Category: Special Places

An Even Sunnier Day!

It was nearly 80 degrees here today, and with rain forecast for the rest of the week I was determined to get out to Nisqually today, despite the fact I began the day with an hour of Pilates, an hour of Tai Chi, and a thirty minute Skye walk.

Nor was I going to let the constant THUUMMP of heavy mortar rounds or artillery shells echoing in the distance, followed by the staccato sound of machine guns ruin my day, though it was certainly a distraction. With the onset of hunting season, I’m sure that the constant fire must have contributed somewhat to fact that I saw fewer ducks than usual.

Nothing, simply nothing was going to keep me from bathing in the glory of golden sunlight illuminating fall leaves and those who beheld them.

Fall Leaves

And elegant Northern Pintails joined the long list of ducks who seem to have returned to their winter quarters:

male Northern Pintail duck

I only saw one Great Blue Heron, but even he put on a display as he flew off a short distance:

Great Blue Heron Spreads its Wings

And if I ever get so jaded that I can’t appreciate the beautiful green head of a male Mallard duck, you have my permission to put me out of my misery:

pair of Mallard Ducks

Fall in the Pacific Northwest

Conventional wisdom suggests that The Evergreen State wouldn’t display nearly the fall colors that are found in the Northeast where deciduous trees are much more widespread.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t also enjoy fall colors. We just have to look a little harder and a little closer:

Sparrow in Fall

Sometimes we even find it in the color of birds passing through rather than in the leaves themselves:

Cedar Waxwing Eating Berry

Sometimes you just have to squint your eyes and look up:

Fall Leaves Overhead

Pathetic, Just Pathetic

I know better, but I can’t help but believe that the weather is plotting against me. I finally got some camera gear I ordered over a month ago, and I’ve been trying to get out birding since Monday. Monday and Tuesday were so dark and drizzly I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get a decent picture even if I saw birds. I figured today would be a good day because I had to wait for the furnace repairman, but thought perhaps I could go birding after he finished. No such luck, it was still overcast and misty, and the latest forecast suddenly called for rain today.

About 1:30, though, the clouds split away and for a moment I thought I was back in Colorado. Of course, it was too late to go birding, which was what I really wanted to do, but at least I could try out the new equipment at Pt. Defiance.

I thought these fuchsias were as red as any I’ve ever seen:

Dark Red Fuchsias

This is a pompom dahlia, which generally aren’t my favorite variety, but this one certainly seemed to radiate the sunshine back today:

Purple Pompom Dahlia

And finally I managed to get a decent shot of these fall crocuses that I’ve tried repeatedly to get a good shot of without little or no luck. They’re really more translucent than even this shot suggests, but I still love the colors:

Fall Crocus

A Little More Sunshine

Today was supposed to be the sunny day of the week, and I was planning to go to Nisqually since I haven’t been there for two weeks. It was clear when I woke up, though, that the sky was anything but clear, with dark, threatening clouds hanging barely above our rooftop.

So I decided to stay home, nursing my bronchitis and try to get caught up on some projects I promised to do but had to put off after yesterday’s web site problems. I managed to get quite a lot done and still take Skye for his morning walk. All in all, it was turning into a rather productive day.

Then at 1:30, too late to go to Nisqually, it turned beautifully sunny. So I did the only thing I could, head to Pt Defiance Rose Garden to take pictures of the Dahlias.

The first thing I saw when I arrived was the sun shining through this yellow and orange dahlia, glowing with translucence.

Sun Shining Through Dahlia

Then I walked around to the other side and was equally struck by the brilliant gold, yellow, and red colors, solid and steadfast.

Red and Gold Dahlia with Fly

When I got home, I couldn’t decide which shot best captured the brief but brilliant fall sunshine.

So I spent an hour or two with Photoshop, trying to discover a fresh way of conveying the joy I always feel here in the Pacific Northwest when sunshine bursts through days of clouds, and everything seems cleaner, brighter, and fresher than before the rain descended.

Close up of Fly on Dahlia