Winter Awakens In The Mountains
Winter descends upon us.
A few days ago we went back up to Harts Pass,
which will probably be our last trip up there for this year.
While frolicking in the snow, these were the scenes that surrounded us.
In the first photo, a snowshoe hares tracks point straight to Slate Peak.
The beauty of walking a ridge is the amazing views that surround you in every direction.
The snow tells the tale of our wandering path.
A Mountain catching our attention this direction,
The snow sitting gracefully upon a tree drawing us that direction.
To me this looks like a family portrait with one inquisitive child standing on its own.
There are so many wonderful textures in the mountains.
And on a day like this, all highlighted with the elegance of winter first mantle of snow.
Some snow formations tell a tale of cold and windy nights.
Betraying the peaceful blanket that lays upon the ground.
And the Larch bid their farewell until their next season of warmth.
They put on their finest gown and dance one last time upon the white marble ballroom.
As I type this rain falls outside my window with chunks of snow in it,
I have watched the snow line drop on the hills around us all day.
This could be a first tease of winter,
or he could be settling in for the long haul.
Like a Ptarmigan shedding its summer plumage,
the Methow Valley is shedding its gown of yellows,
to slip on a cloak of white.
Light Shines Within
We took an evening walk.
Mount Baker was basking in the sunlight.
Even though it is only January,
It really did feel like spring today.
These pictures speak stronger and more beautifully than my words ever could,
About our lovely outing,
Soaking up the sunshine.
The park that we visited has a lovely fragrance garden.
This garden held a fragrant beauty for us to meet.
I recently learned that this is the blooming season for Witch Hazel.
A lovely surprise this time of year!
And today I learned,
It comes in red also.
Peaceful moments spent outdoors,
Soaking up natures essence.
Tonight my light shines within!
A Snow Angel
A couple of evenings ago Bernie and I went out for another snowy frolic in the back field. We tackled a different hill this time, and took turns being pulled down the hill (it wasn’t quite as speedy as we thought it would be on its own, so we implemented the pulling system). Angel joined us on the journey, and enjoyed chasing us down the hill.
After a bit mom wandered out to the field and she tried out the sledding thing. She quite liked it, and did it a few times. And then eventually dad even showed up, he just couldn’t resist. He was sliding down the hill head first. We all had an enjoyable time out in the snow, experiencing the joys of sledding again after many years.
So this is my version of a snow Angel. Much easier than getting snow down the collar of your coat! hehe. As I write this the snow is coming down amazingly thick, and the wind is howling. I just got a weather update from dad who has been watching the news, and I guess they are saying we are getting hurricane force winds here, oh fun. I best finish this up before the power goes out……
Tomorrow is the last day of the craft show, and I was hoping this winter storm would hold off until Monday or Tuesday, but here we are, and it is what it is. Hope I can make it in tomorrow! I hope everyone is warm and cozy where ever they might be tonight!
For more fun critter photo’s visit:
Skywatch Friday
This picture of Snow Geese and Mt. Baker was taken last winter on Fir Island. Its amazing the sheer numbers of Snow Geese that congregate in this area. When they are disturbed by something these huge groups of hundreds or thousands of birds will take off all at once. The energy they produce is awe-inspiring. I love sitting there watching their little personalities. They chat with each other, rest, graze, and explore.
To see more beautiful sky shots visit:
Refreshing Outing
Yesterdays’ outing was refreshing in many different ways. I was in need of an adventure away from the property, so we went to Hovander Park. It was wonderful to get out for a walk in the beautiful sunshine. The air was nice and crisp; winter has definitely arrived here in the northwest. We wandered around for a while and took some pictures, unfortunately there wasn’t too much in the way of wildlife for Bernie to get pictures of. Mount Baker was showing in full glory though, so we both snapped some shots of it. Bernie has some nice close up shots taken with his telephoto lens, and the above picture is one of mine.
As we were walking along, soaking in the sunshine I was filled with a great sense of gratitude for our beautiful lifestyle. We are able to go out and enjoy nature when ever we want to. We don’t have to request for days off from work, we don’t have to wait until the weekend. I am so grateful for the freedom to live how I want to! I am becoming better at being greatful on a daily basis for my life and the people around me. Its a simple practice of enjoying the little things on a daily basis, and eventually your day is just a long string of special moments.
I spent some time collecting rosehips along our walk. I really am not sure what I am going to do with them, but I have wanted to get out there and collect some. I will have to look up some different recipes online, and do something with them. This is one of my faults some times, I have a huge desire to go harvest something, and then once I do, I don’t always follow through with making something with it. I am trying to get better about that!
Hovander park is a nice local park that is an old homstead. There is a beautiful old red barn in great condition, and the old house is a museum now. They have done a great job with the grounds, and all sorts of events are held there all year long. Right next door is Tennant Lake, which has a great boardwalk winding along the edge of a pond. Currently the boardwalk is closed for duck hunting season, which is too bad, it would have been nice to go down there. I have always enjoyed the feel of these two parks.
In the morning before we left on our adventure we got some more siding put up on the pole building. That has been our ‘job’ the last couple of days, putting up siding. We are doing board and bat siding with the cedar that we just had milled. It looks really nice so far, even though we haven’t gotten too far. Once we get a little farther along I will have to post some pictures.
