Between the Rains

After one of the wettest days I can remember, this morning's sky is a welcome relief. The sun even made a brief appearance. I love the motion in the clouds - and the lack of rain.

More Moon

I love that the skies usually clear up for the full moon. I'm still experimenting with the new camera; here are 3 pictures taken in quick succession with three different settings.

Fog Sea

The sea of fog, lapping at my shores.

The Moon and Jupiter

After days of dense fog, today was gloriously clear and sunny. Just in time to catch the moon closing in on Jupiter. They stand out in the early evening sky, doing the celestial dance. 

5:20 PM

7:40 PM

Raven!

My farm is called Ravenwood for a reason - it is a wood filled with ravens. There are always ravens around. Getting pictures of them is an entirely different thing. They are ever vigilant, and seem to see a camera as a dangerous weapon.

This guy was avidly chowing down on a large hunk of meat my dogs haven't yet finished. This find was compelling enough for him to stick around even after I got out the camera, but you can see he has his eye on me. Taken through triple-pane windows that are, sadly, far from clean.

Sunset

Rising Fog

Mountains and Clouds

After days of thick, cold fog the sun is out and the world is again light and bright, with some very interesting cloud formations and beautiful mountains in full view.

Mt. Rainier and descending UFOs

Variations on the layered cloud theme

Mount St. Helens from the valley

Mt. Rainier

Sunrise

More Snow

Millie is not thrilled with the wet snow. "Make it stop!"

What's That Bird?

Millie was attempting to fly again, so I went out looking up. Perched in a nearby tree was this young eagle. With the pouring rain, looking toward the brighter spot in the sky that insinuates there's a sun back there, my pictures aren't very clear. It's hard to tell whether the light spots on the back are water or light feathers. The white strip under the eye and down the throat is puzzling too. It acted like a young bird.

Who can identify this raptor for me? 

While I'm not sure what he is, I'm pretty sure why he's here. My 24 young guineas may be in trouble.

Cat vs. Bantam

The single kitten remaining from the first litter wanted some attention. I took a moment out from feeding to wait for her to come and play. A bantam rooster was scratching around nearby.

 

The rooster came strutting over, objecting to the cat's presence in his territory.

Kitty changed directions. Rooster followed.

Mayhem ensued.

Rooster leaves, victorious.

Kitty retreats to safety behind the fence.

The interesting pecking order of life on the farm.

How Beautiful Thou Art

A spot of winter brightness.

Coming Change

The last few cold, clear days have been lovely, with all the mountains in top form. The light covering of snow makes everything pretty and bright.

While I was doing the afternoon feeding, clouds came rushing in from the west.

Before long they covered most of the sky. 

I'm still getting used to the new camera, so please excuse the focus. Mt. Rainier was too beautiful to pass up, even if it is a bit fuzzy.

Millie in the Sun

Gold Moon

Moonrise tonight was beautiful - a golden glow preceded the moon, as it slid over the horizon. I'm still working on settings with the new camera. The first shot shows the color well, but holding steady in the black of night is difficult. The second is in better focus, but it lost the gold.

Enjoying the Sun

Snowscape

A rare sunny winter day