Here is another challenge right up my alley. When I’m outside, it’s not unusual to find me crouched down to get a photo of some small bit of life passing by. As Jello and I were on our way to the beach yesterday, a striking woolly worm stopped me. Also known as a woolly bear, legend has it that this caterpillar is a predictor of upcoming winter weather.
Isabella tiger moth larva (Pyrrharctia isabella)
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “the wider the rusty brown sections…the milder the coming winter will be. The more black there is, the more severe the winter.” Looks like we’re in for stormy weather in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), USA!
Pelagic Goose Barnacle – Lepas anatifera
This may not look very ordinary to many of you, however along the beaches of the world, large colonies of pelagic goose barnacles attached to drifting wood end up on shore. If the tide rises enough to reclaim their floating home, they will survive, if not they perish. This particular colony, photographed 10/11/2021 had returned to the Pacific by the next day.
Not sure what particular flower made this lovely seed head, maybe dandelion or perhaps a relative. Regardless, this light seed soon to lift and dance in the wind, is a common sight in fields and meadows just about everywhere.
Mushrooms are abundant in the PNW from autumn through late spring, and year round where grounds are damp. Their visual contrast from the flora around them, always catches my eye. Rule number one in my “Mushrooming Without Fear” guide is, Never, never take a mushroom with gills!!! Even from this vantage, clearly this mushroom has gills and is best left untouched where it is. (Alexander Schwab)
Though dogs are very much an ordinary part of our lives, this is Jello – an extraordinary Beagle. I have featured her in several posts, and we spend much time together exploring the outdoors. Unfortunately, she has congestive heart failure which we are treating with medications to keep her as healthy and active as possible. It is a degenerative condition however, and there is no reversing it. So today, I end this post letting my followers know, as I face the reality she won’t be with me forever.
Wishing everyone safe travels. Please be kind and stay safe.🐾
A big thank you to I.J. Khanewala for hosting this challenge!
Oh, my – Tina has me pegged! When I was in high school I loved to go to old buildings near our farm and draw various aspects of them. My affection for once useful structures and other stuff that has fallen into disrepair is still alive and well.
The Sanctuary – Chinook, WA
This historical building was originally a Methodist Church and parsonage built in 1916. More recently it was the site of the Sanctuary Restaurant and Antique store. Purchased a year ago, I have high hopes it will be restored to its original charm.
Bleached Timbers – Miller Lake, OR
These tall trees have certainly seen better days! Still, there is something alluring about their stark trunks lying in the clear water, and bleached roots reaching toward the forested hills.
Repairs at the Breakers
There are four wooden structures that house the condominiums of the Breakers. Originally constructed in the late 1970’s they are still solid and in good condition. Being in a constant Pacific Ocean marine environment, sometimes parts of the structures need to be replaced. These two workers were at the third floor level, just outside our window where I was able to take snaps of them removing the pole and setting a new one it place.
Left – rotted pole being taken away. Middle – new pole being set into place. Right – securing new pole to structure. In the center photo you can see blue poles along the front of the building in the background.
Being a fishing and ocean-going community, rope often ends up washed onto the beach. Over time, people (like me) who remove trash, have draped rope over a post beside the trail from the beach to the Breakers. It is a colorful display, often with buoys and abandoned flip-flops tied into the mix!
Along our trails are benches for folks to sit on and rest. After walking by them many times and seeing them in disrepair, I asked management/maintenance if I could have permission to screw them back together and paint them. It was an easy job, and once done, so gratifying to see people using them again. Wish I’d thought to take an “after” photo!
Wishing everyone safe travels. Please be kind and stay safe.🐾
Ornamental maple trees are turning on their autumn razzle-dazzle all over the Pacific Northwest, as we greet October with a few days of welcome rain.
The little bright crab-apples (below) caught my eye and made my mouth water. My grandmother made crab-apple butter that was a blue ribbon winner at the county fair, and her pickled crab-apples were a special treat at our Thanksgiving table when I was a young girl.
The stand of holly in my back yard is a favorite place for birds to rest, nest and shelter. Holly berries start out lime green and begin turning yellow this time of year. The color shift continues shading to orange, carnelian and by December, the bright red of Christmas wreaths.
In spring this Wild Rose is smothered in pink flowers and alive with pollinators. Now it drapes a mantle of golden foliage over its old host fence.
While walking in a different neighborhood today, I was curious just what this tree was. I associated the big seed pods with Locust, which led me to identify it on line. Though not native to North America, Mimosa or Persian Silk Tree is very happy in our PNW climate.
Albizia Species, Mimosa Tree, Pink Siris, Persian Silk Tree Albizia julibrissin
Wishing everyone safe travels. Please be kind and stay safe.🐾
Last week I wasn’t able to post to Leya’s challenge of artificial light, the first one of the Lens-Artists Challenges I’ve missed! Sometimes life intervenes with our best laid plans and intentions, so I’m happy to be back participating this week. Thank you Amy for this timely theme!
Just getting to the point where I can post anything on my blog right now has been a monumental task. Sometimes just taking the course of least resistance is the best way to get to where I want to be. For Patti’s challenge I offer three shots of wide-open places worth seeing. No wide-angle lenses anymore and no time to play with panoram
Wishing everyone safe travels. Please be kind and stay safe.🐾
These photos were all selected, watermarked and ready to post – then I wasn’t able to get into my WordPress account. AAARRRGGH! Still, I want to provide a few snaps of Ups and Downs and thank our guest hostess for suggesting this theme!
Astoria-Megler Bridge
This bridge is impressive in so many ways. I like this photo because it indicates we are entering the state of Washington, plus the light blue sky and white cloud make an interesting background.
Wise Tree CircleSilver Cedars – Crater Lake, Oregon – USA
Trees provide many beautiful opportunities to enjoy looking up!
My favorites – birds and the ever-changing clouds in Pacific Northwest skies.
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Yes, it’s not quite the “long view down,” however I find joy in the little things that I encounter in the world around me.
Dune Rune #33
Deep dive into the basalt canyon worn over time by the river running through it.
Salt Creek – Willamette Pass, Oregon
Salt Creek Falls
Mesmerizing, refreshing, amazing these natural wonders!
View from my deck.
I’ll conclude with a photo taken a couple springs ago looking down at the rock garden from the deck of my home in Vancouver, WA.
Wishing everyone safe travels. Please be kind and stay safe.🐾
Walking With Eagles is a collection of original poems and photographs by Lindy Low Le Coq. A lifelong naturalist, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, Lindy’s verse, composition and photographs open a window into the essence of her subjects. Her poems and photography reflect the rich natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Bald Eagles mature over the course of five years. Walking With Eagles invites the reader to take a poetic and visual tour of this odyssey.
view ~ Walking With Eagles ~ in top menu bar for a preview, though the folio is much nicer!
Lindy Low LeCoq 