snow blogging

This is the scene out the back window this morning. After about 4 inches on Saturday, the snow started up again about 11 am on Sunday, and didn't quit until after 9 pm, leaving another 2-3 inches. I think we have 6 or 7 inches in all. The trees are all weighted down with snow, and we have icicles hanging from the house (see upper left corner).

Friday wildlife blogging

Last Sunday, we went for a drive up the Skagit River to Rockport. At a park along the river, it is possible during the winter months to see many bald eagles awaiting the winter chum salmon run.

When we arrived, there was heavy fog, but it began to lift even before we got our jackets on.


After seeing some eagles from the nearby bridge, we went for a walk towards the west on the north side of the river. On the way, there was a fellow with a much better camera, attempting to get some photos of this magnificent bird:



This was such a huge bird, perhaps a female. She was facing away from me as I took this, alas.

A great day - it was sunny and brisk, we saw about 20 eagles during the day, as well as large flocks of snow geese and tundra swans while driving through the Skagit valley, many of them just south of Mount Vernon and not far off the freeway.

in the news

An editorial about keeping NOAA's research vessels stationed at Lake Union in Seattle.

To be fair, I also understood that the Port of Everett was also in the running, and really, perhaps a lot of the businesses (and folks working at them) that service these ships would not mind so much moving to Everett, because housing is much cheaper and one could actually afford to live closer to work, something many of us in this traffic-congested region would love to be able to do.

In other news, they have opened I-5 at Chehalis finally. I feel badly for the poor folks having to clean the mud out of their homes (some of them for the second time in only 11 years) - just in time for the holidays. Give to local charities helping out if you can.

winter wonderland

This is what we woke up to this morning:

Technically, it is still winter, but sheesh, this is getting ridiculous!

and an update

Haven't been posting much recently, due to a bunch of things:

1. Got a nasty cold ~mid-December (the 12th specifically), which I made worse by doing too much over the holidays and not getting enough rest.

2. Nasty windstorm on December 14, which took out some trees in/near driveway and part of our fence.

3. Snowstorms which kept me holed up for days at a time, first in late November, then again on January 10, and yet again on January 15/16. This winter has really sucked, weather-wise.

4. A second nasty cold which commenced on January 5th. This time I did get enough rest.

5. Aziza relapsed with a respiratory problem on January 8th, and has needed some time-consuming care over the last 10 days. Back to the vet tomorrow for her recheck, but she does seem to be recovering. She is going to need medication for about six months - but at least we are done with the really hard part.