A Bright Snowy Day

On the trail in Brush Prairie. 

Calm, 31 degrees, and 2" of snow. 

Perfect for an early morning walk in the woods.

Enchanted Forest

Looking for Whales

Ostensibly we want to the coast for whale-watching.
I heard there was a huge whale migration passing by the coast this week, 20,000+
Yet somehow we ended up on the beach and not a high ground lookout spot.
So I did my usual thing. :)
I like to imagine there are a few whales breaching off in the distance behind the waves.

Happy New Year!

Swiss Cheese

Maybe it's because it's almost New Year's Eve, and we always make cheese fondue to celebrate, but these alder leaves reminded me a bit of Swiss cheese. It looks like they were tasty back in the day! And they have arranged themselves in such a nice grouping, probably to ride out the winter.

Winter Light

Coming back from our annual Christmas tree harvest outing in Gifford Pinchot last week. The light was so perfect all day. No time to photograph with the whole family along, but I got a quick pit stop along the Columbia on the way home, just before the sun set. 

Late November

Morning fog then sun, and lots of leaves still on the poplar or alder...not sure which. 

I'm really loving this month!

Lingering

Fall seems to be lasting extra long this year, mild and on the dry side, which is the forecast I heard. Something about a warm water "blob" in the Pacific Ocean. Of course oak trees are notorious for holding their leaves, but it's not just the oaks. Lots of leaves yet to drop! I think we will be raking in December. This pretty little grouping of Oregon oaks is in a park along the Washington side of the Columbia. 

On the Trail

 Hazel and I are finally venturing out a bit beyond our neighborhood.  She is still learning to walk on a leash, but she is much better about it when we are off the sidewalks and on a trail. Since trail-walking is my preference too, I'm alright with that for now. We have started doing my old walk with Clover, through a field and small woods not far from the house. As you walk through the edge of the wooded section, through some large fir trees, the lighting causes the leaves to glow like stained glass on the tree photographed here.  I photographed it once before with Clover, but didn't know what kind of tree it was. Since then we discovered hazelnuts growing on it. So this year I can report that these are Hazelnut leaves. Seems fitting. I can already see that sometimes Hazel is going to get that nickname, and I think it's a good one.

Fetch

Sorry to not have any fall photos to be posting, but this little pup is keeping me pretty busy these days! A milestone day today, she is three months old and weighing in at 12 lbs.  And she learned fetch, which was a lot of fun and wore her out quite well! I got to practice with continuous auto focus to try keeping her in focus while she was running...not a camera feature I normally bother with. I love her earnest expression, which is typical for her. Hoping to get out for a walk in the woods soon, so maybe I will have something else to post this week. 

Here She Is!

I've had several comments asking for a photo of Hazel.

She's grown a little bit since this was taken,

up from 4 lbs a few weeks ago to almost 8 lbs today.

I don't feel I've quite captured her personality yet...

she's a good bit more spunky than this photo suggests.

But I decided I had better post this one anyway because she will probably 

outgrow her puppy cuteness before I get that perfect portrait! 

Lazy Fall Day

I'm not hiking very far these days...

Sitting along the edge of the creek,

Watching the leaves fall,

While a tired little puppy naps at my feet. 

Hazel

Our puppy search is over! Our new family member, Hazel, is a German Australian Shepard mix. She's 10 weeks old and weighs 6 lbs right now. Yesterday she got her first taste of the beach with a short little walk along Cannon Beach. 

Vine Maple Canopy

A beautiful fall day for a walk in the woods!

Huckleberries

In recent years we've driven up to Indian Heaven Wilderness in Gifford Pinchot to pick huckleberries for a birthday pie. Last year we went up late in August. Picking was slim, but the leaves were starting to turn red. I decided to try a hike up here in the fall to enjoy the color, and we returned mid-October...only to find the entire area under two feet of snow! Huckleberries start growing around 3500-400 ft. so rain at the lower elevations can mean snow in the mountains. This year we hiked in September, trying to beat the rainy season. We did find some lovely shades of red, especially in the clearings. Hurray! I'd love to get up here again this season; with luck I'll make it back before it snows. 

Familiar Places

Back to a familiar spot on the WSU trails...quiet, shady little Mill Creek. There's a little foot bridge behind me, and it's just a few steps down the bank before you can dip your toes in the water.  I used to stop here with Clover, especially on hot days so she could get a drink. This was my first trip here without her, which felt really strange. I'm realizing that I spend a lot less time outdoors and also a lot less time photographing since she passed away. It's starting to feel like it's time for a new puppy at our house.