Living a Wild Life

As all of you that follow me regularly know,

I live in the foothills of the Cascade mountains

overlooking Mt. Rainier, here in western Washington State.

We have lots of wildlife and once in a while I get 

lucky and remember to snap a photo! 

Most of the time I am surprised in the moment 

and forget, but my brain-fog lifts every now and again,
and I remember to grab my camera.

 I would like to share some of these moments with you! 

Recently, we had this visitor for a couple of weeks. 

He liked to sit in this tree and hunt. 

I could see him from my living room through the glass doors.
Not much happens out my windows except for the weather
and the occasional small plane, so I am always
excited when we have wild visitors. 

He arrived looking rather thin....

maybe from a long migration. 

Definitely hungry....

Looking around.

Pretty coloring. 

I think he is a Red-Tail Hawk.

You can see how thin he is.

We have lots of rabbits and squirrels,
so hopefully he found a meal.

Kai spies a squirrel on the other side of the fence.

Look at that concentration!
You can see my garden cart and rake waiting for me.

The squirrel nonchalantly digs around, knowing full well
that Kai is on the other side of the fence :)

Such a tease......

One morning I was driving up 

the driveway and had just arrived at the gate 

when I saw movement out my rain-streaked windshield. 

(My plastic enclosed newspaper leans against the post.)

It was a Ruffed Grouse. 

I had heard his drumming for a few weeks. 

He notices me and decides to fly off, and when he did, 

another flew off with him. 

Hopefully there will be little grouse come spring :)

Isn't he pretty? He blends into the landscape so well!

This year we have been blessed with a small herd of elk

that are wintering nearby. 

It's always a thrill to see them. 

They will stay for the winter and once

the snows melt in the higher elevations, 

they will move to higher ground.

These are large animals that can weigh about 400 lbs.
when fully grown.

We drive carefully and slowly, especially
at night.

I recently told you that a pair of Bald Eagles had 

arrived in the area and I was hoping to get some photos. 

I had my chance just the other day.....

A real beauty. 

So graceful. 

Soaring back and forth....

And quickly gone. 

This little Towhee is a favorite of mine.
He lives right near the house and scratches
for insects under the cedar trees.

He and his mate nest on the ground and he sings a reedy song
all spring to announce his territory.

We have these large Band-Tailed Pigeons that live here, year-round, too.
They are as big as a chicken - not like those wimpy
city pigeons! :) They live in large flocks and like residential areas
and parks with big trees to nest in.

This is a female Varied Thrush.
The male is a striking orange and black.
They are about the size of a Robin, but a little stouter.
They winter here and scratch for insects under leaves and
in the fallen needles under evergreens.

They have a very reedy call and are prone to window strikes,
so I have special decals in my big windows and it has
solved the problem.

And who doesn't love hummingbirds?
This little Anna's hummingbird is our year-round resident.
His dark head and throat glows ruby red in sunlight.

  xoxo

We are blessed with a mild climate here year round.
The average temperature is 52 degrees (Fahrenheit),
and it rarely gets hotter than 80 degrees in summer,
and colder than 46 degrees in winter.
(Daily high temperatures)
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule,
but this is the average.

Once in a while we get snow in the lower elevations,
but it doesn't last very long.
We live at 1200 ft. elevation. Mostly the snow
level stays higher than 3000 ft. but because
we are in the foothills, we can get snow
when other areas don't.

Sunset on the Cascade Mountains.

We do get a lot of rain - about 38 inches a year,
but that is mostly in winter and spring.
Summers and fall are surprisingly dry.

Mt. Rainier forms it's own weather and sometimes the clouds form amazing swirls nearby.

Although it can be sobering to realize how
truly wild this life I lead is,
(when coyotes are howling and Ramblin' Man is away
on a business trip)
 I wouldn't trade it for any other place on Earth.

Except, maybe, for a stone cottage in the Cotswold's :)

xoxo

Thank you for sharing this wild and crazy life with me,
dear Friends! It's all of you who keep me
from being that lone voice in the dark.

xoxo

Today I am linking with:

Saturday's Critters

Won't you join the fun?

