Visiting.......

As you probably know, we recently returned from Chicago and a visit with our daughter's family. Our ten days there were busy and COLD! Dick did manage to catch a few shots of the kids though.

What message Sophia was giving David is a mystery. He seems oblivious, doesn't he?

Here is a rare shot of Daniel behind Sophia; he was rarely still long enough to photograph!

Can you do this? Every time I look at this photo, my hips start to hurt!

Soon after we returned home, we headed over to Magnolia to see Max. That day he was quite busy playing with an old Tonka truck and sharpening his pre-walking skills. Just this past Sunday we were lucky enough to witness his first steps. Life will be getting interesting at their house, don't you think?

Speaking of visitors, this very cheeky deer came to our yard the other day. He or she looked me right in the eye and then proceeded to chomp off part of a potted rose as if to say, "I dare you!" It then moved on to sample other goodies before I ran screaming out the door in hot pursuit. A bit later we noticed that the traffic was slowing on the street behind our house, and sure enough, Old Cheeky and friend were putting on a show for the passing cars. Sigh. Moles and rabbits and now deer, who will we be feeding next?  You can see him/her in action here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59674672@N05/8619425029/in/photostream

Flora and Fauna in the Olympic National Park

Last Friday the skies were beautifully blue, so we dropped everything, hopped in the car, and went to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park near Port Angeles, WA.

As you can see, we saw lots of deer and, for the first time ever, several sets of fawns. Black-tailed deer of all sizes were strolling around everywhere, even in the parking lots!


We also saw this guy. It's not a crow on steriods; it's his relative, a raven, and if you think crows are loud, you should hear his screech.

Summer is slowly coming to our mountains, and the snow is melting. (We just heard that the snow is still deep at the lodge on Mount Rainier.)

On the trail we took up Hurricane Hill, the path was mostly clear, and flowers were blooming everywhere. This was our first time to see purple violets, creeping phlox, and stonecrop blooming in the wild.


We didn't quite make it to the top of the "hill," but as we headed down and back to the car, we had some good views of the lower part of the trail as well as the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Once again we were reminded of the diverse geography of the Evergreen State!