many rimed trees…evergreens in the first shot, and cottonwoods next. Finally, we got into some sunshine—and our world got color!
But the clouds kept getting in the way…still, the juxtaposition of Black Angus and feeding troughs/bales and irrigation pipes all on snow is a nice contrast to the shapes of the trees on the slopes above.
The atmospheric obscurity adds to this sunset shot over the Clark Fork of the Columbia River—we have crossed the continental divide. “It’s all downhill from here,” as one sage noted in a somewhat similar situation.
Drive on
Sunday, 23 December 2018
We started out in sunshine, but we could see a cloud bank the way we were headed. This had the makings of a day of “Drive on, and watch the light and weather conditions change!” Yup. Eventually, we climbed into the clouds.
At some point the splat of the raindrops changed to lack homogeneity, indicating frozen elements, which soon transitioned into actual flakes of w____ stuff. But temps well above freezing—whew!
Another hour down the road: full sunshine again.
Followed by a colorful sunset etched with industrial and artistic elements.
Later, a modern “peaky” bridge…. Not much light for the camera to work with…yet excellent effect, ¿no?
Leaf-drop days
Thursday, 20 December 2018
We had a bit of a wander-errand at mid-day, a spotty-rainy very overcast mid-day. Usually errands are a there/back event, without additional loops. Not today. Loops to cheer us with a sense of adventure? At one dead-end, we found this tree, leafless and with a blacktop skirt that is greatly reducing moisture and air to its roots, poor tree.
Leaves have come down by the thousand in our neighborhood, too. This is about two days worth(!!), with most of them arriving by yesterday. Too wet to shuffle them off the sidewalk….
Okay, some cheer! Our neighborhood firehouse has decorations! I wonder if the lights on the fireplug are to help train boy-dogs?
Such fine light
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
Midafternoon I got a text. From spouse. Who was getting something from the car out front and…wha? Why a text, I thought, as I checked the words. “Sandhill cranes!”, I read. And headed for the door to listen. Yup. And I looked up. A big crowd/group/bunch of them wheeling and circling. So so special.
Okay, more landbound…and oak-leaf hydrangea in full fall crimson.
One three one
Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Proof we got serious cold (for the Deep South) last night. Poor camellia. NB: no black ice in this neighborhood….
Chairs waiting for kings? None arrived when I was there….
Late-day light was stunning.
Trees, snow, some ice
Sunday, 9 December 2018
When it became clear that the winter weather in northeast Georgia had a wet, white zone where the day’s rising temperature meant there was snow but not icy roads…especially if you picked a gravel road. So, we headed toward a pocket like that. Here’s the highest elevation we got to—or near here. We drove in a cloud!
We got out and walked in the icy snow-crystals, while the high branches dripped ice-melt on us. I am intrigued by the linear fracture lines in the twig-wrap ice.
Alternate title: Celebration of our 29th anniversary
Winter approaches
Thursday, 6 December 2018
My, it was frosty this morning when I made a predawn milk run. Usually, we’re on top of the milk-for-coffee thing….
Tried to get a shot without the branch in front of the fading redbud leaf; turns out, I rather enjoy it there, intruding and out-of-focus.
On errands much later, way beyond the perimeter, we had plenty of time to watch the sunset from a traffic jam. Love the ’burbs.