Anna's Hummingbirds Are Back - Our World Tuesday

After months of being chased away by the migratory Rufous hummingbirds, my Anna's Hummingbirds are back at the feeder. Anna's are here in WA all year round, except for when the Rufous pass through and discover the feeder!!

They are loving my petunias, now that the moles have stopped digging them up. I have both the normal petunias and the double frilled ones in the garden and in hanging baskets. Summer is definitely here as they are going crazy, much to the Anna's delight. I have been trying to get a photo of them feeding from the flowers.

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Changing Skies - Skywatch Friday

We have been blessed with a couple of days of beautiful blue skies and record high temps, here in the Great Northwest.

Taken from the Chambers Bay walkway in Tacoma, WA

Heralding the return of grey skies. Taken from Alki Beach, Seattle, WA

Inclement weather makes for beautiful sunsets. Westport rock jetty, WA

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Ocean Skies - Sky Watch Friday

“Darwin may have been quite correct in his theory that man descended from the apes of the forest, but surely woman rose from the frothy sea, as resplendent as Aphrodite on her scalloped chariot.” ― Margot Datz, A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids

Most of my life, before moving to the US, has been spent within touching distance of the sea. It's the place where I have always gone to recenter and recharge myself. It's been where I got inspiration, where I sat and wrote, where I found peace, even when it was wearing it's stormy apparel. The rhythm of the sea is almost womb like .. primal ... and it touches something within me. A couple of days ago, we made an afternoon trip over to Ocean Shores, about 90 minutes from where we live in Washington State. I felt like I'd come home. It wasn't the best day for taking pictures, but who would not feel at peace in a place like this. I think I need to move :-)

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All Fogged In - Skywatch Friday

On my evening walk, a few days ago, this was my last glimpse of blue sky, with storm clouds already heralding their approach...

This is how our skies have looked the last few days ... fog and more fog. I have faith that the blue sky is somewhere up there. Maybe we will get a glimpse today :-)

The beavers have been busy though, chewing down saplings for their new homes along the river bank..

I also learnt something new on my walk. This is called 'Snake Grass' and apparently if you come in contact with stinging nettles or other irritant plants, rubbing some of this grass on, helps the sting.

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Jelly Fish - Our World Tuesday

Olympia is the capitol city of Washington State. The downtown area's streets are lined with interesting little shops. Reminds me a lot of the shop lined streets back home in New Zealand. I loved the decorations hanging outside this group of shops. They had a marine theme going on, which reflected the location of Olympia, right at the top of the Puget Sound.

Close up of the 'jelly fish' ... very cute.

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Water and Sky - Sky Watch Friday

The sky over my part of the great Northwest has been rather grey and foggy, for the last few days. We had heavy rain, which led to flooding, landslides and raging rivers. Below is a view of the Deschutes River at Tumwater Falls Historical Park in downtown Olympia

That certainly contrasts with the way the sky was just a few days beforehand. Olympia is the capitol city of Washington State and is built at the tip of Pugent Sound on the Budd Inlet. In the distance you can see the Olympia mountain range..

And as a bonus ... I also got my first shot of a Heron :-)

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The River - Our World Tuesday

We have had some heavy rain in Northwestern WA and as a result some of our local rivers have flooded. The Deschutes River in downtown Olympia is running fast and dirty. The hubby and I went for a walk along it's banks at the Tumwater Falls late this morning. Unfortunately I forgot my spare camera battery and ended up taking most of the pics with my LG G3 phone camera. The power of the river coming over the falls and through the rapids was awesome to watch. Lot's of broken branches and fallen trees being swept down the river. To add to the atmosphere it was quite foggy. Garth Brooks song 'The River' was playing in my head as I walked.' So don't you sit upon the shoreline... And say you're satisfied... Choose to chance the rapids...And dare to dance the tide...'

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Mt Rainier and Clouds - Sky Watch Friday

I know, Mt Rainier was my subject last week :-) However, it's been so much fun playing with the camera and I haven't had much opportunity to go further that walking distance from home and Mt Rainier has been visible!! :-) I live about 46 miles from Mt Rainier National Park, but the mountain is big enough to dominate a large part of our skyline...

When I first looked at this photo, on my computer, when I got home, I thought that perhaps I'd had a bit of dust on my lens as there was a spot above the right flank of the mountain. Then when I enlarged it, I realized it was a small plane .. you can just see the wheels, etc. Interesting what you can catch that you don't see when you are taking the photo. :-)

Clouds swirling around, heralding an incoming storm .. Happy New Year, All :-) Go to SKYWATCH for views of the sky from all over the world !

The Moon and The Mountain ..

This evening's partial moon. Taken with my Canon SX50 ... I was really surprised how well it turned out as it was a hand held shot at full zoom..

“The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.” ― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

Mt Rainier, peeking over the trees at the end of my road, bathed in the rays of the setting sun. Mt Rainier is an active stratovolcano and is probably overdue for a major eruption. Standing at 14,410 ft, it is the 3rd tallest mountain in the US (from memory). It is a dangerous mountain to climb, but people see it as a challenge. 2014 has seen at least 8 deaths, if not more. The highest death toll was in 1946, when a plane carrying 32 US Marines, crashed into one of the glaciers. Mt Rainier became the last resting place for these men, as it was considered to dangerous to try and retrieve the bodies. A beautiful mountain, but deadly in many ways.

Shared with Skywatch Friday and Our World Tuesday
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Our World Tuesday - My Neighbourhood

A misty morning in rural Yelm, WA ... my little part of the world :-)

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Centralia Canal - Sky Watch Friday

Taken at the Centralia Canal in Yelm on a beautiful winter day. Storm clouds are rolling in though! Finally got my new camera ...a Canon Powershot SX50. Not a DSLR as yet, but certainly a step up from my camera phone. Am having fun learning it.
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Sky Watch Friday - Beautiful Autumn Day

I live in a rural area, however I am about a 40 minute walk (at my present pace) from town. I love the walk, especially when you can stop and take in scenes like this :-) They are all taken with my less than satisfactory cell phone camera. Am looking forward to getting my new Canon SX50 in a few weeks. It's getting harder and harder, locally, to find film for my old SLR camera and the cost of developing is getting expensive in a number of ways. I am thinking that the Canon is going to be a good substitute until I can afford a DSLR :-)

Looking across a field with cattle ... Mt Ranier in the distance.

Zooming in on Mt Rainier ...unfortunately it makes the photo a bit grainy. I caught the flick of the tail as the cow swatted away an annoying insect :-)

Peacefully grazing on an idyllic Autumn day...

Mt Rainier peeking through the trees and shrubs along the bike and walking trail..

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