Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Trellis lights at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C.
Merry Christmas to my Christian friends. And warm and happy holidays to those who observe many other celebrations that brighten this time of year. May you all enjoy love, joy, and light as we move through the short days of winter.
Forest berry leaf showing the colors of the season.
Done your holiday shopping yet?
I found this shop in Paris. It’s my idea of a bad dream. Retailers in the U.S. love to rearrange their stock so shoppers have to wander around aimlessly as they try to find all the stuff that was down this aisle or that the last time they were in the store. Around here there are often clerks who willingly help customers find things and they’re often even cheerful. That helps. But it can be maddening when you’ve got a list that’s carefully drawn to save time and then all that time’s spent wandering through the various departments where the item might be found…if indeed the store carries it. Two more shopping days ’til Christmas. Ho ho ho.
Fog can manifest suddenly and just as quickly evaporate. Less than a quarter a mile from this shot it was clear as a bell.
Today is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the official start to winter. We ushered out autumn yesterday with snow down to sea level. Although there has been snow in the hills in recent weeks, this is the first seen by flatlanders in a couple of years. Rain, with more predicted, means it’s not likely to last. So I guess if one dreams of a white Christmas yesterday was an excuse for an early celebration.
It’s the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Stay warm and dry.
The light wasn’t great but the mountains were perfect.
It isn’t every day that I drive on Highway 101 and spy the elk sign flashing. So I perked up yesterday and was pleased to see them lounging on a hillside. It took a little back-roading and tromping through fields, but I got almost close enough to take cropable shots with my zoom. And for me there was a real bonus: a bull in the middle of the harem, the first I’ve seen.
Some members of the herd wear radio collars that trigger lights on signs along the highway. From time to time the herd will literally cross the highway, a hazard for elk and human alike. It looks like this group is happy for now to hang out where they are.