A Late Summer Stroll

Late summer is a languid time of year,

here in the foothills of the Cascade mountains

of western Washington state.

It is so quiet that you can hear the dry leaves drop, 

the buzz of an insect as it flies by, 

and the fluffing of feathers in the underbrush. 

Something that the robins appreciate as they listen 

for grubs and worms. 

Can you see Mr. Robin on the fence rail?

Red Huckleberries brighten up the shadows.

They grow in the highly acidic soil

around rotting cedar stumps. 

A favorite of the birds - thimble-berries 

ripen above their large, maple-like leaves. 

These form large colonies in the shade of the 

forest floor. 

Whitey Bear hears a stick snap.......

We all go on high alert. 

It is just a small herd of deer across the way. 

We relax and move on, leaving them in peace. 

Can you see Charlie, the little black dachshund that

I am pet-sitting, down along the bend? 

He is always in motion and I am unable to get a clear 

photo of him! He is searching for critter burrows. 

He loves to dig :) 

He will be going home soon and we are going to miss him. 

He's been such a happy little presence. 

The blackberry blossoms are pink in the shade......

and white in the sunshine. 

The blackberries are sweet and delicious

this year, despite the drought. 

I am not the only one who thinks so! 

It's always nice to stop for a quick snack :)

Douglas spirea is a native shrub with delightful, 

fuzzy flowers that also dry well for arrangements. 

Ocean spray is a tall, arching shrub with white, frothy 

flowers resembling 'ocean spray'. 

The flowers also dry beautifully to a lovely 

parchment color. 

The slender branches are extremely strong 

and were used by native peoples to make arrow shafts. 

An interesting moth on a mossy rock. 

It was on the large size - about an inch and a half. 

Nature provides wonderful camouflage. 

Dried seed heads of the wildflower, avens,

back-lit by the late afternoon sun. 

Oregon grape ripens to a dusky blue, 

hence the name. These are edible and 

grow on a low, arching, evergreen plant

with toothed leaves. These form lovely 

colonies and are used in native landscaping. 

Here they grow alongside my driveway. 

Tiger swallowtails enjoy the fragrant butterfly bush

growing along the edge of the clearing. 

As we get close to home, we see the apples 

are ripening. 

These are left to the wild things, as they 

are too wormy :(

The tansy is blooming, but has fallen here and there

from our recent rain. 

No matter........it is harvested for its pungent leaves

to use for moth sachets. 

The button-like blossoms dry nicely, too. 

A cute grasshopper keeps its eye on me

as I take his cameo. 

I enjoy sitting here under the shade of the cedar tree

on a hot afternoon. 

You can see how brown the grass is from our recent drought. 

We went 55 days without rain, breaking the record. 

Our walk is over - we arrive at the gate. 

The lower area around the house is completely

fenced to keep the dogs corralled. 

The house sits behind a cedar grove. 

You can see dry needles are already falling

around the base of this beauty. 

A ground-beetle along the walkway. 

This one is not alive. 

I suspect a dog stepped on it. 

Poor thing. 

These beetles eat grubs. 

My side window with pots of red impatiens,

blue lobelia and creeping Jenny. 

Ramblin' Man took a hanging basket off the deck

that had seen better days and plopped it

into my little red wheelbarrow to move it

elsewhere. It looked so pretty, I told him to 

leave it there. 

I found the bench arbor last year at the end of the

season deeply discounted, and we put it together 

this spring. I am coaxing a honeysuckle vine to grow

up the side. 

It matches my rose arbor. 

The roses are tired and have stopped blooming

for now. 

Mt. Rainier's snows have been melting, 

exposing its rock face. 

Did you notice the crow at the top of the tree?

He is waiting for his friends.......

And off they go as the setting sun 

reflects on mountain snows. 

The end of another lovely day. 

Time to go inside as the moths begin to play. 

xoxo

Thank-you for coming along on my Late Summer Stroll, 

dear friends. 

And thank-you for your always kind comments. 

xoxo

Today I am linking with:

Saturday's Critters

Won't you join the fun?

xoxo