I... JUST... KNEW IT!

In my snow-loving-soul, I could feel that we had yet another winter storm to come.  Even when the sun brightened a clear, icy-blue sky earlier in the week, I had strong feelings of the "next one" on the way.

Yes!  The photos here are when the snow just barely started to fall.  Snowfall was not the reason for the pics, but rather the elk.  A faction of the North Bend herd came closer to us than ever, shown here in the pasture across the street from us. They look filmy and out of focus because it was snowing pretty hard.

Camara-shy?

 Hunkering down, this big one looked more like a llama:

I think I now know how to rectify the turning-upon-posting problem I have had.  But I can't start fixing it with photos I took prior to this afternoon.  This one (and better ones I really want to post, but which are too  distorted by Blogger) is turned: 

Snow fell more furiously as I was out for errands, so I stopped at the local RR graveyard to see what I could see.  I call all the rest of these, " Natural Black and White" strictly because of the contrast between Things Railroad and the Snow:

I hope this is the very last photo that will be turned sideways.  At least this one did not get distorted in the process:

THE ACCIDENTAL PHOTOGRAPHER

It tried to snow this morning, so I stuck my camera in the car.  No snow.  In fact, no interesting weather at all.  Then I went on an errand to a friend's home not far from here, but around the other side of the mountain from us.  The sun blinked for just a moment as I rounded the corner from home, and I snapped this, glad that the camera was still on board.  An overabundance of recent rain has left puddles with a view:

Rounding the bend to my destination - what?  Did I see the patches of high, new snow moving a bit?

 Be still my heart!  Better yet, be still my hands!  Oh, for a better telephoto lens!  This was the best I could do with what I have:

More weather changes yet!  As soon as I got home, this is what I saw from my computer desk.  It is rare that we see Little Si distinguished from Mt. Si behind it.  From our perspective, it usually blends right into the flanks of the larger mountain:

And here is their relationship, but very defined:

Well, as long as I am posting the fresh rainbow, here is one from 2 weeks ago at Snoqualmie Falls where the colors formed in the icy mist of the Falls:  (I have that old nemesis directional switch going on here. Hummphhh!)

These photos were not thrilling to me.  I would normally not have even posted them.  But to view the goats was indeed thrilling, and I know my family and friends would want to see the experience more than prize-winning photos.

MICRO WEATHER PATTERNS

This afternoon my photo buddy, P, called to say, "Let's go to Rattlesnake Lake while the sun at last is shining!"  "Uh...it's raining", said I.  "But I see nothing but blue, blue sky all around."  P lives just 10 minutes away...around the flank of the mountain.   But if there was a chance for a window of sunshine, who was I to stay home?  Yes, we went, and yes it rained, it sunned, it clouded - within yards of each other as we walked the edge of the lake.

Looking up I saw clouds.  Looking down, into the puddles, there was a hint of blue:

What looks like a shallow, rocky place in the lake is actually a reflection of Rattlesnake Peak:

Gander guarded the lake edge with puffed-up authority:

Once again we practiced waterfalls. I am still very upset with Blogger that my vertical shots get turned to horizontal right before I transfer them here.  They were my best 2 waterfall shots, but got distorted in the turning, so I can't use them.

With this cascade I am looking downward:

We were teased with "almost sun" on our outing, but Lo!

Later this evening, back at home, Mt. Si looked like this, slashed by the sunset, from our front porch:

IN-BETWEEN

This is the time of year when anything can happen, weather-wise.  However, it is normally more exciting and dimentional that what we have had lately.  I have come to think that Mother Nature has the "blahs".

Here is the near-by mill pond, mid-day:

Maybe she has more than the "blahs"; maybe this is "straight-line" on the chart:

In any case, all our surroundings are monochromatic:

Except one recent morning!  Before the gray set in, sunrise looked like this

from our back porch.  It was not actually a bona-fide sunrise, because those colors would have shown

from the front side of our house.  For an eye-blink moment there were lavender and gray waves of clouds.

After getting my camera, the "side effect" had turned this odd color. (Hmmm, could I call that "periwinkle blue", do you think?)

SHUTTER SPEED PRACTICE

 A couple of days ago the boring weather actually relaxed with a sigh and let the sun brush in.  My photo buddy P called, and I knew right away why: "Let's get out there!"  Turned out to be a momentary temptation; the sun left as we left the driveway. So we just went close-by to practice getting waterfall shots.  Even for that, the sky made for blow-out pics in our practice.  So, I post only one in order to remember that we tried:

Okay, I am really upset with the posting process here.  I call this shot, "Bubble Beetles", but it is supposed to be horizontal, not vertical.  This blog insists on making it vertical.  To see the "beetles", you have to turn your head sideways.  These little guys were scooting around in the pool at the bottom of the little waterfall:

I gave up on the waterfall because the pool at the bottom caught my attention.  The sky was changing moods like a chameleon and so did the shadows and colors in the pool.  Here, the sky was momentarily brighter:

And this reflects a sudden change to a darker mood.  Same camera settings; same place; different sky colors:

Looks a lot like water and oil.  But the water was clear.

A DAY AT MOLBAK'S !

 Do I love front door decor?  On our recent trip to New England, it became one of my favorite photo subjects!  I spent most of the day with photo friend, P, and we giggled with the pure joy of all that Molbak's has to offer at this time of year!

 Same door, taken through a wrought iron gate:

 Up close to some Christmas trees:

It was actually sunny and warm (in the high 70s!), so we broused around in the outside nursery as well.  What with the weather forecast, it was probably the last time we could do this.  How lucky we felt!

 I think this bee has his seasons mixed up.  Well, it did feel just like spring, after all!

 The last coneflower:

Well, maybe not quite the last, but this one was on its last, um, petals:

 And this wonderful species of Japanese maple - so delicate! - looks like a hanging Christmas ornament:

 Ahhh - poinsettias!  Molbak's is getting ready for their annual, unbeatable poinsettia display.  This is my new favorite variety, "Ruby Frost":

To end the tour on a jolly note, items like these just make one want to sing "Jingle Bells!"

What a blatant jump from holiday red and green, to blazing autumnal colors!

The next 2 photos are from Molbak's also, outside.  On one I focused on the maple trees, and on the other I focused on the rusty gate.  Not sure which I like the best, but the colors didn't change!

 Somewhat on the same theme are the last 2 photos.  These were taken yesterday from inside an office building.  Outside, the parking lot is rimmed with trees, and this was the perspective from an interior stairway.  Sure did light up the way!

BEAUTY and the BEASTIES

The end of last month I had a wonderful visit with Dick's sister - like a sister to me! - in Orange, California.

During one of our outings, her car was parked near a fence with the most unusual pod-like things growing on it.  She is a gardener/flower-lover extraordinaire; I, an amature photographer, so we were both equally captivated by its uniqueness.

These pods, in various stages of drying and dying, were about the size of a small orange.

We learned only that this is "some sort of a milkweed", which makes sense, considering all its components.  I have researched, and still do not know the variety.

Nor do I know the varieties of all the types of bugs which inhabited it! 

We only saw the type shown on the left photo, below.  The smaller ones did not show except because of my macro lens.

The left photo shows a sort of beetle, and a weensie mite:

Then we see, on the right, the mite and an even weensier "thing":

More mites and beetles: (as if we need more!)

Ahh...back to the beauty of just plain pod.  I think the part in the middle looks like a feather:

Leftovers:

And lastly, the pod's seed spores, making sure the beauty will be there next year: