This garden spider was sun bathing before I began watering the nearby tomatoes. As soon as the sprinkles of water began to fall, he ran for cover.
On the drive to the trailhead at the Chatter Creek Ranger Station the scenery is stunning. We would soon discover the road was washed-out about two miles from our destination. A bad storm last winter had resulted in the river changing course - right over the road. We would park not too far from the Ida Creek Campground and walk and extra hour along a make-shift trail to meet up with the road again and eventually the trailhead.
Here is the Icicle River raging along. It was disdurbing once we reached the "end of the road" to see this raging river running across the road. And it was a bit eerie to see water up in what was last winter the woods that run along the road. 
Finally at the trailhead! From the road you quickly descend to this bridge to cross the river and begin the loop.
Some Indian Paintbrush.
The raging Icicle River.
Beautiful trillium.
The second amazing sighting of the day was the calypso orchid. You might easily step on it or overlook it. The first one we saw was just that, a single flower. We felt really lucky to have spotted it at all.
As we continued to hike, we noticed a few more, growing in small clusters. I wouldn't say we saw lots but we saw a handful of clusters. Considering how much ground we covered on this hike, we didn't see many. They really like very specific conditions and a particular soil fungus.
They stand only a few inches tall. A co-worker had tipped me off to look for these and I had forgot about them completely until I spotted one. My co-worker also told me to get down on the ground in order to appreciate the flowers subtle smell. Although I was near enough to photograph the flower up close, I completely forgot to test if it carries a scent.
Part of my head, some pines and some mountain as seen by S's sunglasses.
This is one of the best hikes we've done. Really spectacular. Very beautiful. Ponderosa pines, trillium, calypso orchids, some really odd fungi, blue skies, raging river, a great meadow, little elevation change, and countless opportunities to sit and watch the world go by. We would do this hike again even with the extra mileage to get to and from the trailhead to our car.
You can spot S hiking across the bridge. That fallen tree is leading the way.
This ponderosa pine, S's favorite tree, looks like it's leaning over to tell her a secret. Next time you are around ponderosas and the sun has warmed their bark, get up close and smell the woody vanilla scent that comes off the tree.
A recent shot of a walk down to the beach at Discovery Park. As we walked along the beach (away from the lighthouse and the crowds), the tide rolled out. We were able to wade out into the very cold water and explore the various critters and rocks and shells. Managed to get a bit of a sun burn on my arms. What a great day.
T.J. belongs to our neighbors K & R. But he likes to make visits. He used to live next door to K & R but when his owners moved, they couldn't take him. K & R adopted him though they already had two cats. So T.J. visits the house where he used to live and he visits us too. A very friendly and welcoming triangle for him. He's always wanted to come inside but Stripe wasn't at all interested in that idea. After she passed away, we said we'd let him in next time he stopped by. Now he comes in at least a couple of times a week. Last night we had to actually put him out because it was nearing 11 and we were already way past our bedtime. Besides, we no longer have a litter box set up and there is no cat door here like at K & R's place. These are some shots I took earlier in the week. I love the last one because I've caught him right in the middle of a catnip sneeze. 
No work today - officially! Here is where the snow was before I went to bed. Nine inches. As I type and wait for the coffee to brew, we are at ten inches. By the way, it's still snowing.
