January 16, 2013 - The Inversion Has Taken Hold

which means there is no sun, little if any wind, not much temperature change, and today is the first day all winter that the thermometer hasn't topped thirty degrees.  Which isn't so bad, really.  It was just below twenty degrees this morning when I got up (a half hour early, for some reason).  The birds are mostly holding in position.  (Still lots of eagles roosting on Foundation Island - and plenty of ducks and geese in the river.)  A flock of juncos flew into and out of one of my spruce trees today - a bird I particularly enjoy watching.  And there were lots of hawks on the way to (but not on the way back from) PT.

All of which is to say - no photos today.  No light, nothing close when I could get close, and little to no incentive to go outside!  (Chilly is not my favorite temperature.)  And, quite frankly, today is the first day of this blog that I didn't see something I really wanted to capture on camera.  That's not to say there was nothing of beauty - it just wasn't close enough for me to reach.

Which is worthy of thought, in and of itself.  If I am nourished by beauty (and I am - thankfully I define it broadly), how am I fed on those days when I can't reach the table?  A friend of mine, who also blogs, wrote about fasting today.  Perhaps that's what these days are like - a fast - reminding me of the ultimate Beauty, which is God, which I can never own.  As we hear in the Chronicles of Narnia, "He's not a tame lion" - he isn't there whenever we want, for whatever we want.  But God is, above all things, good.  God is, above all things, present, even when we cannot see.  (Ask this woman who has difficulty seeing - I will tell you - still God is present!)  So, a fast from the beauty that so often surrounds me can be used to redirect my attention to the Beauty that continuously holds me, even when I cannot see.

January 15, 2013 - Still Clear and Cold - But Hazy

Stained glass in my office - "I am the vine, you are the branches."  Jesus

Oriole nest

Today seemed like a very busy day - and I'm still trying to figure out why.  There were tasks that got accomplished - cleaning out a bedroom so we can paint; getting rid of some old music and sorting what we're keeping; looking at the seed stock so I could send in a seed order; meeting with a friend to plan a conference.  Plus working out, fixing dinner - all the usual tasks.  It just seemed there should have been more time in this day!

 

That said, I did take the time to pay attention to some of the beauty inside the house, though most of it didn't photograph well.  I love the stained glass piece - it was made by a very talented pair of parishioners.  The oriole nest was made by a very naturally talented oriole!  We humans are born with many talents, but I think we, more than any other creature, get to decide which ones to nurture, which ones to bring to full flower.  I am always happy to see someone expressing themselves fully, be it in sports, art, music, writing, or in whatever manner. 

 

What internal area do you nurture?  What do you work to bring to fullest expressions?  What gives you the most joy?

January 14, 2013 - A Sunny Winter Day

Ducks at McNary Wildlife Refuge Educational Center

Tule reeds

Sunset - can you see the crescent moon?

A few minutes later - from the deck.  River of fire!

We don't normally get this many beautiful sunsets in winter.  We get some, but not like the ones we've had this year.  Almost every evening, it's been worth standing at the window, on the deck, or anywhere I can see, just to watch to changes in color.  And it isn't just focused in one area...these sunsets have colored well over half the horizon.  It's been such a wonder to be able to watch them!

 

Earlier in the day, my son drove me to the Refuge Educational Center, where we occupied the bird blind for a while, watching the ducks on the distant shore.  On the way in, we had seen the snow geese again.  And after we returned home, I saw over a dozen eagles on Foundation Island.  It's been a rich day, in very many ways.  Time with my son, beauty surrounding me...and I finally got the tumbleweeds picked up from the huge windstorm we had a month ago!  

January 13, 2013 - Baptism of Our Lord

Slate Colored Junco

A bit later

The back garden in winter

Today was another lovely, cold day - but I didn't get out too much, as yesterday's wanderings had left my foot pretty sore.  I enjoyed the trip in to church, looking at the beauty of the banners one of the very talented women there sews, enjoying the quiet of a lunch together with my husband, then off to choir for an hour of singing in a rich, four-part harmony (occasionally with divisi!) 

 

A slow day is not a bad thing on a Sunday.  I've done a bit of work around the house that I wanted to do, and hadn't yet gotten to.  That kind of work is generally fun, and today was no different.  I re-sorted our DVD's, took care of tracking down some financial pieces that are due in a couple of weeks, and gazed out the windows from time to time.  Laundry is slowly getting done, my husband is completing some work in the extra bedroom, and he just finished sharpening all the kitchen knives.  (What a treat!)  It was a good day to finish up odds and ends.

 

The celebration of the baptism of Jesus is a day I remember, more than on other days, that God also has called me, and calls me "My beloved".  It is a day to live into who I am, in God's eyes, rather than my own.  Some years that is hard work - some years, like this one, it is a blessed reminder and an impetus to caring both for others and for self.  May you be similarly blessed.

January 12, 2013 - A Day Spent Outside in the Cold!

Across the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve

Along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River

Common Merganser, on the Yakima River

Today was another beautiful day.  My husband and I spent the afternoon driving past the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve by Hanford.  We saw a good percentage of the elk herd there - easily 200 animals, plus a couple of coyotes that seemed to be just hanging out with the elk.  Hopeful, foolish, or???

 

We then headed across Vernita bridge to a section of the Hanford Reach - the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River.  We found a beautiful piece of petified wood that had been washed downriver, and enjoyed checking out several places the beavers had been at work cutting down trees. 

 

Then, off to the Yakima River at Horn Rapids.  That's where the above photo was taken.  It was later in the afternoon, and all the colors were so vibrant.  There were lots of birds in the area, though most were photographer shy.  (We were out walking, at this point - no car to use as a blind.)  But the walk felt wonderful.  Cold air, sunshine, and incredible beauty, from sumac clusters to the river itself.

 

I am, perhaps, most especially blessed in having a husband who knows what I am doing with this blog, why I am doing it, and is willing to take me all over the area, just to see, to look at the light, to discover what I can capture in pixels, and then share with you.  For him I am very thankful!

January 11, 2013 - What to Do on No Photo Days?

Today was a beautiful day.  I awoke to a bit of clear sky, with quite a few clouds, and some pink around the edges.  I worked out, checked my computer, did devotionals, went back out to the kitchen and an open window to see...snow!  Followed later by lots of sun, blue skies, and a gorgeous sunset.

A friend took me to PT, where I am mercilessly made to move, then on to another friend's house where we played games and talked.  By the time my husband picked me up to join our son and daughter-in-law for a late birthday dinner and a movie, it was too late for photos outdoors, and I had so enjoyed what I watched that I wasn't inspired to take a photograph inside. 

Hmmm...maybe I need to pay more attention to the beauty around me indoors, as well as out-of-doors.  Another day, perhaps.  Today was wonderful, and tomorrow involves a trek out to the Hanford area, on what promises to be a beautiful day!

(Alright, I'll include a photo taken of the sunset yesterday...)

January 10, 2013 - Cold, clear - with snow...

Would someone tell my roses it's still winter?

Immature white-crowned sparrow

Birch trees and Wallula Gap

Another beautiful day today.  This morning there were at least six immature eagles by Foundation Island, and a couple of adults, trying to avoid the kids, it seemed.  No swans today, but lots of pintails. 

 

In the afternoon I wandered through the back yard - all two acres.  The deer have been beating down pathways through the trees, and rubbing some trees hard enough to begin knocking them over.  There were juncos and sparrows near the ground, robins in the trees, and the occasional magpie.  My crocus have begun to sprout, and the garlic, shallots and cilantro just keep growing.  I'm a bit concerned about what a real cold snap could do at this point - the roses are even beginning to show new growth already!  Usually I put off any gardening until February - but this year may not wait that long.

 

The light today was beautiful - clear, slanted to pick up color, lots of contrast.  And there were even a few snowflakes, blown in on a light breeze.  A lovely day...