Yesterday we posted a picture of a “Frozen Solid” wheelbarrow. Today one of our friendly squirrels showed up, and looks like he managed to find some liquid water, or at least a place to lick some ice.
nature photography
Colorful sunrise and some reminiscing
This morning was quite frigid, with temps in the high teens resulting in a hard freeze. Today will be cold, period. Mid thirties is the best we can hope for this afternoon.
Pretty sky outside our front door this morning
A nearly perfect contrail cut across the sky
It is hard to believe that it is actually 2022. Sher and I were chatting yesterday how back when we were younger the year 2000 seemed so far in the future that it was hard to imagine. The epic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey came out in 1968, and my did the year 2001 seem impossibly far away. And yet here we are.
Remember when you’d always mess up and write the wrong year on the checks you filled out the first week of January? Heck the only check I write each year is to pay the county property taxes. And then there were roaming charges you had to look out for. For crying out loud, I used to have an eight person party line in the mid seventies! Enough of this, I feel old enough.
Stay safe out there friends. Have a good January!
A shade of red in that squirrel’s tail
The gray squirrels we always see
We see lots of gray squirrels in our area of Indiana. Within the past week we have seen several squirrels that have a noticeable reddish color to their tails and along the center of their backs. Their coats are not red like the red squirrels we saw at our son’s house in Austin when we visited a couple of weeks ago.
Note the red color of the tail
These are not red squirrels. Reds and grays are two different species, and are incompatible for cross breeding. Reds have much more red coloring all over their bodies. These grays have gotten some reddish tints in their tails and their backs. Anybody seen these kinds of colorations in your area’s populations?
Some folks like squirrels. Others think they are just “tree rats”. I’ve heard it said that squirrels are nothing more than rats with a good Public Relations Department…
A frosty gallery
This morning we woke to a very heavy frost. These pictures were captured at 10 o’clock, with the ambient temperature still at 28 F.
Frost covered sage
Rose leaf edges attracted the frost
Another leaf edge with heavy frost
A heavy frost should not be a surprise: Winter Solstice is three days away!
The Birds of Mukilteo Lighthouse Park
Like us, this gull enjoyed just watching the water
One thing you can always count on at the Mukilteo Lighthouse Park is seeing birds. We mean seeing lots and lots of birds. When we visited we saw crows, pigeons and of course different species of gulls. We saw them everywhere.
Staking claim to a picnic table
Stretching its wings
It was interesting to note that these birds were so used to people, dogs, and moving vehicles. When we drove through the parking lot birds were in the unoccupied parking spots, but kept the drive lanes clear.
What???
The picture above shows the public boat ramp and twin docks. So what is the deal with the birds here? What is wrong with the right dock, or what is so appealing to be on the left dock? The gulls were still boycotting that right side dock when we left.
Snoqualmie Falls
One of the most popular attractions in the Seattle area is the Snoqualmie Falls, a 269 foot single drop waterfall. The falls are near the town of Snoqualmie, which also offers interesting attractions to tourists and locals alike.
View from the observation deck
The area became an active logging site in the 1870’s with logs actually floated over the falls. In 1889 a railroad was built, opening the logging trade further. The town of Snoqualmie was platted in 1889 as well, and by the 1890’s Charles Baker had constructed an underground hydroelectric plant at the falls. Some of the original generators still function today.
It is very easy to gain access to the falls. Free parking is available, and an easy walk on the pedestrian bridge leads to the concrete paths to observation decks. If you prefer, for $7.00 you can park next to the gift shop next to the observation decks. Due to Covid restrooms are closed, but there is a large line of port-a-pottys.
Salish Lodge, note the wedding tent
Beautiful scenery from the observation deck
The Salish Lodge and Spa offers high end accommodations, spa, and dining. Many use the striking views as a place for weddings. It overlooks the river, the generating plant and the top of the falls.
We just liked this photo
The walk to the observation decks is easy with only a couple of places with widely spaced steps. There were quite a few people enjoying the sights, but we felt comfortable and not crowded. The layout was very nice, and all of the paved paths and safety fencing was kept in excellent condition. It is easy to see why Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington state’s most popular scenic attractions.
Camano Island and the Cavalero boat ramp
What a beautiful day it was for some exploration. Sunny with temps in the mid 60’s promised a great weather day. So we were off to Camano Island, a 15 mile long island north of Seattle, close to the San Juan Islands and the Canadian/US border. The island has State Parks, beaches both public and private and other recreation as well as many residences, some located on the water.
Lots to see and do on Camano Island
A very tall Indigenous fisherman
The information center was closed when we were there, possibly by employment or covid reasons. The large map gives a great snapshot of the island. Several metal sculptures dotted the park around a huge kids playground.
We drove nearly the whole island. Wanting to see some of the homes on the water we found to be a bit of a challenge, as steep narrow roads were the order of the day. We did finally find a community of lovely waterfront homes that was flanked by two gated, private beaches.
Long necked heron in the water
Beautiful water and land
Across the Port Susan water
We saw folks collecting pieces to take
Yes, this is where Maj collected rocks
Finally we spotted, quite by accident, another road that looked to be headed to the water. It turned out to be the steep drive to Cavalero boat ramp, with a fair amount of gravel parking next to a sea wall of timber with the boat ramp on one end.
The scene was calming and beautiful. A heron was loafing in the shallow water, large driftwood piled up on the rocky beach added character. The tide coming in was obvious at the end of the boat ramp. We were delighted with how quiet the place was because there were no boats on the Port Susan water. Sometimes it’s best to just sit and enjoy. That’s what we did for a while before we left the quiet and calm beach and the still waters.
Shadow picture
Sometimes ordinary things turn into an interesting object to see. This happened with these window blinds that acted as a canvas for the “painting” of the shadow of leaves.
Tulip tree mysterious growth
Last spring (2020) the state DNR offered free tree saplings. We got some, including Tulip poplars. The Tulip tree is the State tree of Indiana. We planted three, and they have done very well, and have grown from sapling size to about 4 feet tall.
May 28, 2020
September 6, 2021
I’ve noticed some interesting growth on the trees. On the trunks are single individual leaflets. They are close together, one on top of the other and on opposite sides of the trunk. I have never seen anything like this. Any foresters out there that can explain if this growth is normal in Tulip tree growth?
Never seen growth like this…
Tulip trees were plentiful in the hardwood forests of the Midwest prior to European settlement. The trees were harvested for railroad ties and fenceposts, so state some historical records. George Washington planted Tulip trees on his Mt. Vernon estate. Growing to 90 feet in height with large diameter trunks, the poplar trees provided excellent quality lumber. They do flower when mature, but the flowers are in the tops of the trees so are hard to see.
Our backyard bird feeders are back in service
Hummingbirds are so amazing!
In May 2021 some species of songbirds began to be afflicted with a deadly disease of some kind. This started in Virginia and moved west. Indiana birds began to die in late May and by early June the Indiana Department of Natural Resources put out the warning to stop all bird feeding in private yards. We posted about that. We both really missed our almost daily birdwatching time our back.
By the first week in August the DNR published the news that 76 out of Indiana’s 92 counties were bird disease free, and could resume the use of bird feeders.
Our cute little Nuthatch is back
We soon refilled our two seed feeders, and also refilled our hummingbird feeder. (DNR also had said to stop using hummingbird feeders as well.) It has been a couple of weeks since we started feeding our avian friends again, and slowly lots of the birds are coming back to our yard. We haven’t seen all of the species we had seen before the “lockdown”, but perhaps that is to be expected. We are grateful that we can again enjoy birding from our backyard swing!
Roadtirement 