photolog - Olympia part 2

The day after we got back to Washington, we drove back to Seattle to pick up one of Veronica's friends.  They have been life savers, so I was trying to do all I could to repay them for their generosity of time and their care for my niece. 

This view of Mt Rainier was a bright silver lining.

And then I went for a walk and ran into some natives... I loved seeing them in their winter coats!  They were not afraid at all.

This guy was looking right at me until I snapped the picture.  Apparently he was not ready for his close up.

 I don't know if this is meant to be art or functional, but I liked it just the same. I had to try to imagine a time when it would be warm enough to sit outside.  I couldn't, really.

Did I mention that when I went out one day without a hat, I experienced brain freeze without drinking something cold.

I have been in cold weather before -- colder than this -- and never felt this before.  Perhaps I never went out without the hat?

 This series begins my fascination with the flora.

Not surprisingly, these are called snow berries.

 This is not a great picture of the lichen growing on the leaf-less trees.  I could not stop noting the way these trees were dressed.  Unfortunately, I failed utterly at capturing the beauty, the intricacy, the symbiosis.

 So much beauty in these sycamores.  It might be cruel to prune them back like this, but it makes for stunning views.  I cannot control the light when I take these pics... rather, I should say that I don't know how to control the light.  But the way the light changes here certainly made for lovely photos.

 This began my obsession with the ice ... I will have to save the rest for another post. 

And I have more trees, but they will have to wait for another post as well... 

Secret paths and/or paths to nowhere...

 Trunk magic

Someone forgot to tell the robins that it was winter and they should fly south ... I am told they hang out all winter ... hmmm... now my when is spring indicator is broken.

I got to see the moon rise several afternoons ... just lovely!